How to Play Spit: Card Game Rules for 2 Players

Here is how to play Spit card game, the fastest two-player game you can play with a regular deck. Both players race at the same time, slapping cards onto shared piles as quickly as they can, with no turns at all. These Spit card game rules cover the setup, the "spit", the slap at the end of each round, and how the game is finally won. It is a close cousin to Speed, and if your family likes quick reflex games, it will be a favorite.

Quick rules

• Two players split a 52-card deck, 26 cards each.
• Each player deals five stockpiles of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 cards, top card face up. The other 11 cards are your spit cards.
• Both say "Spit" and flip a spit card into the middle at the same moment, making two center piles.
• Play at the same time, with no turns: put a face-up card on a center pile if it is one rank higher or lower. Suits do not matter, and aces connect with both kings and 2s.
• When neither player can move, spit again.
• When one player clears all their stockpiles, both slap a center pile. Each player takes a pile into their hand for the next round.
• The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

What you need

• One standard 52-card deck with no jokers.
• Two players, sitting face to face across a table or on the floor.
• Enough room in the middle for two center piles both players can reach.

Spit card game setup

1. Shuffle and deal the whole deck so each player has 26 cards.
2. Each player lays out five stockpiles in a row in front of them, like a small solitaire layout. Deal from left to right: the first pile has 1 card, the second 2, the third 3, the fourth 4 and the fifth 5, for 15 cards.
3. Turn the top card of each stockpile face up. The cards beneath stay face down.
4. Hold your remaining 11 cards face down in one hand or in a pile beside you. These are your spit cards.
5. Leave a gap in the middle of the table for the two spit piles.

How to play

Phase 1: the spit

1. When both players are ready, say "Spit" together.
2. Each player flips the top card of their spit cards face up into the middle, side by side. These are the two center piles. Either player may play on either pile.

Phase 2: the race

1. There are no turns. Both players play as fast as they can, using one hand only.
2. You may place a face-up card from the top of any of your stockpiles onto either center pile if it is exactly one rank above or below the top card. A 9 can go on an 8 or a 10. Suit and color do not matter.
3. Ranks wrap around: an ace can go on a king or a 2, and a king or 2 can go on an ace.
4. When you play the top card from a stockpile, turn the next card in that pile face up.
5. If one of your stockpiles becomes empty, you may move any face-up card from another stockpile into the space, then turn up the card beneath the one you moved. You may never have more than five stockpiles.
6. If two cards land on a pile at once, the card underneath stays and the slower player takes their card back.

Phase 3: getting stuck

1. When neither player can make a move, both say "Spit" again and flip a new spit card onto their center pile.
2. If one player has no spit cards left, the other player spits alone. They choose one center pile and keep spitting onto that same pile whenever play is blocked.
3. If play is blocked and both players are out of spit cards, the round ends and both players slap, as below.

Phase 4: the slap and the next round

1. As soon as one player has played every card in their stockpiles, both players race to slap a center pile with their hand.
2. The player who emptied their stockpiles usually slaps the smaller pile, because the pile you slap is the pile you take. The other player gets the remaining pile. If both slap the same pile, the hand underneath (the first to touch) takes it.
3. Each player gathers the center pile they took, plus any spit cards and any cards left in their own stockpiles, and shuffles them together.
4. Deal a new set of stockpiles from those cards and play another round.

The end game

1. When a player has fewer than 15 cards, they deal as many stockpiles as they can, and have no spit cards.
2. Only one center pile is used, started by the player who still has spit cards. When a player clears their stockpiles there is no slap: the other player takes the single center pile along with their unplayed cards.
3. If the player with no spit cards clears their stockpiles first, they have no cards left and win the game.

Scoring

Spit is usually played without points: the first player to get rid of every card wins. For a longer contest, play a best of five or best of seven and keep track on a scoreboard.

How to win

Be the first to get rid of all your cards. Because you take back a center pile after every round, winning rounds by a lot is what matters: each round you clear quickly while slapping a small pile leaves you with fewer cards for the next.

Variations

• No wrap-around: aces are only low (or only high), so they cannot connect with kings. This makes it harder to keep piles moving.
• Two hands allowed: some groups let players use both hands. It is faster and more chaotic, and more likely to cause collisions.
• Spit for 3 or 4 players: add a second deck and give every player their own spit pile. Each player plays on any center pile.
• Sources differ on the details: some families slap at the end of every round even in the end game, or let any player who empties their layout win at once. Agree before you start.

Tips and strategy

• Scan both piles. Beginners watch only one pile. Glance from one center card to the other after every play.
• Chain your plays. If you have a 6, 7 and 8 showing, you can play all three in a row on a 5.
• Fill empty spaces fast. Moving a face-up card into an empty spot turns up a new card, giving you more options.
• Know which pile to slap. Before your last stockpile card, check which center pile is smaller so you can hit it instantly.

House rules to agree first

• One hand or two hands.
• Whether aces wrap around.
• What happens if both players slap the same pile at once.
• Whether a player can move cards between stockpiles at any time, or only into empty spaces.

More fast games for two: try War, Slapjack and Nertz, or see our list of card games for two.