# How to Play Speed: The Fast Two-Player Card Game Learn Speed: 20 cards each, a hand of five, two centre piles, and no turns. Play one higher or one lower as fast as you can, flip from the side piles when stuck. Source: https://pips.club/speed - Players: 2 - Deck: 52 cards, no jokers - Type: Shedding - Level: Easy - Time: A few minutes a round ## At a glance ### No turns, just speed Speed is a shedding game for two, played at the same time. Both of you race to put cards on two piles in the middle, one rank higher or lower than the top card. The first to get rid of every card wins. Quick hands help, but sharp eyes help more. ## Setup ### Two players, one deck Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Sit facing each other with room between you for a row of four piles. Suits don’t matter at all. Only the ranks count, from ace, 2, 3 up to jack, queen and king. ## The deal ### Twenty cards each Deal each player 20 cards. Each of you takes five as your hand and puts the other 15 face down in front of you as your draw pile. ### A row of four piles The last 12 cards go in the middle, face down: two side piles of five cards at the ends, and two single cards between them. The single cards start the two centre piles. 20 + 20 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 52. ## A turn ### Flip, and go When you are both ready, turn up the two centre cards at the same moment. From then on there are no turns: play as fast as you can. The centre shows the 6 of diamonds and the jack of clubs. ### One higher or one lower You may play a card from your hand on either centre pile if it is exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card. Suit doesn’t matter. On the 6 you could play your 5 of hearts or 7 of spades. On the jack, your queen of diamonds fits. The 2 of clubs and 9 of hearts must wait. ### Play, and fill up to five You play the 7 of spades on the 6. Whenever you hold fewer than five cards, draw from your own draw pile to get back to five. You may never hold more than five. You draw the 8 of clubs. Meanwhile North plays the 6 of hearts on your 7. Use only one hand, and move one card at a time. ## Special cards ### The ace goes both ways Ranks run round in a circle: an ace can go on a king or a 2, and a king or a 2 can go on an ace. You play the queen of diamonds on the jack, North plays the king of hearts on your queen, and you drop the ace of diamonds on the king. Your 2 of clubs can follow on the ace. ### Both stuck? Flip the side piles A little later the centre shows the 3 of spades and the 2 of clubs, and neither of you can play. At the same moment, each player turns the top card of a side pile onto a centre pile. The new cards are the 4 of spades and the 10 of diamonds: your 9 of hearts fits on the 10. If the side piles run out, keep the top card of each centre pile, shuffle the rest and make two new side piles. ## Scoring ### Keeping score A single round of Speed needs no score: the first player with no cards wins. For a longer match, the winner of each round scores 1 point for every card the loser still has in hand and in their draw pile. Play to an agreed total, such as 25. ## Winning ### Empty everything first When your draw pile is gone, keep playing from your hand. The first player to play their very last card wins the round. Many players slap the table and shout “Speed!” You play your last card. North still holds three: with match scoring, you take 3 points. ## Variants and house rules - **Spit**: A close relative: each player gets 26 cards, lays 15 of them out as a row of five stock piles (1 to 5 cards, top cards face up) and plays from those instead of a hand. - **Bigger side piles**: Each player gets a pile of 15 cards, including the hand of five, and the side piles hold ten cards each. - **Match to 25**: The winner of each round scores 1 point for every card the loser has left. First to 25 wins the match. ## Tips - Watch both centre piles, not your hand: you already know your five cards. - Look for chains: with a 7 and an 8 in hand on a 6, you can play twice in a row. - Refill your hand the moment you play: five cards give you more chances than four. ## Quick answers **How many cards do you get in Speed?** 20 each: a hand of five and a draw pile of 15. The other 12 cards make two side piles of five and two single centre cards. **Can you play the same number in Speed?** No. In standard Speed a card must be exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card of a centre pile. **Is the ace high or low in Speed?** Both. The ranks go round in a circle, so an ace can go on a king or on a 2. **What happens when nobody can play in Speed?** Both players turn a card from the side piles onto the centre piles at the same time, and play goes on. **What is the difference between Speed and Spit?** In Speed you play from a hand of five cards. In Spit you play from a row of stock piles laid face up in front of you.