Core terms
Bag / overtrick
A trick won above the partnership's bid. Each bag adds one point, but accumulating ten usually triggers a 100-point penalty.
Bid
The number of tricks a player predicts they will take. Partners combine their bids into the team contract.
Breaking spades
The first time a spade is played as a trump because a player cannot follow the led suit. Afterward, spades may normally be led.
Contract
The partnership's combined normal bid. Making it scores ten points per contracted trick; failing it loses the same amount.
Cut / trump
To play a spade when unable to follow the led suit. A spade wins against every non-spade card in that trick.
Lead
The first card played to a trick. The winner of each trick leads the next one.
Nil
A bid to take zero tricks. It commonly scores +100 if successful and −100 if it fails.
Set
To prevent a partnership from reaching its contract, causing the bid value to be subtracted.
Suit
One of clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades. Players must follow the suit led when able.
Trick
One card from each of the four players. The highest card of the led suit wins unless a spade trumps it.
Trump
A suit with priority over the others. In Spades, the spade suit is always trump.
Void
Having no card in a particular suit. A void player can discard or trump when that suit is led.
Score and strategy language
Bag pressure
The risk created when a partnership is close to ten bags. It can make avoiding extra tricks more important than maximizing the round score.
Covering Nil
A partner's effort to win tricks that might otherwise force the Nil bidder to take one.
Drawing trump
Leading spades to remove opponents' spades, often protecting winners in side suits.
Sandbagging
Collecting overtricks, deliberately or accidentally. The penalty discourages consistently low bids.
Side suit
Any non-spade suit: clubs, diamonds or hearts.
Remember five terms first: trick, bid, contract, trump and bag. The rest becomes clearer after one complete hand.