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Spades Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Spades, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Bid the tricks you are sure of

Lesson 1

In Spades you bid the number of tricks you expect to take. Overbid and fall short, and you lose ten points per trick bid. Underbid, and the extra tricks become bags — ten of them cost 100. So the strongest bid is the one you can make exactly.

A rough count: an ace is nearly one trick, and a king usually is too if you hold another card of that suit. Spades are trumps, so the ♠A, ♠K and ♠Q are strong, and spades beyond the fourth tend to win late. Leave out short queens and kings that an outstanding ace could catch.

This hand has the ♠A, ♠K and ♠Q among five spades, plus the ♥A. That is four likely tricks. The ♦K may fall to the ♦A, so do not count it. Try bidding 4.

Turn a weak hand into nil

Lesson 2

Nil means promising to take no tricks at all this deal. Succeed and your side scores 100; take even one and you lose 100. That is worth more than making a bid of three, so nil can turn a poor hand into a comeback.

Nil suits a hand with almost no aces or face cards and short, low spades. High cards cannot duck under an opponent's lead, and many spades mean you may be forced to trump when you run out of a suit.

Here your highest card is the ♦9, and your only spades are the 2 and the 4. You can duck in every suit, so bid nil. Your partner will go for their own bid alone.

Trump the suit you are out of

Lesson 3

If you cannot follow the suit led, you may play anything — and a spade beats every card of any other suit. That is trumping. When your side still needs tricks, running out of a short suit early gives you more chances to trump later.

The smallest spade that wins is enough. Keep your big spades for when someone leads spades or another player has already trumped — then only a higher spade will win.

Hearts were led and you have none. Your side needs one more trick, and the ♥K is winning. Trump with your smallest spade, the ♠6.

Duck once your bid is made

Lesson 4

Every trick your side takes beyond its bid is a bag worth one point. That sounds good, but bags carry over between deals and every ten cost 100 points. Once your bid is made, it pays to stop taking tricks.

To avoid a trick, play below the card that is winning. If you can follow suit, duck with your lowest card of that suit. Save high cards for stopping the opponents or breaking their nil.

Your side bid 4 and has already taken 5. The ♦10 is winning, and you hold the ♦A and the ♦4. The ace would be another bag, so duck with the ♦4.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

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Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.