Oh, Hell - Scoring

Scoring

There are several alternative methods of scoring:

Basic scoring: Each player scores 1 point for each trick he/she takes. A player that wins the exact number of tricks bid receives an additional 10 points for making the contract. Players who miss their contract are thus encouraged to take as many tricks as possible, which results in other players also missing their contracts.
Variant basic scoring: As with Basic Scoring each player scores 1 point for each trick he/she takes however a player that wins the exact number of tricks bid receives an additional 5 points for making the contract. This makes the game closer when there are a large number of players and encourages players to bid more than 0 tricks as possible.
Exact scoring: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the amount bid. Players who overbid or underbid score nothing.
Exact scoring with penalty: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the amount bid. Players who underbid are deducted points in the amount of the bid. (Missing a 3 bid scores -3; missing a zero bid scores 0.) Used in the Hassenpfeffer variant.
10 times exact scoring: Similar to Exact scoring, with or without penalty, but each trick bid is worth 10 points; a player who bids 4 is awarded 40 points for exactly making the bid and scores either zero or -40 if he does not make the contract. Variants of this also put a 5-point value on bidding ZERO - negative 5 if you take a trick, positive 5 if you don't take any tricks.
Double Whammy: Played like basic scoring, except that a successful 1-bid earns 15 points, a successful 2-bid earns 22, and further successive bids are awarded in multiples of 11 (33 for 3, 44 for 4, etc.). This variation may be played in the second half of an otherwise regular game, if desired.
Penalty under, Zero Over: A variation of exact scoring that combines variants with and without penalties; overtricking scores zero points while undertricking results in a penalty according to the specific exact scoring variant used. This promotes "sacrificing" one's own contract by severely overtricking in order to "set" someone else.
Exact scoring with penalty where points are multiples of 5: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the amount bid multiplied by 5. Players who underbid are deducted points in the amount of the bid multiplied by 5. (Missing a 3 bid scores (3*(-5))=-15; missing a zero bid scores -10. Making a 5 scores (10+5*5)=35) Used in the Cypriot variant. This variant encourages high bidding due to the amount of possible points to gain.
Exact scoring with set penalty: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the amount bid. Players who underbid score only one point for each trick. Players who overbid have "gone set" and lose 10 points, regardless of the number of tricks taken. For example, if a player who has bid four takes exactly 4 tricks, he scores 14. If he takes 5 tricks, he scores 5. If he takes 3 tricks, he scores -10.
Exact scoring with progressive penalty: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the amount bid. Players who underbid or overbid lose the amount of the bid, plus ten points for each trick under or overbid. For example, a player bids 4: If he takes exactly 4 tricks, he scores 14. If he takes 3 or 5 tricks, he scores -14. If he takes 2 or 6 tricks, he scores -24. This variation makes it easier to "pile on the leader" and eliminate even a large lead in just one hand.
Reduced 0 bid: Similar to basic (or exact) scoring, with the modification that making a zero contract scores only five points. (Zero bids are often the easiest to make.)
Adjusted 0 bid: Similar to basic scoring, with the change that a zero bid is worth five plus the number of cards dealt out to a player. For example, in the first round, a successful zero bid is worth 6 points, while a successful one bid is worth 11 points. (Zero bids are harder to make in larger hands.)
Progressive scoring: As in basic scoring, a player that fails to make the contract receives a number of points equal to the number of tricks he takes. However, a successful bid is worth the 10-point threshold plus the square of the bid, thereby rewarding a person bidding and making four tricks with 26 (10 plus 16) points. This has the advantage of rewarding riskier bids, and making it possible for someone to catch up from behind more easily.
Simplified / Montreal progressive scoring: Each player receives 10 points for satisfying the contract plus twice the number of tricks taken, otherwise they receive zero points.
Negative scoring: The scoring system is reversed, as in golf, lowest score winning. Satisfying the contract scores zero points. The first undertrick or overtrick costs one point, and each additional undertrick/overtrick costs a point more than the one before it. For instance, 3 overtricks would add 6 points (the sum of 1, 2, and 3) to a player's total. This rewards sacrifices, for it is now often beneficial to risk an overtrick (1 point) to cost a person that is already down to get an additional undertrick (which will cost many more points).
Simplified negative scoring: Each player scores the square of the number of overtricks or undertricks taken.
Variant negative scoring: Each player who fails to satisfy the contract scores points according to the number of total tricks in that round (e.g., in a round where there were five total tricks, every unsuccessful player scores 5).
Spades double: In variations where the trump card is chosen randomly, some play that if a spade is turned up, the points for that round double.
Trick scoring: Each player that scores the number of tricks bid receives that many points, with the exception of correctly bidding 0, in which case the player receives a half point. Any overbid or underbid loses the number of points their bid was off (a player bidding 3 tricks that wins only 2 would lose a point, as would a player bidding 2 and winning 3).
Binary scoring: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10. Players who overbid or underbid score nothing.
Binary scoring with nil rule: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 10. If the number of tricks exceeds the number of players, players who bid nil (zero) score 20 if they take no tricks, otherwise -10.
Binary scoring with increasing penalty: A player who makes the exact number of tricks bid scores 8. Players who overbid or underbid have their score cut in half, (rounding up).
Scratch / Quick scoring: Players who overbid or underbid get a scratch (signified by crossing through their unsuccessful bid). The person with the least scratches wins the game. In the unusual event there is a tie, the tied player who bid the most wins the game (This is done by adding up each tied-player's successful bids.)
Adjusted exact scoring: A player who makes the exact number of tricks receives that number of points plus the number of cards dealt out to a player.
Get Fred / Oy Vey scoring: A player who makes the exact number of tricks receives that number of points plus 10. Players who miss the contract lose the difference between the bid and the number of tricks taken. Thus, a player who bids three and takes either two or four tricks will lose one point. (In the Oy Vey variant, if many players are playing, often a successful bid is worth the 10-point threshold plus the square of the bid. This lifts the scores in the game, as in general the more players participate, the lower the scores are.)
Novacastrian scoring: A player who makes the exact number of tricks receives that number of points. Players who overbid lose the number of points they bid for that hand. Players who underbid lose the number of tricks they've taken that hand. A player's score will change by at least the number bid and by at least the number of tricks they take.
Gentleman scoring: A player who makes the contract scores the number of tricks bid times 10, unless he/she bid zero, in which case the player scores 5. If a player fails to make the contract and takes overtrick(s), he/she scores the number of tricks taken. If a player has overbid, he/she scores the difference between tricks bid and tricks taken times -10.
Variable bonus scoring: Each player scores one point for each trick taken, plus a variable bonus if the player takes the exact number of tricks bid. The bonus numerically decreases as the number of cards increases (and vice-versa), meaning that when there are more tricks available in a round (and thereby a greater chance of successfully achieving the bid), there are less bonus points on offer. For example, in a game where the dealing pattern is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, the bonus points available in each successive round would be 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.
Penalty Scoring: A player who makes the contract scores 10 points + 5 points for each trick made. If the bidder makes more or fewer tricks than were bid, he/she loses 10 points for the first over or under trick + 15 points for each additional over or under trick.