Bookbag Scoring Rules Explained

Game

Score limit

Default: 300
Options: 250, 300, 350, 500, Custom…
Custom…: Any score from 100 to 5000. Requires Pro.

The first team to reach the score limit wins. Scores are checked once a hand is fully scored. If both teams are at or over the limit after the same hand, the tie breaker decides.

Game

Tie breaker

Default: Highest score wins
Options: Highest score wins, Fewer bags first, Highest score, then fewer bags

The tie breaker only matters when both teams finish the game in the same hand. That happens when both teams reach the score limit, or both reach the set limit, in the same hand. If only one team gets there, that team wins no matter which option you pick.

Option	Scores differ	Scores are level
Highest score wins	The higher score wins.	Play another hand.
Fewer bags first	The team with fewer bags over the whole game wins, even with the lower score.	Level bags fall back to the higher score. If that is level too, play another hand.
Highest score, then fewer bags	The higher score wins.	The team with fewer bags wins. If the bags are level too, play another hand.

The difference between the two bag options is who wins when the scores are not level. Fewer bags first puts bags ahead of score, so a team can win with fewer points. Highest score, then fewer bags only looks at bags to settle a level score. Bags are the real overtrick counts from each hand, added up over the whole game. The bag penalty does not reset the count.

A level score is rare. The 13 books in a hand can't be split evenly between the two teams, so they only finish level when both teams score the same points from different books. Needing more than one extra hand is rarer still.

The time limit uses this setting too, and Highest score, then fewer bags is the only option that uses bags to break a tie when time runs out.

Game

Time limit

Default: Off
Options: Off, 30 min, 60 min, 90 min, Custom…
Custom…: Any time from 5 to 240 minutes. Requires Pro.

When time runs out, the hand being played is the last one. After it is scored, the team with the higher score wins, even if neither team reached the score limit. A team that reaches the score limit before time runs out wins the normal way.

If the scores are level after the last hand, at least one extra hand is played. Extra hands keep being added until the game is decided:

Highest score wins and Fewer bags first ignore bags on a time-up. Extra hands are played until one team is ahead.
Highest score, then fewer bags gives a level score to the team with fewer bags once the first extra hand has been played. Only if the bags are level too does another extra hand follow, and so on.

Game

First dealer

Default: South
Options: North, East, South, West

The seat that deals the first hand. The deal moves clockwise after every completed hand: South, West, North, East. The player to the left of the dealer bids first.

Bidding

Minimum bid

Default: 4
Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The least a team can bid between its two players. With a minimum of 4, a team bid of 3 can't be entered. Blind bids use the minimum blind bid instead.

Bidding

First hand bids itself

Default: On

The first hand has no bids. Every book is worth 10 points to the team that took it. There are no sets or bags in that hand, and it doesn't count toward a set limit or shot back to back.

Nil

Default: 50
Options: Off, 50, 100

A player who bids nil is saying they won't take a single book. A successful nil adds its points, and a failed one subtracts the same amount. A player who reneges while bidding nil fails the nil. The nil player's partner is scored separately on their own bid.

Setting nil to Off turns nil bids off, which also hides the count books from nil loss setting in the app. A blind nil is scored by its own rule.

Nil

Count books from nil loss

Default: On

When a nil bid fails, the books the nil player took can count toward their partner's bid. This only applies when the nil preference is set.

Nil

Include bags for successful nil

Default: On

When a team's nil succeeds, this decides whether the bags it takes count toward the team's accumulated bag total. That total drives the next bag penalty and the fewer-bags tie breakers. The setting is hidden in the app when nil is Off.

Nil

Blind nil

Default: 100
Options: Off, 100, 200

A blind nil is a nil bid made without looking at your cards. It pays more than a regular nil and loses the same amount when it fails. A player who reneges while bidding blind nil fails it. Setting it to Off scores a blind nil as a regular nil. The setting is hidden in the app when nil is Off.

Blind nils follow the same blind bid gap as team blind bids, but they are not counted by max team blinds.

Blind

Minimum blind bid

Default: 6
Options: 5, 6, 7, 8

A team that is far enough behind can bid blind, without looking at their cards. This is the least a team can bid between its two players when it does. A blind bid pays double when the team makes it and carries a larger penalty when it doesn't. It earns no bag points and can't trigger a bag penalty in that hand.

Which teams may bid blind is set by the blind bid gap. Blind bids use this minimum instead of the minimum bid.

Blind

Blind bid gap

Default: 100
Options: 0, 50, 100

How many points a team must trail by to bid blind. Only the team that is behind by at least the gap can bid blind. A gap of 0 lets either team bid blind at any time.

Blind

Include bags for blind check

Default: On

When this is off, each team's bag points are taken out of both scores before the blind bid gap is measured. The setting is hidden in the app when the gap is 0.

Blind

Max team blinds

Default: Unlimited
Options: Unlimited, 1, 2, Custom…
Custom…: Any number from 1 to 20. Requires Pro.

How many times a team may bid blind in a game, successful or not. Every team blind bid counts. Blind nils bid by a single player are not counted.

Blind

Blind loss penalty

Default: Double bid (x2)
Options: Single bid (x1), Double bid (x2)

How many times the bid is lost when a blind bid is set. A made blind bid always pays double.

Blind

Include bags for successful blind

Default: On

When a team's blind bid is made, this decides whether its bags count toward the running bag total for the bag penalty and the fewer-bags tie breakers. Blind bids never score bag points in the hand, so this rule is about the running total only.

Bags

Bag penalty

Default: 5
Options: Off, 3, 5, 7, 10

When a team's bags reach the bag limit, it loses the limit × 10 points: 50 points at 5 bags, 100 points at 10. The extra bags carry over to the next penalty and aren't reset. A single hand can cost more than one penalty if it carries a team across more than one multiple of the limit.

Bags

Max bag penalties

Default: Unlimited
Options: Unlimited, 1, 2, Custom…
Custom…: Any number from 1 to 20. Requires Pro.

The most bag penalties one team can take in a game. After the cap, bags are still counted and still score their points. They just stop costing the penalty. The setting is hidden in the app when the bag penalty is Off.

Bags

Forgive bags on set

Default: Off

A team that takes extra bags but sets the other team is not given bags for that round. A team is set when it takes fewer books than it bid. The forgiven bags don't add the point per bag, don't count toward the bag penalty, and aren't added to the running bag total used by the fewer-bags tie breakers. Points for the books themselves are not affected. The setting only appears in the app when bags can cost or score points.

Bags

1-point bags

Default: On

Every book over a team's bid is a bag. With this on, each bag is worth 1 point. With it off, bags are still counted toward the bag penalty but don't add points.

Bonuses

10-for-200

Default: Off

A team that bids 10 books is paid a flat 200 points for winning them, instead of the usual 100. A team that fails loses the 10-for-200 penalty. Which bids and books win it is set by the 10-for-200 variation. The variation, the penalty and the bag setting below only appear in the app when 10-for-200 is on.

No bag points are added to a made 10-for-200 or double points bid, in any variation. Whether the extra books count in the team's bag total is set by Include bags for successful 10-for-200. A blind bid that makes a double points bid is not doubled again.

Bonuses

10-for-200 variation

Default: Exactly 10 books
Options: Exactly 10 books, At least 10 books, Bid 10 or more, double points

Exactly 10 books: the team must bid 10 and take exactly 10. Taking 11 or more fails the bid.
At least 10 books: the team must bid 10, and taking 10 or more wins the 200 points.
Bid 10 or more, double points: a made bid of 10 or more scores 20 points per book bid, so 10 is worth 200 and 11 is worth 220.

The first two variations only apply to a bid of exactly 10. A bid of 11 or more is scored like any other bid. The double points variation applies to every bid of 10 or more, and the penalty applies to a missed bid of 10 or more. Bids under 10 are always scored normally.

Bonuses

10-for-200 penalty

Default: 200
Options: Off, 100, 200

The points a team loses when it misses a 10-for-200 bid. Choose Off to lose the usual 10 points per book bid instead, the same as any other missed bid.

Bonuses

Include bags for successful 10-for-200

Default: Off

When a team makes a 10-for-200 bid, this decides whether its extra books count toward the running bag total for the bag penalty and the fewer-bags tie breakers. It only matters when a made bid can come with extra books, which is every variation except Exactly 10 books.

Bonuses

First 7

Default: Off
Options: Off, 100, 200

A team that wins the first 7 books of a hand earns bonus points. You mark which team did it when you enter the books. The bonus is added to the team's score for the hand whether or not the team made its bid.

Penalties

Renege penalty

Default: 3
Options: Automatic loss, 3, 4, 5

When a team reneges and is caught, it loses that many books before the hand is scored. The other team is credited books according to the renege award. The team that wins the renege gets no bag points for the hand. Choosing Automatic loss ends the game the moment a renege is recorded.

Penalties

Renege award

Default: 3
Options: 0, 1, 3, 4, 5

The number of books the other team is credited when a team reneges. When the award is lower than the renege penalty, the difference is dead books that count for neither team. An award of 0 gives the other team nothing. The setting is hidden when a renege is an automatic loss.

Penalties

Underbid penalty

Default: Off
Options: Off, 1, 2, 3, 4

Taking this many books over your bid sets you, as a penalty for underbidding on purpose. A team that is set this way loses its bid × 10.

Instant Win & Loss

Boston

Default: Off

A team that wins all 13 books in a single hand wins the game on the spot, whatever the score.

Instant Win & Loss

Shot back to back

Default: Off
Options: Off, 2, 3

A team that is set this many times in a row loses. Making its bid resets the count. The first hand is not counted when first hand bids itself is on.

To count every set in the game instead, whether or not they are back to back, use the set limit. If both teams hit shot back to back in the same hand, the higher score wins and the tie breaker is ignored. If the scores are level, play continues.

Instant Win & Loss

Set limit

Default: Off
Options: Off, 2 sets, 3 sets, Custom…
Custom…: Any number from 1 to 20. Requires Pro.

A team is set when it takes fewer books than it bid. With a set limit, a team that is set that many times over the whole game loses automatically. The sets don't need to be in a row; for sets in a row only, use shot back to back. The first hand is not counted when first hand bids itself is on.

If both teams hit the limit in the same hand, the tie breaker decides. If it can't, play continues.

Instant Win & Loss

Lowest allowed score

Default: Off
Options: Off, −100, −200, Custom…
Custom…: Any score from −50 to −2000. Requires Pro.

A team that drops below the lowest allowed score loses automatically, whatever the other team's score is. At −100, a team can sit on −100 and keep playing, and loses at −101. Every point counts, including bag penalties and lost nils. Scores are checked after each hand.

If both teams are below it in the same hand, the higher score wins. If the scores are level, play continues. This is a separate rule from the score limit, which ends the game at the top.