Underbidding in Spades is winning more tricks than your team bid. Your team scores 10 points for each trick in the bid, plus 1 point for each extra trick. Extra tricks are called bags or overtricks.
Spades Underbidding: Scoring at a Glance
| Team bid | Tricks won | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 50 points |
| 5 | 7 | 52 points and 2 bags |
| 5 | 4 | -50 points because the bid was missed |
| Any bid | 10 cumulative bags | Usually a -100-point penalty |
In partnership Spades, add the two players' bids to get the team bid. If one player bids 2 and the other bids 3, the team must win 5 tricks.
Example of Underbidding in Spades
Suppose your team bids 5 tricks and wins 7.
The score is:
- 50 points for the 5-trick bid
- 2 points for the two extra tricks
- 52 points in total
- 2 bags added to the team's running total
The extra tricks help your score on that hand, but they also bring your team closer to a bag penalty.
Why Bags Matter
Many Spades rule sets apply a 100-point penalty when a team reaches 10 bags. The bag count usually resets after the penalty, while any bags beyond 10 carry forward. For example, a team with 12 bags commonly takes the penalty for 10 bags and keeps 2 bags toward the next penalty.
A team that bids 5 and wins 7 scores 52 points and collects 2 bags. If it had bid 7 and won 7, it would score 70 points without adding bags, assuming the higher bid was accurate.
Once your team has made its bid, avoiding unnecessary tricks can help keep the bag count under control.
What If You Fail to Reach Your Bid?
Missing the bid is different from underbidding. If your team bids 5 but wins only 4 tricks, the usual score is -50 points. The team loses 10 points for each trick in its bid.
What If the Bid Was Nil?
A Nil bid uses separate scoring. If a player bids Nil and wins even one trick, the Nil usually fails and costs the team 100 points. Under common rules, the partner's regular bid is scored separately.
Do All Spades Games Use the Same Rule?
No. House rules may remove the 10-bag penalty, assign negative points to bags, or use a different penalty threshold. Confirm the scoring system before the game, especially when playing online or with a new group.