Spades Score Keeper
Enter each team's bid and the tricks they won; the score, bags and nil bonuses are worked out for you, hand by hand.
Us
0
Bags: 0 of 10
Them
0
Bags: 0 of 10
Game to 500 · every 10 bags: −100 · 0 hands played
Hand 1
Us
Them
- Tricks add up to 0; a hand has 13.
- Team 1: set a bid of at least 1, or choose Nil.
- Team 2: set a bid of at least 1, or choose Nil.
Team and player names
Scoring rules (house rules)
Changing a rule rescores every hand already entered.
How Spades scoring works
Each hand, both partnerships bid how many of the 13 tricks they expect to win. In most games each player bids and the two numbers are added together, so the team's contract is the combined bid. After the hand is played, the team either made its contract or it didn't, and that decides the score:
- Made it: 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 point for each trick over. Bid 4, take 4: 40. Bid 4, take 6: 42.
- Set: took fewer than the bid. The team loses 10 per trick bid. Bid 4, take 3: −40.
- Bags: every overtrick is a bag. They score a point each, but they are counted, and a team that collects 10 loses 100. The count then resets to whatever is left over, so 12 bags becomes a −100 penalty and 2 bags carried forward.
- Nil: one player bids zero tricks. Made, it is worth 100; broken, it costs 100. Blind nil, bid before seeing your cards, doubles both to 200.
Overtricks are the part people forget. Bagging is a deliberate tactic: underbid a little and the other team can push extra tricks onto you until the penalty bites. The bag count on each team's card above shows how close they are.
A worked example hand
Team one bids 3 and 2, a contract of 5. On the other side one player bids nil and the partner bids 4. The hand plays out with team one taking 6 tricks and team two taking 7, none of them by the nil bidder.
- Team one: bid 5, took 6. That is 50 plus 1 bag, so 51.
- Team two: the nil is made for +100. The partner bid 4 and the team won 7, so 40 plus 3 bags: 43. The hand is worth 143.
Now suppose team two already had 8 bags. Three more takes them to 11, which triggers the penalty: 143 − 100 = 43 for the hand, and 1 bag carries into the next one. Enter those numbers above and the breakdown under each team shows exactly that arithmetic, so there is nothing to argue about.
Had the nil bidder won a trick, the nil would cost 100 instead, and with the default setting that trick also counts as a bag for the team. It never helps the partner make their 4.
House rules you can switch on
Spades has no single governing rulebook, so tables differ. Open Scoring rules to match yours. Changing a rule mid-game rescores every hand already entered.
- Game length: 500 is the usual target. Shorter games to 250 or 300 suit a single evening.
- Losing score: some tables end the game when a team sinks to −200. It is off by default.
- Bag penalty: 10 bags for −100 (the common rule), 5 bags for −50 for a tighter game, or off.
- Nil values: 100 and 200 by default; some groups play nil at 50 and blind nil at 100.
- Failed nil tricks as bags: on by default. Switch it off if your table ignores those tricks.
- Per-team or per-player bids: per team is quickest when you just call out a combined number. Per player lets both partners bid nil and records who bid what.
Tips for keeping score at the table
Write the bids down before the first card is played. Most disputes come from a team remembering its bid differently once the tricks are counted. Here the bids are on screen as soon as you set them, and when you enter one team's tricks the other team's total fills in as the rest of the 13, so a miscount shows up straight away.
Prefer paper? Print a blank score sheet with columns for bid, tricks, score and bags. Playing another partnership game tonight? The Euchre score keeper works the same way, and every scorekeeper is on the game night page.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you get for making your bid in Spades?
Ten points for every trick you bid, plus one point for each extra trick. A team that bids 5 and takes 6 scores 51: 50 for the bid and 1 for the overtrick, which also counts as a bag.
What happens if you don't make your bid?
The team is set and loses ten points for every trick it bid. Bid 6 and take 5, and you lose 60. The tricks you did take score nothing and do not count as bags.
How does the 10-bag penalty work?
Every overtrick is a bag. Bags pile up from hand to hand, and when a team's count reaches 10 it loses 100 points and the count drops by 10, so any extra bags carry over. Some tables use 5 bags for −50 instead, or no penalty at all; all three are in the scoring rules.
How is nil scored?
A player who bids nil promises to win no tricks. If they manage it the team gets 100 points; if they win even one trick the team loses 100. The partner's own bid is scored separately, and tricks won by the nil bidder never count toward it.
What is blind nil?
A nil bid made before looking at your cards. Because it is much harder, it is worth 200 points if made and costs 200 if broken. Many tables only allow it when a team is behind by 100 or more; that is a table rule you agree on, so the scorekeeper does not enforce it.
Who wins if both teams pass 500 on the same hand?
The team with the higher score. If the scores are exactly level, play another hand. With the optional lose-at-−200 rule on, a team that drops to −200 or below loses straight away.
Will my game still be here if I close the page?
Yes. The game is saved in this browser as you go, so a refresh or a closed tab does not lose it. New game clears the scores but keeps the names, and the last 10 finished games are listed underneath.
Can I print a Spades score sheet?
Print blank score sheet gives a pen-and-paper sheet with Bid, Tricks, Score and Bags columns for each team. Print this game prints the hands you have entered with the running totals.