Spades scoring separates the team contract from special bids and overtricks. The cleanest method is to record the bid, tricks taken, hand score, bags, and running total after every hand.
Contract scoring
Add the partners’ bids. If the team takes at least that many tricks, award ten points per bid trick. Each extra trick normally adds one point and one bag. A bid of seven made with nine tricks scores 72.
If the team takes fewer than seven, it is set and usually loses 70. Tricks actually taken do not reduce the penalty under standard scoring, although some house variants penalize only the shortage.
Overtricks and bag penalties
Every trick beyond the contract is an overtrick or bag. Bags can rescue a contract, but accumulating ten commonly causes a −100 penalty. Track the bag total separately from the main score.
Example: a team has eight bags, bids five, and takes seven. The hand earns 52 and adds two bags, reaching ten. Apply the 100-point penalty according to the table rule; a common treatment makes the net hand −48 and resets the bag counter to zero.
Nil, failed nil, and blind nil
A successful nil commonly adds 100 points. A nil fails when the bidder takes even one trick and commonly subtracts 100. The nil bidder’s captured tricks may still count toward the partnership contract and bags; decide that treatment in advance.
Blind nil is optional. Many tables value it at ±200 and may allow card passing. Because conditions vary widely, never apply blind-nil scoring unless it was announced before the deal.
Being set and negative scores
A failed team contract loses ten times the bid. A team at 35 that bids eight and takes seven moves to −45. Negative totals are valid; continue until an agreed ending condition is met.
A team can make its contract while a nil fails, or fail the contract while a nil succeeds. Calculate the ordinary contract, nil result, bags, and any bag penalty as separate lines, then combine them.
Target scores and game length
Five hundred is traditional, but online rooms and short events often use 200, 300, 350, or 400. State whether the game ends the moment a team reaches the target or after the hand is fully scored. If both teams pass the target, the higher score normally wins unless a win-by rule applies.
Worked hand examples
| Bid | Tricks | Special result | Hand score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | None | 60 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 bags | 62 |
| 6 | 5 | Set | −60 |
| Partner 5 + successful nil | 5, nil takes 0 | Nil +100 | 150 |
| Partner 5 + failed nil | 6 total | Nil −100, 1 bag | −49 under common treatment |
Multi-hand running-score example
| Hand | Team A result | Hand points | Running score | Bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bid 6, take 7 | 61 | 61 | 1 |
| 2 | Bid 8, take 7 | −80 | −19 | 1 |
| 3 | Bid 5 plus successful nil | 150 | 131 | 1 |
| 4 | Bid 7, take 9 | 72 | 203 | 3 |
The example shows why the running total and bag count need separate columns. A successful nil can reverse a negative score, while one set can erase several modest contracts.
Calculating the final winner
Finish the agreed hand, apply both teams’ contract results, nils, and bag penalties, then compare totals. If one team has reached the target and leads, it wins. If both reach it, use the higher total or the announced tie rule. In money play, confirm the score sheet before settlement; the point total determines the card-game winner, while the separate stake agreement determines payment.
A reliable calculation order
First score the ordinary team contract. Second add or subtract nil and blind-nil results. Third add overtricks to the bag count. Fourth apply any bag threshold penalty. Fifth update the running total and compare both teams with the target. Using the same order prevents a failed nil, bag rollover, or negative score from being counted twice.
Complete final-score example
Team A begins at 442 with eight bags, bids five, and takes seven. The contract earns 52, creating ten bags. Under −100 at ten bags, the net hand is −48 and the team moves to 394. Team B begins at 430, bids six, and takes six for 60, reaching 490. Neither has reached 500, so another hand is required. This example shows why adding 52 without the bag penalty would name the wrong leader.