The Hidden Power of Counting Cards

    14 May
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    Spades Academy: The Hidden Power of Counting Cards

    Want to level up your Spades game without memorizing an entire strategy book? Start counting cards—not like a casino shark, but just enough to make smarter plays and better guesses about what’s still out there.

    1. Why Counting Cards Matters

    Spades is a game of limited information. Every card played gives you a little more to work with. The more you remember, the better your decisions get.

    Think of it like puzzle pieces: The more you track, the clearer the full picture becomes.

    Counting cards helps you:

    • Avoid wasting high cards when someone else still has the Ace

    • Figure out who’s out of a suit and might be about to cut

    • Know when it’s safe to push for extra tricks or when to play it safe

    2. Start Small: Follow One Suit

    When you're starting out, don’t try to remember everything. Just pick one suit—say, Hearts—and track how many have been played.

    There are 13 cards in each suit. If you’ve seen 10 Hearts and still have one, that means only two are unaccounted for. That can tell you a lot about whether your Jack might actually win.

    Over time, you’ll get faster and start tracking multiple suits at once.

    3. Watch for Voids

    A void means a player has run out of a suit. That’s a big deal in Spades, because it means they’re now free to play a trump card (a Spade).

    Clues someone is void:

    • They played a Spade or off-suit card when they could have followed

    • They’re discarding low-value cards when it’s their lead

    Once you spot a void, don’t feed that player a trick in that suit unless you want them to cut it.

    4. Use the Last Trick Feature (If You’ve Got It)

    In Hardwood Spades, you can tap or click to view the Last Trick. It’s a handy reminder of what just happened and can help reinforce your card tracking.

    Even if you missed a detail in the moment, checking the Last Trick can show you who played what—and maybe even who’s running low in a suit.

    5. Keep an Eye on the Big Cards

    You don’t have to remember every Two or Three that’s played. But pay attention to the Ace, King, and Queen of each suit.

    If the Ace and King are gone, your Queen might finally be a winner. If the Ace hasn’t shown up yet, don’t waste your King hoping for a miracle.

    Bottom Line

    Counting cards isn’t about being perfect—it’s about giving yourself an edge. With just a bit of focus, you’ll start seeing the game more clearly, timing your plays better, and pulling off wins that once felt out of reach.

    Next in Spades Academy: Setting Traps & Bag Management — learning how to steer opponents into mistakes while keeping your own side clean.