The Benefits of Underbidding in Spades

Spades is a card game of strategy as well as skill

To beat your opponents you will need to be good at the game as well as strategically sound. You should take time to master things like the benefits of underbidding in spades if you want to win consistently.

Underbidding can have its advantages in certain circumstances. Here is a look at a few of the top benefits that you can get by bidding lower than what you actually hold in the grand scheme of winning at spades!. Just remember that in some games you can be penalized for underbidding with sandbags.

A More Conservative Style

If you train and condition yourself to underbid in spades, the result will likely be a more conservative style of play. Playing conservatively is not a bad thing, and it wins a fair share of games. The downside is that some conservative approaches are not very exciting. You will not make many thrilling bids like a Boston or a Blind Six.

Playing conservatively in spades is a good way to master the game as you learn. If you are new to spades, the benefits of underbidding are well-established. It is better to go over by a couple of books than to bid on questionable tricks and come up short.

A False Sense of Security for Your Opponents

When you underbid in spades you may also succeed in lulling your opponents into a false sense of security. In spades, teams take turns bidding. Having the last bid is always an advantage, but you can also use the first bid to apply some strategy.

Underbidding when you have the first bid may entice your opponents to make a larger bid than they are capable of making. When this happens you have a chance to set your opponents and cause them to lose points in the game. Making them lose points consistently will probably lead to a win for you and your teammate.

We should make this clear. There is nothing unethical about underbidding in spades. There is no rule that says you cannot underbid. If you are playing in a game that includes the sandbag rule, then there are punishments for regular underbidding. In either case, you are well within your rights to make a bid of six when you think you actually hold eight books.

More Room for Error – Inexperienced Bidders

Playing the game of spades is easy – once you master the art of bidding. Bidding is the most difficult part of playing spades, and it can take hundreds of hands for someone to get very good at it. When you first begin to play the game you will probably have a steep learning curve when it comes to bidding.

If you are playing the game with someone that is new to spades, try to underbid a little. This will give you more room for error. You will take a lot of pressure off of your teammate when you are able to consistently make your bids. You will also help your partner to increase their confidence at bidding. In time experience will take over and you won't have to underbid on purpose.

A Steady Flow of Points

The goal of any spades game is to make enough points to win. Teams that win are the teams that score points consistently. Each round needs to end with you earning points. By underbidding you are increasing your chances to put a positive number on the score sheet.

Fewer Chances of Being Set

As an addition to the above, when you underbid in spades you are also going to have fewer chances to be set. Being set means that you did not make your books and are going to have points deducted on the scorecard.

The Disadvantages of Underbidding in Spades

It really wouldn't be fair to just list the benefits of underbidding in spades. There are some negatives to deal with. Overall, we think it is better to underbid than to overbid. Nevertheless, here are a few things to consider.

When you underbid in spades you are always leaving points on the table. You can quickly develop a sense of remorse if you are bidding under too often. That remorse may lead you to have disagreements with your partner or simply cause you to lose your enjoyment of the game.

Underbidding is also a dangerous scenario when you are playing in a game that counts sandbags. A sandbag is a book you catch that goes over what you have bid. For example, if you bid five and catch seven you will be given a total of two sandbags. When you get a certain number of sandbags you will have to go back a certain number of points. The general rule is to go back 100 points for every ten sandbags that you get. You can see that going back 100 points too often in a game will cause you to lose.

Finally, it is possible that underbidding will not be that well received by your opponents in spades. This is especially true if the underbidding that you are doing is causing your opponents to overbid. They may become frustrated and angry by not being able to make their books.

Sure, you can always argue that there is no rule against underbidding. In a tournament against strangers this can be effective. In a friendly game with some family members, no so much. Someone will get their feelings hurt and they probably won't want to play with you again. At the end of the day you will have to decide whether or not underbidding is worth it.

We believe that underbidding is a valid strategy at spades. It is a tool that you should keep in your toolbox. The best spades players know when to underbid, and they also know when they need to overbid. You should strive to be one of those rare spades players that can strike a balance between the two extremes. Being flexible at how you bid in spades might be the most valuable strategy of all.