Speed card game rules

Speed, as the name implies, is a very fast-paced 2-player card game. It is suited for all ages, and the rules are easy to learn. Playing it could be a lot of fun.

The Speed card game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Players are in a hurry to discard all of their cards. This is the objective, the first player who is left without cards is the winner.

Considering the game goal, Speed is similar to other shedding-type card games, including Uno and Crazy Eights.

1. Setup

The 2 players are positioned against one another. Each player gets a total of 20 cards divided into 2 piles. One pile contains 5 cards, and the other one has 15 cards. The remaining 12 cards are set up between the players in a row. There are 4 separate piles on that row – with 5 cards, 1 card, 1 card, and 5 cards, respectively.

Players have to get rid of all 20 cards that they were dealt.

2. Speed Cards

Cards that are one number higher or one number lower are played on top of each other. The suit of the cards doesn’t matter as long as the ranking rule complies.

Here is the ranking:
A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A.

Aces could be linked to the 2s as well as the Kings. If you have an Ace face-up, you can put a 2 or a King card on top, regardless of the suit.

3. How to play Speed

Each player begins the game with the 5-card pile from their cards. Then they both have to flip one of the two single cards placed in the middle of the table. Let’s say player A turns the right card, and player B turns the left card. Meaning the 2 cards in the middle should be face-up.

They start to play the cards and put them on top of the flipped ones. Remember that the cards have to be either one number lower or higher. Players put cards in the middle as fast as they can and don’t have to take turns. The cards are played one at a time.

When you play a card, you must take another one from the 15-card pile and add it to your hand. A player can not have more than 5 cards at once in their hand. So if you play 2 cards, you take 2 new ones.

If the two players are stuck and the game can’t continue, each flips a card from the 5-card piles in the middle. These two cards are put on top of the two discard piles.

When you play your last card, you shout “Speed” and win the game.

4. Spit variation

There is another variation of the game called Spit.

Players get 26 cards each. They take 15 of them and deal them out into 5 stockpiles. Each stockpile contains one more card than the previous one. So the first is a single card, and the last has 5 cards. Then players turn the top card of each stockpile with the face-up. Each player places the remaining card next to them with the face down, forming their spit cards.

When both players are ready, they say “Spit” and simultaneously take the top from their spit cards and put them in the middle of the table. So 2 separate Spit Piles are formed.

You can play only the face-up card of a stockpile onto either Spit pile. When the top card of a stockpile is face down, you should flip it.

The first player left without stockpiles is the winner.

As you can see, learning the speed card game rules is not complicated at all.
In fact, we have a whole article with similar fun card games. You should definitely check it out.