An overbid in Spades is a team bid that falls short. If the team makes its bid and takes extra tricks, those tricks are overtricks, not a failed bid. Standard scoring gives 10 points for each trick bid and 1 point for each extra trick. The linked rules page was checked on. MobilityWare's basic Spades rules describe this scoring.
Spades Overbid Scoring at a Glance
Your team's score depends on the combined bid and the total number of tricks the partnership takes.
| Team bid | Tricks taken | Score | Bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | +60 | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | +62 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | -60 | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | +82 | 2 |
What Happens If You Take More Tricks Than You Bid?
Your team makes the bid, then receives 1 extra point and 1 bag for each trick above the bid.
Example:
- Team bid: 7
- Tricks taken: 9
- Bid score: 70 points
- Extra tricks: 2
- Total score: 72 points
- Bags recorded: 2
Many Spades games deduct 100 points when a team reaches 10 bags. Some apps and house rules use a five-bag penalty worth 50 points instead, so check the rules for the game you are playing.
What Happens If You Bid Too High and Fail?
Your team is set and loses 10 points for every trick in its combined bid.
For example:
- Bid 7, take 6: -70 points
- Bid 7, take 4: -70 points
- Bid 7, take 7: the bid succeeds
- Bid 7, take 8: +71 points and 1 bag
The penalty is based on the bid, not on the number of tricks missed.
Overbid vs. Overtrick
These terms describe different results:
- Overbid: The team bids more tricks than it can win and fails to reach the bid.
- Overtrick: The team takes more tricks than it bid.
- Bag or sandbag: Each overtrick usually counts as one bag.
If someone says, "We overbid by two," ask what they mean. They may be saying that the team bid two tricks too high, or that it took two tricks above its bid.
What Happens With a Nil Bid?
A Nil bid is a separate bid in which a player tries to take zero tricks. Successfully avoiding every trick usually earns a 50-point or 100-point bonus, depending on the game format. Taking even one trick normally removes the Nil bonus and applies the relevant penalty.