The aim of this article is to serve
as an overview of spades strategy. While the game of spades isn't as
strategically complex as poker or bridge, several strategic
considerations take place during the game. And it's definitely a
game of skill compared to card games like war or go fish. The advice
and tips below are really multiple spades strategies to be used in
various situations.
Bidding Strategies in Spades - Spades Bidding
Tips
Bidding is the most important aspect
of spades strategy. Master the
art of bidding, and you've mastered the game.
The best tip I can offer about bidding in a spades game is to always
keep in mind the current score. Your goal with every bid is to
maximize your potential reward while minimizing your potential risk.
The 2nd thing to keep in mind when deciding what to bid is how your
opponents have already bid.
If you have a lead, then you should bid conservatively. Avoid being
set. The goal in spades is to be the 1st team to 500 points. You
don't
have to score every possible point. Don't go nil if you have a huge
lead. The risk is to high compared to the potential reward. (If you
get set when going nil, you stand to lose a lot more points.)
Sometimes it's correct to bid only 1 even if you could possibly go
nil, just to avoid being set.
Bag penalties are unavoidable. Don't stress out about picking up
bags,
but do bid strategically. In fact, include your bag penalties when
you're crafting you overall strategy for the game.
Last Hand Bidding
Spades games are often closely
contested. 30% to 50% of these closely
contested games are determined by the bidding on the last hand. (Any
hand where a team can win the game is considered a "last hand", even
if more hands get played afterward. In tournaments where you're only
playing 10 hands, the last hand is considered hand #10.) Even though
bidding throughout the game is important, bidding on the last hand
is
paramount.
Taking
into account the current score is the key to a successful last
hand bidding strategy. You don't win any extra by getting 550 points
instead of 500 points. The appropriate strategy is to not bid any
more
than it takes to win the game. If you have 470 points, the
appropriate
bid for your team is 3. (Assuming you're not in danger of getting a
bag penalty.) If you're in danger of getting a bag penalty, you have
to take that into account and bid more aggressively in this
situation.
If you're bidding ahead of your partner, bidding 1 less than the
number of tricks you need is an appropriate strategy, because then
your partner can just bid 1.
Another situation besides being in danger of a bag penalty where you
might have to bid more aggressively is a situation where your
opponents might also be able to hit 500 on the last hand. In this
case
you need to be able to score more over 500 than your opponents do.
Bid just enough that if you make your bid, your score will be higher
than your opponents'. (Base this on what they've bid and what
they're
likely to bid.)
When catching bags are a concern for one team or the other, it is
possible to actually get set on a bid and still win the game. Take,
for example, a last hand where both teams are in bag trouble. Your
team has 498 points and the opponents have 448 points. Your
competition bids 8, and your team bids 4 points. If both sides make
their bids, then your team wins 538 to 528. If your opponents set
your
bid, they will bag and you will still pull off the win (assuming
that
we are talking about a 10-hand tournament). And if you bag in the
process of setting your opponents, you will still win the game.
Final Spades Advice
Mastering situational bidding is the
critical component of spades
strategy. If you can keep in mind and adjust for 2 situational
factors
in a spades game, then you can win consistently over players who
can't. Those situations are the score and your opponents' bids.
