Speed

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Setup
3. Playing
4. When nobody can play
5. Winning a deal
6. Scoring
7. Tips for beginners
8. Variants

Overview

Speed is a race for two players. There are no turns: both of you play at the same time, as fast as you can, putting cards on two piles in the middle. A card fits if it is one higher or one lower than the top card of a pile. Whoever gets rid of all their cards first wins the deal.

• Players: 2.
• You need: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers, and a table you can both reach.

Setup

1. Shuffle and deal, face down: - a stock (your own face-down pile) of 15 cards in front of each player; - in the middle, in one row between you: a pile of 10 cards, then two single cards, then another pile of 10 cards.
2. The two single cards in the middle are the start cards; the two 10-card piles at the ends are the reserves.
3. Each player takes the top 5 cards of their own stock as their hand and looks at them without showing them.
4. When you are both ready, turn the two start cards face up at the same moment. These two cards begin the two centre piles.

This layout follows pagat.com; the 20-card layout given by Wikipedia is under Variants.

Playing

Both players play at once, as fast as they like:

• Put a card from your hand onto either centre pile if it is exactly one higher or one lower than the pile's top card. Suits and colours don't matter.
• The order goes round the corner: A fits on K and on 2, and on an Ace you may play a K or a 2.
• Use one hand only, and play one card at a time.
• Whenever you have fewer than 5 cards in hand, you may draw from your stock to fill up to 5 again.
• A card counts as played as soon as it touches the pile. You can't take it back, and your opponent may immediately play on it.

Example: The centre shows 7♣ and J♦. You hold 8♥ 6♠ 10♣ 9♦ K♠. You slap the 8♥ on the 7♣, then the 9♦ on the 8♥, then the 10♣ on the J♦ – unless your opponent is quicker and covers the J♦ with a Q first!

When nobody can play

If neither player can play a card (nothing fits, and anyone who still has a stock has filled up to 5), you each take the top card of one reserve and turn it face up onto the centre pile next to it, at the same moment. Then carry on.

If the reserves run out, leave the top card of each centre pile where it is, shuffle the rest of the centre cards and put them face down as two new reserves.

Winning a deal

When your stock is used up, keep playing from your hand without drawing. The first player with no cards left – no hand and no stock – wins the deal.

Scoring

A single deal is a complete game. If you want to play several deals, pagat.com suggests this scoring: the winner scores 1 point for each card the opponent still has in hand and stock. Shuffle all the cards and deal again. The first player to reach an agreed total – for example 25 points – wins the game.

Example: You play your last card while your opponent still holds 3 cards and has 4 in their stock. You score 7 points.

Tips for beginners

• Look at both centre piles all the time – the top card changes every second.
• Refill your hand quickly: more cards in hand means more chances to play.
• Watch out for chains: if you hold 8, 9 and 10, play them one after another on the same pile.
• Don't play a card that lets your opponent go next if you can wait a moment.

Variants

Optional – agree before you start.

• 20-card stocks (Wikipedia's version): each player has 20 cards (5 in hand, 15 in the stock), and the reserves have only 5 cards each.
• Slap to win: the player who runs out must slap the table and shout "Speed!" to win.
• Spit: each player takes 26 cards and lays out five stock piles in a row with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 cards, each with only the top card face up. The other 11 cards stay face down in your hand as spit cards – don't look at them. Both shout "Spit!" and turn up a spit card each to start two centre piles. You play the face-up cards of your piles onto the centre piles (one higher or lower), turn up the next card of a pile, or move a face-up card into an empty pile space (never more than five piles). When nobody can play, both shout "Spit!" again and add a new spit card to their centre pile. When one player has cleared all their piles, both slap the centre pile they think is smaller: whoever is first gets it, the other takes the other pile. Each shuffles their pile with any cards left on their side and lays out again. A player with fewer than 15 cards lays out what they can and has no spit cards; there is then only one centre pile. Whoever gets rid of all their cards wins the game.