Introduction
Spit (also known as Speed or Slam) is a fast-paced shedding card game for two players where speed is everything. Unlike most turn-based card games, both players are getting rid of their cards simultaneously, so the quicker you react, the better your chances of winning. The game is all about rapid-fire decisions, quick reflexes, and managing your tableau efficiently.
Setup
Each player starts with 26 cards from a standard deck. Each player takes 15 of their cards and arranges them into 5 stacks of increasing size.
- The first stack has 1 card, facing up.
- The second stack has 2 cards: 1 facing down and 1 facing up.
- The third stack has 3 cards: 2 facing down and 1 facing up.
- The fourth stack has 4 cards: 3 facing down and 1 facing up.
- The fifth stack has 5 cards: 4 facing down and 1 facing up.
The remaining 11 cards stay in your hand, facing down—this is your deck.
Gameplay
Both players simultaneously flip the top card from their deck and place them face up in the center of the table, creating two discard piles. Now the race begins: both players can play cards onto either discard pile at the same time. Cards must be one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card of the discard pile. For example, you can play a 5 or 7 on a 6.
Aces are both high and low, so you can build sequences like Q-K-A-2-3 or 2-A-K-Q.
Tableau Moves
While racing to play cards, you can use several moves to open up your face-down cards:
- Play a card: Take a face-up card from one of your stacks and play it to a discard pile if it's one higher or one lower than the top card.
- Flip the next card: After you take the face-up card from a stack, flip the card beneath it face-up. This reveals more cards you can play.
- Combine same ranks: If two of your stacks have face-up cards of the same rank, you can move one on top of the other, then flip the card below the empty stack. This opens more cards for play.
- Fill empty stacks: If you empty a stack completely, you can move a face-up card from another stack onto it, then flip the card below in the stack you took from. This creates new playing opportunities.
The key to Spit is balancing speed: play cards to the discard piles while also reorganizing your tableau to open up more cards. The faster you work and the more cards you expose, the more options you have.
When You Get Stuck
Eventually, both players will reach a point where they can't play any more cards on the discard piles. When this happens, both players click on their decks simultaneously. Each player removes one card from the top of their deck and places it on top of one of the discard piles, creating two new cards to build on. Play immediately resumes.
If you run out of cards in your deck before your opponent, you continue playing without a deck. If both players get stuck and one has no deck left, the game ends.
Winning a Round
The first player to get rid of all the face-up cards in their stacks wins the round. They then pick one of the two discard piles (ideally the smaller one), and their opponent gets the other pile. These cards are added to your remaining deck cards, and you set up five new stacks and play again.
The game continues through multiple rounds. Since the discard piles aren't shuffled, they're already somewhat ordered, making each subsequent round even more frenetic and strategic.
Winning the Game
The game ends when one player's discard pile becomes so small that they can't form five complete stacks anymore. That player sets up as many stacks as possible, and now there's only one discard pile in the center. Play continues with this single pile. If the player with fewer cards gets rid of all their cards first, they win the entire game!
Strategy Tips
- Expose cards aggressively: Prioritize organizing your tableau to reveal face-down cards. More visible options mean faster play.
- Use empty spaces: Keep columns open when possible. They're flexible landing spots that help you maneuver other cards.
- Scan for plays constantly: The game is real-time, so always be looking at both discard piles for cards you can play.
- Choose your pile wisely: When you win a round, picking the smaller discard pile puts you ahead in future rounds, but sometimes it's too close to tell at a glance.
Ready to play?
Put your reflexes to the test: Play a round at Cardgames.io.
