Spades Bidding Guide
Most Spades games are decided at the bid. The cards just settle it.
Play Spades free
To bid in Spades, count one trick for every ace, one for the K♠ if you hold another spade with it, nearly one for the Q♠ with two more spades, half a trick for each side-suit king with a small card behind it, and nearly a full trick for every spade past your third. Add one for a void when you have three spades to trump with. Round down, and that's your bid. A made bid pays 10 points per trick and a missed one costs the same, so a single trick you didn't count right is a 20-point swing.
A count, worked through
The hand: ♠ A Q 7 4 ♥ K 9 3 ♦ A 8 5 2 ♣ 6 3
A♠ and A♦: 2. The Q♠ with two small spades under it: close to 1. The fourth spade: close to 1. The K♥ with two small hearts: a half. That's about four and a half. Bid 4.
That's the same hand we play through on how to play Spades, and 4 is also what our Medium, Hard and Expert bots bid holding it (Easy bots knock one off and say 3). They count much the way this page does. If your 30-second bid timer runs out in an online game, the app bids for you with that same count.
The count, in three passes
Don't look at the hand and guess. Go through it in this order.
- Certain tricks. Every ace is one. The K♠ is one if you hold at least one more spade, so it can't be caught by the ace on its own. The Q♠ with two more spades is close to one.
- Half-tricks, rounded down. A king with a small card behind it is a half. A side-suit queen with two small cards behind it is a half at best. Two halves make a trick; one half on its own makes nothing.
- Trump length. Each spade past your third is close to a full trick. Spades are trump every hand, so length is what wins the late tricks after the high cards have knocked each other out.
Then add a trick for a void with spades to spare: no diamonds and three spades should be good for at least one cut, a trick your high cards never had to win. A singleton with four spades is worth about the same.
Bidding chart
A starting number once you've counted. Then adjust for your partner's bid.
| What you hold | Bid | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 low spades, no aces, no high cards | Nil | Shape matters more than weakness |
| No aces, 2-3 spades, one bare king | 1 | The king may not survive |
| 1 ace, 3 spades | 2 | An ordinary hand |
| 1 ace and 4 spades, or 2 aces and 3 spades | 3 | Also ordinary |
| 2 aces, 4-5 spades | 4 | Add one if you hold a void |
| 2 aces, A♠, 5 spades | 5 | You're carrying the hand |
| 3 aces with 5+ spades including two honours | 6+ | Rare. Count it twice before you say it |
Bidding opposite a partner
Your bid and your partner's add up to one team contract. Bid 4 opposite their 3 and any split of seven tricks between you makes it, so the number you say is your share, not a personal promise. That changes a few things:
- Bid your own hand honestly. Shading your count to "help" spoils the only information your partner gets.
- Bid carefully after a nil. If your partner has bid nil, your bid has to carry the side, and you'll spend some winners protecting them instead of cashing them. Don't stretch.
- Add up all four bids. More than 13 and somebody is going to be set. Well under 13 and bags are coming for whoever takes the spare tricks.
Is it a nil?
A made nil is +100 and a broken one −100. It's a question of shape, not weakness. Zero to two low spades is nil territory; three spades, or any high spade, and sooner or later you'll be forced to win a trump trick. Side-suit kings need two small cards with them to hide under. And you want a low card in as many suits as possible. The nil guide goes through it hand by hand.
Bidding to the score
- Ahead late: bid tight and honest, avoid overtricks, and let the other side chase.
- Behind late: a nil plus a sensible partner bid is the biggest swing on offer. A made nil and a made 4 with one bag is 141 in a single hand.
- Opponents on 8 or 9 bags: bid a little under your count and hand them cheap tricks they can't refuse. Their tenth bag costs them 100.
- Close to −200: in our app a team that falls to −200 loses on the spot, so a big set there ends the match.
Five bidding mistakes that cost games
- Counting face cards. Three queens aren't three tricks. They're often none.
- Underbidding every hand "to be safe". Bidding 3 on a hand worth 4 feels careful and walks your side into the 100-point bag penalty.
- Forgetting spade length. Five spades are worth about two tricks on their own. New players often miss this and bid two short.
- Stretching opposite a nil. Your winners are needed to cover your partner.
- Ignoring the score. At 460 you need a small, safe bid. Far behind with little time left, a nil may be the only bid that can close the gap.
Other Spades pages
- How to Play Spades: one full hand, then the complete rules.
- Spades Strategy: playing the hand once the bids are in.
- Spades vs Hearts: how the two games differ.
- Nil in Spades: bidding it, making it, breaking it.
- Spades for Beginners: the five rules that matter.
- How to Play Spades with 2 People: two-hand rules and the draw.