Board Game Arena

I would like a friendly conversation with all who care to share thoughts on how to calculate bids.

I gladly agree.


I try to get started.

Simply bidding aces and kings with up to four more cards is a quick way to make a bid
that is often easy to play and who, in most cases, shouldn't go all wrong.

Queens are often not waited for by partner or generally trumped in the third round of a certain suit,
with two more cards I would suggest to bid one out of three to one out of two of them.

From a partner bid of eight, an attempt to set the opponent is advisable.
With a high bid from twelve at the latest,
I would suggest not to play any card who doesn't make a safe trick
to keep it for the time after the trump
- and the ace of spades should score a maximum intercept on trumps from the opponents.


I'm curious about who-will-now-explain-this-as-complete-nonsense

Thanks for the above Post.

I was just wondering, do you know ways to CHEAT in Spades and if you do maybe you could do an article on here?

By cheats, do you mean legal tricks,
I mean, savvy play?
You are making yourself suspicious,
Cruella, by using this word.


I think you mean the second one,
besides, you're the English here.

I just wanted to point that out.

I have noticed that under bidding is a common savvy way to play. I'm surprised at the number of players that underbid and play to beg you. Or they underbid a few hands, wait for you to bid all you kings then on a large bid of yours go for the set.

Truth be known, there are only 2 good Spades players left and both of them are in the top 2 in both leagues.

My rule of thumb bid is number of aces, number of kings with at least one other in suit, and number of spades minus 2. I often adjust a bit from there depending upon other factors or other bids.

I count all aces and kings, Queens in suits I have 3 in, and all short suited suits for bids.

Another way is just count your spades and bid that. That often works on it's own.

Each person has a different strategy. Do what works for you and have fun