How to play Speed
Speed is a card game for two players with no turns: you both play at the same time, as fast as you can. The aim is to get rid of all your cards first. It needs one normal 52-card deck without jokers. Play it right now in our Speed game.
The deal
- Each player gets 20 cards: a face-down stock of 15 and a hand of 5.
- In the middle, place two single cards face down side by side. These start the two play piles.
- Next to them, on each side, place a spare pile of 5 cards face down.
This is the layout in the Bicycle rules and one of the two layouts on Pagat.com. Pagat’s other layout gives each player 15 cards in all (five of them as the hand) and puts 10 cards in each spare pile. The game plays the same.
Playing
- When you are both ready, turn the two middle cards face up at the same time.
- Play a card from your hand onto either middle pile if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card. Suits and colours don’t matter.
- The ranks go round the corner: an ace can go on a king or a 2, and a king or a 2 can go on an ace.
- Play one card at a time, with one hand. If both players play on the same pile at once, the card that got there first counts.
- Whenever you have fewer than five cards in your hand, draw from your stock to get back to five. When your stock is empty, keep playing from your hand.
The ace turns the corner: K, A, 2, 3 is a run you can play one card after another.
When nobody can play
If neither player can play a card, both of you turn the top card of a spare pile onto the middle pile next to it, at the same time. Keep doing this until someone can play. If the spare piles are used up, shuffle the middle piles, except their top cards, and use them as new spare piles.
Winning
The first player to play the last card from their hand and stock wins. Many players slap the table and shout “Speed!”.
For a longer match, Pagat.com suggests that the winner of each deal scores one point for every card the other player still has, and the first to an agreed total (for example 25 points) wins.
How our Speed game plays
- Your hand fills up to five cards by itself, and new middle cards are turned for you as soon as nobody can play.
- The computer plays at the speed you choose: Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. It cannot see your cards.
- If both players ever hold only cards that can’t be played, and the right cards are all buried in the stocks, the spare cards can go round and round. After two full rounds with no play, both hands are shuffled back into the stocks and five new cards are drawn. This is our own rule for a rare dead end; the printed rules don’t cover it.
Tips
- Look for runs: with 6, 7 and 8 in your hand and a 5 in the middle, you can play three cards in a row.
- Watch both piles. A card that fits the other pile can be the fastest play.
- Don’t wait for the perfect card. In Speed the faster player usually wins.
Questions
How many cards does each player get in Speed?
20: a hand of five and a face-down stock of 15. The last 12 cards go in the middle: two single cards to start the play piles and a spare pile of five on each side.
Can you play two cards at once in Speed?
No. You play one card at a time, with one hand. If you have a 9 and a 10 for an 8, play the 9 first and then the 10.
Who wins Speed?
The first player to get rid of every card in their hand and stock. For a longer match, Pagat.com suggests scoring one point for each card the loser has left and playing to an agreed total such as 25.
Is Speed the same as Spit?
They are close relatives. In Speed you hold a hand of five cards. In Spit your cards are laid out face up in stock piles. The name Speed is also used for California Speed, which is a different game.
Sources
Play Speed now or try Spit.