How do you set up Spit?

Deal 26 cards to each player. Each player lays out five face-down stock piles of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards, turns the top card of each face up, and holds the remaining 11 cards as spit cards. Then both shout "Spit!" and flip a spit card into the middle to start two piles.

What is the difference between Spit and Speed?

In Spit you play from five stock piles laid out on the table, turning up hidden cards as you go, and the game runs over several deals with pile-slapping between them. In Speed you hold a 5-card hand, refill it from a draw pile, and the game usually ends the first time someone runs out.

What happens when nobody can play in Spit?

Both players shout "Spit!" again and each flips their next spit card onto their spit pile, which gives everyone new cards to play on. If one player has run out of spit cards, the other player spits alone onto just one pile. If both are out and stuck, the deal ends.

Which pile do you take in Spit?

At the end of a deal, both players slap the spit pile they want, and most people go for the smaller one because you add it to your cards. If you both slap the same pile, whoever's hand is underneath got there first and takes it. The other player takes the other pile.

Can you play a king on an ace in Spit?

Yes. In Spit cards turn the corner, so an ace can take a king or a 2, and a king can take an ace or a queen. Suits and colors don't matter in the standard game. Some players add a rule that colors must alternate, but that's a variant.

You win when you have no cards left at all. That happens when you clear your layout and don't have to pick up a spit pile. Usually it comes near the end, when a player has too few cards for spit cards, only one spit pile is used, and they empty their stock piles first.

What if you have fewer than 15 cards in Spit?

Deal your stock piles as far as your cards go, working left to right through the five piles. You have no spit cards, so only one spit pile is used in that deal, started by your opponent. If you clear your layout first, you pick up nothing and win the game.

Spit Card Game Rules: How to Play Spit

1Object of the game

Get rid of all your cards. Each deal is a race to empty your five stock piles onto the spit piles. When a deal ends, you pick up a spit pile, so you want the smaller one. Over several deals your total shrinks until one player clears their layout with nothing left to pick up and wins the game.

2Setup

Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal it out so each player has 26 cards.
Each player deals five stock piles in a row in front of them, face down: the first pile has 1 card, the second 2, the third 3, the fourth 4, and the fifth 5. That's 15 cards.
Turn the top card of each stock pile face up.
Hold your remaining 11 cards face down in a stack without looking at them. These are your spit cards.
Leave space between the two layouts for two spit piles.

3The play

When both players are ready, shout "Spit!" together and each flip your top spit card face up into the middle. The two cards start the two spit piles.
There are no turns. Both players play as fast as they like, using only one hand and moving only one card at a time.
Play the face-up top card of any of your stock piles onto either spit pile if it's one rank higher or one rank lower. Suits and colors don't matter, and cards turn the corner: a king or a 2 can go on an ace.
When you play the face-up card off a stock pile, turn the next card of that pile face up. You can also move a face-up card into an empty space in your row, which lets you turn up the card it was covering.
If neither player can move, both shout "Spit!" again and flip a new spit card onto your spit pile. If one player has run out of spit cards, the other player spits alone onto one pile.

4End of a hand

A deal ends when one player has played all 15 stock cards, or when both players are stuck and out of spit cards. Then both players slap the spit pile they want, usually the smaller one. If you slap different piles, you each take yours. If you both slap the same pile, the player whose hand is underneath got there first and takes it; the other player takes the other pile. Each player adds their leftover stock and spit cards to the pile they took, shuffles, and deals a new layout of five piles.

5Scoring

Spit has no points. You win by being the first player with no cards at all. The table shows the layout each deal uses.

For	Points
Stock piles in your row	5 (of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards)
Cards in a full layout	15
Spit cards with a full 26-card share	11
Playing a card	One rank up or down; A wraps to K and 2
Winning	Have no cards left at all

Once a player has fewer than 15 cards, they deal their stock piles as far as the cards go and have no spit cards. From then on only one spit pile is used, started by the other player. If the player with no spit cards clears their layout first, they take no cards from the center and win.

6Winning

The game ends when a player runs out of cards completely. That usually happens late in the game: a player has fewer than 15 cards, so they have no spit cards and only one spit pile is in play. If that player clears their layout first, they don't pick up anything from the center, have no cards left, and win. If the other player clears their layout first, the short-handed player has to take the spit pile and the game continues.

7A worked hand

The spit piles show a 6♥ and a J♣. Your five stock piles show a 5♠ (the 1-card pile), a 7♦, a Q♥, a 9♣, and a 4♦ (on top of the 5-card pile). You play the 5♠ on the 6♥, leaving an empty space, then the 4♦ on the 5♠. You turn up the next card on that 5-card pile: the 3♣, which goes right on the 4♦. Switching to the other pile, you play the Q♥ on the J♣ and turn up a K♠ underneath, which goes on the Q♥. The next card is the A♦, and since cards turn the corner, it goes on the K♠, clearing your 3-card pile. Now you have two empty spaces, so you move the 7♦ into one and turn up the card that was under it: the 2♥, which you play on the A♦. You've played 7 of your 15 stock cards. The spit piles show the 3♣ and the 2♥, and your opponent has been playing too, so the tops may already have changed.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Four stock piles: Pagat.com notes that some people play with only four stock piles of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cards, which leaves 16 spit cards from a 26-card share.
Four-card row, one deck each: Bicycle describes a version where each player uses their own deck, keeps four cards face up in a row, and refills the row from the deck after every play. The first player to run out wins.
Alternating colors: Some players require cards on the spit piles to alternate colors, so on a black 5 you can only play a red 6 or a red 4.
Stacking same ranks: Some groups let you stack face-up cards of the same rank within your own layout to uncover face-down cards or open empty spaces faster.
Eleven-card center pile: Pagat.com also mentions dealing eleven cards to one stock pile and one card to each of the other four.

9Mistakes people make

Use only one hand, and move one card at a time. Scooping cards with both hands is not allowed.
A card counts as played as soon as it touches the spit pile, so if two cards race to the same pile, the one that touched first stays.
Aces go both ways: you can play a king or a 2 on an ace.
After a deal, you keep the spit pile you slapped plus your own leftover cards. You don't keep the cards you successfully played.

10Playing better

Watch both spit piles and your opponent's layout. The card your opponent needs is often the one you can cover first.
Use empty spaces right away. Moving a face-up card into a gap uncovers a hidden card, and hidden cards are where your next plays come from.
Look for runs across your piles. A 5, 4, and 3 spread over different piles can all go down in a row once a 6 appears.
Near the end of a deal, keep an eye on the pile sizes so you know which spit pile to slap. The smaller one leaves you fewer cards next deal.
Keep one hand on the table and ready. Slapping the small pile a split second first can decide the whole game.

Spit: questions people ask

How do you set up Spit?: Deal 26 cards to each player. Each player lays out five face-down stock piles of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards, turns the top card of each face up, and holds the remaining 11 cards as spit cards. Then both shout "Spit!" and flip a spit card into the middle to start two piles.
What is the difference between Spit and Speed?: In Spit you play from five stock piles laid out on the table, turning up hidden cards as you go, and the game runs over several deals with pile-slapping between them. In Speed you hold a 5-card hand, refill it from a draw pile, and the game usually ends the first time someone runs out.
What happens when nobody can play in Spit?: Both players shout "Spit!" again and each flips their next spit card onto their spit pile, which gives everyone new cards to play on. If one player has run out of spit cards, the other player spits alone onto just one pile. If both are out and stuck, the deal ends.
Which pile do you take in Spit?: At the end of a deal, both players slap the spit pile they want, and most people go for the smaller one because you add it to your cards. If you both slap the same pile, whoever's hand is underneath got there first and takes it. The other player takes the other pile.
Can you play a king on an ace in Spit?: Yes. In Spit cards turn the corner, so an ace can take a king or a 2, and a king can take an ace or a queen. Suits and colors don't matter in the standard game. Some players add a rule that colors must alternate, but that's a variant.
How do you win Spit?: You win when you have no cards left at all. That happens when you clear your layout and don't have to pick up a spit pile. Usually it comes near the end, when a player has too few cards for spit cards, only one spit pile is used, and they empty their stock piles first.
What if you have fewer than 15 cards in Spit?: Deal your stock piles as far as your cards go, working left to right through the five piles. You have no spit cards, so only one spit pile is used in that deal, started by your opponent. If you clear your layout first, you pick up nothing and win the game.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

Spit / Speed, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
How to Play Spit, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.

Also on the table: Speed, War, Solitaire (Klondike), Kings in the Corner.