What you need
A standard 52-card deck and two players sitting opposite each other. Use a table big enough for the centre row and play on a surface where cards can slide; an old deck is wise, because the cards get battered. Speed can be played with three or four players, see the variants.
Suits do not matter. Aces go on either kings or 2s, so sequences “turn the corner”.
Setup
Deal each player a face-down stock of 15 cards and a hand of 5 cards (20 cards each). The remaining 12 cards go in the middle: two piles of 5 face down at the ends of the centre row (the spit or replacement piles) and two single cards face down between them, which will start the two play piles.
Some groups deal 20 to each stock and 5 to the hand, with 6 cards in each replacement pile; pagat.com also gives a version with 15 in the stock and 10 in each replacement pile. The game plays the same.
How to play
When both players are ready, flip the two centre cards face up at the same time. From here on there are no turns.
- Play a card from your hand onto either play pile if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card. A 7 goes on a 6 or an 8; a king or a 2 goes on an ace.
- Use one hand only and play one card at a time.
- Whenever your hand drops below five cards, draw from your stock to bring it back up to five.
- If both players are stuck with no legal play, each flips a card from one of the end replacement piles onto the play pile nearest them, simultaneously. If the replacement piles are empty, shuffle the play piles (except their top cards) to make new ones.
A card counts as played as soon as it touches the pile. If you both reach for the same pile, the card underneath wins and the other player takes theirs back.
Once your stock is empty, keep playing from your hand without refilling it.
Scoring and winning
The first player to play their last card wins the deal. Many players require the winner to slap the table and shout “Speed!”; agree on this before starting.
For a longer match, pagat.com suggests scoring 1 point per card left in the loser’s hand and stock, playing to an agreed total such as 25.
Common variants
- Spit. Instead of a hidden hand, each player lays out five face-up stock piles (1 to 5 cards, top card face up) and plays from them. The player who clears their layout chooses the smaller centre pile for the next deal; you win when you have no cards left. Bicycle’s version uses a four-card layout and two decks, one per player.
- Jokers wild. Add two jokers that can stand for any rank. A joker cannot be your last card.
- Doubles. A card of the same rank as the top card may also be played.
- Three or four players. Use three play piles with three players, or two decks with four, and deal the stock as evenly as possible.
- California Speed. A different game in which players cover pairs of equal cards in a layout; the names are often mixed up.
Tips for first games
- Sort your hand by rank as you draw, so you can see runs (6-7-8) that you can dump in one burst.
- Play low-value information: throwing a card that lets your opponent follow with a run of three is worse than waiting a second.
- Keep one hand under the table. Playing with both is the most common foul.
- Agree how to handle simultaneous plays and disputed cards before the first “go”.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards does each player get in Speed? Twenty: five in hand and fifteen in a face-down stock. The twelve remaining cards form the centre piles. Some groups use other splits; agree on one.
Can you play an ace on a king? Yes. Sequences wrap around: ace follows king and king follows ace, as does 2.
What do you do when nobody can play? Both players flip a new card from the replacement piles onto the play piles at the same time. If those piles are empty, shuffle the play piles to make new ones.
What is the difference between Speed and Spit? In Speed you hold a hidden hand of five and draw from a single stock. In Spit all your cards are on the table in a layout of five piles. Both are played without turns.
Can three people play Speed? Yes, with three centre play piles and the stock divided evenly. With four, use two decks.
