Spades Bidding — How Partnership Bids Work

Team bid = your bid + partner’s bid

You sit across from your partner. Your team’s bid is the sum of both partners’ bids. Tricks won by either partner count toward the team total.

Example: you bid 4 and your partner bids 3. The team must win at least 7 tricks combined to score positively for the hand (see scoring guide). Either partner’s tricks count toward the team total, except tricks taken by a Nil bidder on this site (those count for Nil and sandbags, not toward the partnership contract).

How to count tricks before you bid

Most players estimate “sure” tricks first, then add probable ones from length and honors.

• Count aces and kings in long suits as likely winners when opponents are short.
• Count extra length (5+ cards) as potential tricks once the suit is cleared — but only if you can reach the suit before trump cuts it.
• Treat high spades as trump winners; the ace and king of spades are often worth bidding even in a short trump holding.
• Discount queens and jacks in short suits unless you have entries or the suit is unbid by opponents.
• If you hold many spades, bid carefully: opponents may be forced to follow, but your side may take sandbags if you win more than the team bid.

Typical bid ranges

Hands vary, but these ranges help beginners avoid wild swings:

• 0–3: weak distribution, few honors, or a deliberate Nil attempt.
• 4–6: solid but not dominant — common middle hands.
• 7–9: strong aces, length, or trump control.
• 10–13: rare; usually many spades plus side aces. Overbidding here often creates sandbags.

Nil (bid of 0)

A bid of 0 is called Nil: you are declaring that you will take no tricks. A successful Nil is worth +100 points to your partnership; a failed Nil is −100 points. (The rest of the team’s bid still scores normally.)

Nil is a partnership decision: your partner may need to cover your bid while you duck tricks. See the Nil guide for when to try it and how failures are scored.

Common bidding mistakes

• Bidding only your own tricks and forgetting partner’s suit length.
• Ignoring sandbag risk when you already have a strong trump fit.
• Bidding Nil with easy winners in side suits (ace-high holdings).
• Underbidding spade length — four or more spades often produce extra trump tricks.