Why Count Cards?

In Spades, knowing what’s been played helps you:

  • Manage your spades — know when yours are the highest remaining
  • Protect your winners — lead off-suit Aces before opponents become void
  • Set opponents — track whether they can make their bid
  • Support your partner — know when they need help

Priority 1: Count Spades

Spades is named after the trump suit — counting spades is the most important task.

The Spade Count

13 total spades. Track how many have been played:

Spades Out Meaning
0-3 Many spades in play — off-suit Aces vulnerable to trumping
4-7 Some players running low — mid-game transitions
8-10 Few spades remain — your remaining spades are very powerful
11-12 Almost gone — the last 1-2 spades control everything
13 All played — no more trumping possible

Key Spades to Track

Card Status
A♠ Played? Yes/No — if out, K♠ is now top trump
K♠ Played? Yes/No — if A♠ and K♠ are out, Q♠ is top
Q♠ Played? Yes/No
J♠ Played? Yes/No

Priority 2: Track High Cards

For each off-suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts), note whether the Ace and King have been played.

Suit Ace Played? King Played? Your Strategy
♣ Yes Yes Queen is now the highest — moderate value
♦ No Yes Ace is still out — careful leading this suit
♥ Yes No King is second-highest and still out there

When you know the Ace is gone, the King becomes a sure winner (if not trumped).

Priority 3: Track Voids

When a player plays a card outside the led suit, they’re void in that suit.

Record this mentally:

  • “West is void in diamonds” → if you lead diamonds, West can trump
  • “East is void in hearts” → leading hearts is safe from East’s perspective (but West might trump)

Why Voids Matter

  • Players void in a suit will trump your winners
  • Avoid leading suits where opponents (especially strong spade holders) are void
  • Lead suits where opponents must follow suit (safer for your high cards)

Priority 4: Count Tricks Taken

Track tricks vs. bids for all teams:

Team Bid Tricks Taken Status
Your team 7 5 Need 2 more
Opponents 6 4 Need 2 more

This tells you:

  • Whether to push for more tricks or relax
  • Whether opponents are on track (should you try to set them?)
  • Whether bags are a concern

Practical Counting Method

The Running Count

After each trick, update your mental count:

  • Spades played: X of 13
  • For each suit: roughly how many played
  • Who’s void in what

The Key Card Method

Don’t count everything — just track 6-8 specific cards:

  • A♠, K♠, Q♠
  • A♣, A♦, A♥
  • One or two Kings

When these are accounted for, the game becomes much clearer.

The Trick Stack Method

Keep rough count of tricks taken per team. You know the bids, so the math is simple.

Using Your Count

“My Q♠ is now the highest spade”

If A♠ and K♠ have been played, your Q♠ is guaranteed to win any spade trick. Plan accordingly.

“Opponent has no more spades”

If you’ve counted 13 spades played (or know a specific opponent has played all theirs), your off-suit winners are safe against that opponent.

“Opponent needs 3 more tricks but only 2 tricks remain”

They’ll be set. You don’t need to do anything special — just play safely.

“We have 7 tricks and bid 7, but 4 tricks remain”

Stop winning. Play low, let opponents take the remaining tricks, avoid bags.

Practice Tips

  1. Start by counting just spades — one number to track
  2. Add tracking of off-suit Aces (have they been played?)
  3. Note voids — these are easy to spot
  4. Review after each round — what did you miss?
  5. With practice, counting becomes automatic