Spades Glossary

Last updated February 1, 2026

Spades Terminology

Whether you are new to Spades or looking up a specific term, this glossary covers all the essential vocabulary used in the game.

A - B

Ace: The highest-ranking card in each suit. The Ace of Spades is the most powerful card in the game.
Bags: Overtricks won beyond your team's bid. Each bag is worth 1 point, but accumulating 10 bags triggers a 100-point penalty. Also called "sandbags."
Bid: The number of tricks a player declares they will win before play begins. Partners' bids are combined into a team bid.
Blind Nil: A Nil bid made before looking at your cards. Worth 200 points if successful, costs 200 points if failed. Usually only allowed when a team is losing by 100 or more points.
Board: Slang for the current trick being played, as in "what is on the board."
Boston: A variant bonus awarded to a team that wins all 13 tricks in a single hand. Not part of standard rules but common in casual play.
Breaking Spades: The first time a spade is played during a hand. Until spades are broken, they cannot be led. Spades are typically broken when a player trumps in because they are void in the suit led.

C - D

Contract: The combined bid of both partners. The team must win at least this many tricks to earn positive points.
Cover: To play a higher card than what has already been played on the trick. Also refers to helping protect a partner's Nil bid by winning tricks they might otherwise take.
Cut: To play a trump card (spade) on a trick led with a non-trump suit. Same as trumping or ruffing.
Dealer: The player who distributes the cards. The dealer role rotates clockwise after each hand.
Discard: To play a non-trump card from a different suit when you cannot follow the led suit and choose not to trump.
Duck: To deliberately play a low card on a trick, intentionally losing it. Often done to avoid winning unwanted tricks or bags.

F - L

Follow Suit: The requirement to play a card of the same suit that was led, if you have one. This is mandatory in Spades.
Hand: One complete round of play, from dealing through all 13 tricks. Also refers to the 13 cards a player holds.
Lead: To play the first card of a trick. The leader determines the suit that must be followed.

N - O

Nil: A bid of zero tricks. Worth 100 bonus points if the player wins no tricks, and a 100-point penalty if they win even one trick.
Overbid: When a team bids more tricks than they can win, resulting in a failed bid and lost points.
Overtrick: A trick won beyond the team's bid. See "Bags."

P - R

Partnership: A team of two players who sit across from each other and share a combined score. Partners cannot communicate about their hands except through their play.
Renege: A rule violation where a player fails to follow suit when they have a card of the led suit. Also called a "revoke." Penalties vary by house rules but typically result in a loss of tricks or points.
Round: One complete cycle where every player has played one card, forming a trick. Also loosely used to mean a complete hand.
Ruff: To play a trump card (spade) when you cannot follow the led suit. Same as cutting or trumping.

S - T

Sandbag: See "Bags." The term comes from the idea of accumulating dead weight that eventually penalizes you.
Set: When a team fails to make their bid, they are "set." The team loses 10 points per trick bid.
Singleton: Having only one card in a particular suit. After playing it, you become void in that suit and can trump future leads of it.
Sluff: To discard a card from a side suit on a trick you don't intend to win, often to get rid of a dangerous high card.
Trick: One round of play where each player contributes one card. The highest card of the led suit (or highest spade if trumped) wins the trick.
Trump: The suit that beats all other suits. In Spades, the trump suit is always spades. A trump card beats any non-trump card regardless of rank.

U - V

Underbid: When a team bids fewer tricks than they actually win, resulting in overtricks (bags).
Void: Having no cards in a particular suit. Being void allows you to trump when that suit is led. A natural void occurs when dealt no cards of a suit; you can also become void by playing out all your cards of a suit.

← Back to Spades Play Spades Now

Spades Quick Facts

Spades is a partnership trick-taking card game for 4 players (2 teams of 2) where the spade suit is always the trump suit, outranking all other suits.

Spades was invented in the United States in the 1930s, likely originating in Cincinnati, Ohio. It became popular among American college students and military personnel during World War II.

In Spades, each team must bid the number of tricks they expect to win. Teams earn 10 points per bid trick, but overbidding results in a penalty of 10 points per bid trick.

A "nil" bid in Spades means a player bids zero tricks. A successful nil bid earns 100 bonus points, but failing to take zero tricks incurs a 100-point penalty.

Collecting overtricks (called "bags") in Spades is risky: every 10 accumulated bags penalizes a team by 100 points, a rule designed to discourage sandbagging.

Spades uses a standard 52-card deck dealt evenly to 4 players (13 cards each). Unlike Hearts, there is no passing phase before play begins.

A 'blind nil' bid in Spades means a player commits to taking zero tricks before looking at their hand. This high-risk bid typically earns 200 bonus points if successful.

A - B

Ace

The highest-ranking card in each suit. The Ace of Spades is the most powerful card in the game.

Bags

Overtricks won beyond your team's bid. Each bag is worth 1 point, but accumulating 10 bags triggers a 100-point penalty. Also called "sandbags."

Bid

The number of tricks a player declares they will win before play begins. Partners' bids are combined into a team bid.

Blind Nil

A Nil bid made before looking at your cards. Worth 200 points if successful, costs 200 points if failed. Usually only allowed when a team is losing by 100 or more points.

Board

Slang for the current trick being played, as in "what is on the board."

Boston

A variant bonus awarded to a team that wins all 13 tricks in a single hand. Not part of standard rules but common in casual play.

Breaking Spades

The first time a spade is played during a hand. Until spades are broken, they cannot be led. Spades are typically broken when a player trumps in because they are void in the suit led.

C - D

Contract

The combined bid of both partners. The team must win at least this many tricks to earn positive points.

Cover

To play a higher card than what has already been played on the trick. Also refers to helping protect a partner's Nil bid by winning tricks they might otherwise take.

Cut

To play a trump card (spade) on a trick led with a non-trump suit. Same as trumping or ruffing.

Dealer

The player who distributes the cards. The dealer role rotates clockwise after each hand.

Discard

To play a non-trump card from a different suit when you cannot follow the led suit and choose not to trump.

Duck

To deliberately play a low card on a trick, intentionally losing it. Often done to avoid winning unwanted tricks or bags.

F - L

Follow Suit

The requirement to play a card of the same suit that was led, if you have one. This is mandatory in Spades.

Hand

One complete round of play, from dealing through all 13 tricks. Also refers to the 13 cards a player holds.

Lead

To play the first card of a trick. The leader determines the suit that must be followed.

P - R

Partnership

A team of two players who sit across from each other and share a combined score. Partners cannot communicate about their hands except through their play.

Renege

A rule violation where a player fails to follow suit when they have a card of the led suit. Also called a "revoke." Penalties vary by house rules but typically result in a loss of tricks or points.

Round

One complete cycle where every player has played one card, forming a trick. Also loosely used to mean a complete hand.

Ruff

To play a trump card (spade) when you cannot follow the led suit. Same as cutting or trumping.

S - T

Sandbag

See "Bags." The term comes from the idea of accumulating dead weight that eventually penalizes you.

Set

When a team fails to make their bid, they are "set." The team loses 10 points per trick bid.

Singleton

Having only one card in a particular suit. After playing it, you become void in that suit and can trump future leads of it.

Sluff

To discard a card from a side suit on a trick you don't intend to win, often to get rid of a dangerous high card.

Trick

One round of play where each player contributes one card. The highest card of the led suit (or highest spade if trumped) wins the trick.

Trump

The suit that beats all other suits. In Spades, the trump suit is always spades. A trump card beats any non-trump card regardless of rank.

U - V

Underbid

When a team bids fewer tricks than they actually win, resulting in overtricks (bags).

Void

Having no cards in a particular suit. Being void allows you to trump when that suit is led. A natural void occurs when dealt no cards of a suit; you can also become void by playing out all your cards of a suit.