Spades
CardBid together, win together.
Game Rules: Spades
Game Identity
- Name: Spades
- Player Count: Exactly 4
- Teams: Yes (2 teams of 2 players each)
- Theme: Standard (Doodle Score Paper aesthetic)
- Dealer / Rotation: The dealer role rotates clockwise after each hand.
Scoring Mechanics
- Scoring Variant: Accumulative (Higher score is better)
- Target Score: 500 (standard) or 250 (short game)
- Unit of Scoring: Points and Tricks
- Lower vs. Higher: Higher scores are winning.
Rules & Validation
Per-Hand Logic
- Tricks per Hand: Exactly 13 tricks must be distributed.
- Bidding: Each player bids 0–13. A bid of 0 is called "Nil".
- Team Bid: Combined bid of both teammates (Nil bids are handled separately).
- Validation Rules:
- Every hand must have exactly 13 tricks total across all 4 players.
- Bid values must be between 0 and 13.
- Nil bids must be flagged explicitly (they score differently).
Scoring Formulas
- Contract Made: If Team Tricks >= Team Bid.
- Score:
(Team Bid * 10) + Overtricks (Bags).
- Score:
- Contract Failed: If Team Tricks < Team Bid (team is "set").
- Score:
-(Team Bid * 10).
- Score:
- Nil Bid:
- Success (0 tricks won): +100 bonus points.
- Failure (1+ tricks won): -100 penalty points.
- Note: Tricks won by a Nil bidder do NOT count toward the Team Bid, but they DO count as "bags" if the team makes their contract.
- Bags (Overtricks):
- Overtricks beyond the team bid are "bags".
- Every 10 bags result in a -100 point penalty.
- Bags roll over (e.g., 12 bags = -100 penalty and 2 bags carry forward).
Special Actions / Bonuses
- Blind Nil: Bidding Nil before looking at cards. Usually worth ±200 points.
- 10-for-200: Bidding exactly 10 tricks and succeeding. Worth 200 points instead of 100. Failure is -200 (or -100).
Win Conditions
- Condition: The first team to reach or exceed the target score (e.g., 500) wins.
- Tie-Breaker: If both teams cross the target in the same hand, the team with the higher total score wins. If still tied, play another hand.
Set Up in Doodle Score
Spades has a dedicated scorecard in Doodle Score — everything is pre-configured including score tracking, validation, and special rules.
Download the app, tap New Scorecard, and choose Spades.
Track Spades in Doodle Score
Free scorekeeper app for iOS & Android