Spades glossary
What Is a Book in Spades?
In spades, a book is simply a trick: one card from each of the four players, won by the highest spade or, if no spade was played, the highest card of the suit led. There are 13 books in every hand, and your bid is the number of books you expect to win.
A book is one trick in spades: four cards played in turn, one from each player, and won by the highest card. "Book" and "trick" mean exactly the same thing. At most tables you'll hear "books" far more often. The spades rules use both words.
How it works
- The player who leads plays any legal card. Everyone else follows clockwise.
- Players must follow the suit led if they can.
- The highest spade wins the book. If no spade was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
- The winner stacks the four cards face down in front of them and leads the next book.
There are 13 books in every hand. During bidding each player says how many books they think they'll win, and the team adds its two numbers to get its contract. Make it and you score 10 per book bid; each extra book is a bag.
"Counting books" means two things: counting the sure tricks in your hand before you bid, and keeping track during play of how many your team still needs.
Example
Clubs are led. The four cards are 10♣, K♣, 4♣ and 3♠ (the last player had no clubs). The 3♠ wins the book because any spade beats any club.
Your team bid 6. After nine books you have won five. You need one more from the last four; anything beyond that is a bag. A player who says "we're one book short" means exactly that.
How Spades Night handles it
The table counts books for you and shows your team's books against its contract as the hand goes. Once you've made your bid, you know it right away and can start thinking about bags.
Variations at other tables
The word itself changes meaning in one related game. In bid whist, the "book" is the first six tricks a team takes, and bids count only the tricks above that. In spades, every trick is a book, and nobody gets six for free. See spades vs bid whist for the full comparison.
Related terms
- Bags: books taken over your contract.
- Set: finishing with fewer books than you bid.
- Boston: taking all 13 books.
- Trump: why a small spade takes a book full of aces.
- How to bid in spades: counting your books before you bid.
Questions people ask
Is a book the same as a trick in spades?
Yes. Book and trick mean the same thing in spades. 'Books' is the everyday table word, as in 'bid your books' or 'we need two more books'.
How many books are in a hand of spades?
Thirteen. Four players each play 13 cards, one card each per book, so every hand has exactly 13 books to share between the two teams.
How many books do you need to win in spades?
As many as your team bid. You score 10 points per book bid if you make the contract; each book over the bid is a bag worth one point.