Bags in Spades
A bag in Spades is every trick your partnership takes beyond the number it bid. Each bag is worth 1 point at the time, but the bags add up from hand to hand, and every time your team's running count reaches 10 it loses 100 points and 10 bags come off the count. That is the standard rule and the one CardCouch plays; some tables use 50 points at 5 bags instead.
Play Spades NowBags at a glance
- What it is: a trick taken beyond your team's bid (an overtrick)
- Also called: a sandbag
- Worth at the time: 1 point each
- The penalty: −100 when the running count reaches 10; 10 bags are removed and the rest carry on
- Also bags: every trick a Nil bidder takes
- Not bags: tricks taken on a bid that was set
CardCouch shows each team's bag count on the scoreboard and applies the penalty at the end of the hand in which the count reaches 10.
How bags are counted
Spades is scored by team. The two partners' numeric bids are added together and compared with the tricks the team took. If the team took at least its bid it scores 10 per trick bid, and each trick above the bid is a bag: 1 point now, and one more on the team's running count. The count is kept from hand to hand for the whole game.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Team bids 6, takes 8 | +60 for the bid, +2 for the overtricks = +62; 2 bags added |
| Team bids 6, takes 5 (set) | −60; the 5 tricks score nothing and are not bags |
| Partner bids Nil and takes 2 tricks | −100 for the failed Nil; those 2 tricks are bags |
| Count was 8, team adds 3 bags | Count hits 11: −100 off the score, 10 bags removed, 1 bag carries on |
Two things catch new players out. First, a set bid produces no bags: fall short and you lose 10 per trick bid, and the tricks you did win are simply wasted. Second, the tricks a Nil bidder takes are bags for the team as well as costing the 100 for the failed Nil, and they never count toward the partner's bid (see the Nil bid rules). The full point table is on the Spades scoring page.
The 10-bag penalty
The moment a team's count reaches 10, it loses 100 points and 10 bags are taken off the count. Only the 10 come off: a team sitting on 8 bags that takes 3 more goes to 11, loses 100, and starts the next hand with 1 bag. On CardCouch this happens automatically at the end of the hand, and the 1 point per bag has already been added, so the net cost of the tenth bag is 99 points.
That is why bags are the quiet threat in Spades. A bid of 4 that takes 7 looks like a good hand (+43), but it has moved the team three bags closer to a penalty that is worth more than a made bid of 9. A team that takes two tricks more than it bid every hand reaches the penalty in five hands.
Variations you may meet
- Five-bag penalty. 50 points off at every 5 bags. The same idea at twice the frequency and half the size.
- Bags not scored. Some tables skip the 1 point per overtrick and only count the bags toward the penalty.
- Bags in the units digit. On paper, many groups write the bag count as the last digit of the score: a made bid of 5 with 2 bags is written 52. When that digit would pass 9, the 100 comes off, which is the same penalty in a different notation. It also explains why bags are often said to be "worth 1 point".
Spades has no governing body, so none of these outranks the others; agree on one before the first deal. CardCouch plays the most common version: 1 point per bag, 100 off at 10, remainder carried.
How to avoid bags
- Take what you bid, then duck. Once your team has its tricks, follow suit with low cards and let the opponents win.
- Throw high cards on tricks an opponent has already won. A King you discard on their Ace cannot win a trick later.
- Do not trump when you do not need to. Ruffing is allowed whenever you are void but never required; a low spade slung on a lost trick wins nothing.
- Bid the full count when the bags are high. At 8 or 9 bags, bid every trick you can see, or round up rather than down. A set costs 10 per trick bid; the tenth bag costs 100. The bidding guide covers how to count your hand.
Bagging the opponents
Because bags hurt, giving them away is a tactic. When the opponents are at 8 or 9 bags and have made their bid, every extra trick you force on them is a step toward their penalty. Lead the suit they are winning, decline to win tricks you could have taken cheaply, and let them collect the cards they do not want. This is called bagging (or setting bags on) the opponents. It is worth doing only once your own bid is safe: a set of your own costs real points, while the bags are a threat the other side may still bid its way out of.
The Hard computer players on CardCouch duck tricks once their bid is in, so bagging them takes some work; you can practise it in the free online game.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bag in Spades?
A bag is an overtrick: a trick your partnership takes beyond the number it bid. If you and your partner bid 7 between you and take 9, you have 2 bags. The word sandbag means the same thing.
What is the bag penalty in Spades?
Under the standard rule, and on CardCouch, each bag scores 1 point when it is taken, but the bags accumulate from hand to hand. Every time a team's running count reaches 10, the team loses 100 points and 10 bags come off the count. Any bags beyond 10 stay on the count for the next time.
Do bags reset after the penalty?
Ten bags are removed, not the whole count. A team at 8 bags that takes 3 more reaches 11, loses 100, and continues with 1 bag. On CardCouch the penalty is applied at the end of the hand in which the count reaches 10.
Are tricks taken on a set bid bags?
No. If your team falls short of its bid, it loses 10 points per trick bid and the tricks it did take count for nothing, bags included. Bags only arise when the bid is made and exceeded, or when a Nil bidder takes tricks.
Why does the bag penalty exist?
Without it the safest bid would always be a low one, because overtricks would cost nothing. The penalty rewards accurate bidding: bid 4 and take 7 and you have gained 43 points but are three bags closer to losing 100.
Does CardCouch use the five-bag penalty?
No. CardCouch uses the usual rule of 100 points at 10 bags. Some tables play 50 points at 5 bags instead, and some ignore the 1 point per bag and only count the penalty; those are house rules.