What you need
A standard 52-card deck, 3 to 13 players, and spoons: always one fewer than the number of players. Teaspoons work best; anything grabbable (coins, clothes pegs, corks) does the job. Sit in a circle around a table with the spoons in the middle, within reach of everyone.
With more than 13 players, shuffle in a second deck.
Setup
Deal four cards to each player. Put the rest of the deck face down next to the dealer as the stock. Arrange the spoons in the centre.
How to play
There are no turns. Everybody plays at the same time, as fast as they like.
The dealer draws the top card of the stock, chooses one card to discard, and passes it face down to the player on the left. That player picks it up, discards one card to their left, and so on round the circle. The last player before the dealer discards onto a trash pile. You may never hold more than four cards: discard before you pick up the next card.
The aim is to collect four cards of the same rank. The moment you have four of a kind, take a spoon. You may do it with a flourish or sneak it quietly: once one spoon has gone, everyone else may grab one too, whether they have four of a kind or not. The slowest player is left without a spoon.
If the stock runs out, reshuffle the trash pile and continue.
Scoring and winning
The player left without a spoon gets a letter: S, then P, O, O, N over successive rounds. Spell “SPOON” and you are out. The last player left in wins.
For a quicker game, the spoonless player is simply eliminated at once. Remove one spoon each time a player drops out.
Common variants
- No stock pile. Use only four cards of each rank per player (16 cards for four players, 28 for seven). Everyone passes simultaneously with no draw pile; otherwise the game is the same.
- Pig. Same game without spoons. Whoever makes four of a kind quietly touches their nose; everyone else copies, and the last to notice loses a letter of P-I-G.
- Donkey. Australian version with five-card hands, the word D-O-N-K-E-Y for six lives, and the player with four of a kind allowed to keep playing after sneaking a spoon.
- Tongue. The signal is sticking out your tongue instead of grabbing a spoon.
- Dealer rotates. Because the dealer has a slight advantage (no waiting for cards), the winner of each round deals the next.
- Five cards each. Collect four of a kind among five cards, which speeds things up.
Tips for first games
- Decide your rank early and pass everything else. Hesitating over two pairs usually means someone else gets there first.
- Watch the spoons, not just your cards. Half of winning Spoons is noticing the moment one disappears.
- Keep the spoons in the exact centre so nobody is nearer than anyone else.
- Pass cards face down and one at a time; cards piling up in front of a slow player is the most common cause of arguments.
Frequently asked questions
How many spoons do you need? One fewer than the number of players: four players, three spoons.
Can you grab a spoon without four of a kind? Yes, but only after the first spoon has been taken by someone who has four of a kind. If you grab early, give it back (and many groups give you a letter).
What happens when the draw pile runs out? Shuffle the discarded cards into a new stock and carry on.
Can two players make four of a kind at the same time? Yes, and both take a spoon. The scramble decides who is left without one.
Is Spoons the same as Pig? Same cards, same passing. Pig replaces the spoon grab with touching your nose, which is quieter and needs no equipment.
