How to playSpoons

1Object of the game

Be the last player left in the game. Each round, someone collects four cards of the same rank and quietly takes a spoon, which frees everyone else to grab one too. There is always one spoon short, so one player ends every round empty-handed and picks up a letter. Five letters spell SPOON and put you out. Rounds keep going with one fewer spoon each time until one player remains.

2Setup

1. Put spoons in a small circle in the middle of the table, where everyone can reach them. Use one fewer spoon than the number of players: 3 spoons for 4 players, 5 spoons for 6.
2. Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal four cards face down to each player. The dealer keeps the rest of the deck face down beside them as the draw pile.
3. Leave room on the table next to the player on the dealer's right. That player's discards go there, face down, as the trash pile.
4. Everyone picks up their four cards and keeps them hidden. When everyone is ready, the dealer starts play.

3The play

1. The dealer takes the top card of the draw pile, so they're holding five cards. They choose one card they don't want and pass it face down to the player on their left.
2. Each other player picks up the card passed to them, decides which card to get rid of, and passes one card face down to their left. You go back to four cards every time you pass.
3. The player on the dealer's right doesn't pass to the dealer. Their discard goes face down on the trash pile.
4. Nobody waits for anyone. The dealer keeps drawing and passing as fast as they like, and cards can pile up next to a slow player. Take them one at a time.
5. As soon as you hold four cards of the same rank, such as four jacks, take a spoon from the middle. Many players do it quietly to keep the others from noticing.
6. Once the first spoon is gone, anyone may take one, whether or not they have four of a kind. The player left without a spoon loses the round.

4End of a hand

The round ends when every spoon has been taken. The player who didn't get one takes the next letter of S-P-O-O-N, starting with S. Put all the spoons back in the middle, gather and shuffle the cards, and deal a new round. When a player gets the final N, they're out, and you take one spoon away. If the draw pile ever runs out mid-round, pause, shuffle the trash pile, and use it as the new draw pile.

5Scoring

Spoons has no points. Losing a round earns you a letter, and letters add up until you're eliminated.

Bicycle spells S-P-O-O-N, so you're out on your fifth lost round. Some groups spell S-P-O-O-N-S for six lives, and the Pig version uses P-I-G, so three losses put you out. For a quick game, skip letters entirely and eliminate the spoon-less player each round.

6Winning

Keep playing rounds, removing a spoon each time someone is knocked out. The final round is two players and one spoon. Whoever gets that spoon is the last player remaining and wins the game.

7A worked hand

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.

S-P-O-O-N-S

Wikipedia's version of the rules spells S-P-O-O-N-S, so you get six lives instead of five. Use it when you want a longer game.

Pig

Pagat.com describes Pig, the game Spoons grew from. Instead of grabbing spoons, the first player with four of a kind touches their nose, everyone copies, and the last to notice takes a letter of P-I-G.

Donkey or Tongue

Wikipedia lists versions where the signal is making donkey ears with your hands, or silently sticking out your tongue. The last player to copy the signal loses the round.

No draw pile

Pagat.com's Pig uses only as many sets of four as there are players, so seven players use aces down to 8s. Nobody draws from a deck; everyone passes a card left at the same time and picks up from the right.

Instant elimination

For a quick party round, the player without a spoon is out right away with no letters. With 10 players you're done in 9 rounds.

9Mistakes people make

• Use one fewer spoon than the number of players, and take away another spoon each time someone is eliminated.
• Only a player holding four of a kind may take the first spoon. After that, everyone may grab.
• Only the dealer draws from the deck. Everyone else picks up only the cards passed from their right.
• You keep four cards in your hand after every pass. Hold a fifth card only for the moment it takes to choose a discard.

10Playing better

• Pick a target rank early, usually the one you already have two of, and pass anything that doesn't fit. Changing your mind every few cards slows you down.
• Watch the spoons as much as your cards. A quiet grab can go unnoticed for several seconds, and the slowest person at the table is the one watching only their hand.
• If you're the dealer, you set the pace. Drawing fast can bury the player on your left in cards.
• Don't let a stack build up in front of you. Pick up, decide, and pass right away, or you'll miss both the four of a kind and the grab.
• Once a spoon is gone, grab first and check your cards later. You don't need four of a kind after the first spoon is taken.
• Be sneaky when you have your set. Taking the spoon slowly while still passing cards buys you a moment before the rush.

Spoons: questions people ask

How many spoons do you need for Spoons?

You need one fewer spoon than the number of players. With 4 players, put 3 spoons in the middle; with 8 players, use 7. Each time a player is eliminated, remove one more spoon so there's always one short.

How many cards do you deal in Spoons?

Deal four cards to each player, face down. The rest of the deck stays with the dealer as the draw pile. The dealer draws one at a time, so they briefly hold five before passing a card to the left.

Can you take a spoon if you don't have four of a kind?

Only after the first spoon has been taken. The first spoon belongs to the player who collected four of a kind. As soon as that spoon leaves the middle, everyone else may grab one, whatever cards they're holding.

How do you get out in Spoons?

Each round the player without a spoon takes a letter of S-P-O-O-N. After your fifth lost round you've spelled the word and you're out. Some groups spell S-P-O-O-N-S instead, which gives each player six rounds to lose.

What happens when the deck runs out in Spoons?

Pause the round and shuffle the trash pile, which is the stack of cards discarded by the player on the dealer's right. That becomes the new draw pile, and the dealer keeps drawing from it. Nobody's hand changes during the pause.

How many people can play Spoons?

You need at least 3 players. With a standard 52-card deck, pagat.com says up to 13 can play. For bigger groups, add a second deck.

Is Spoons the same as Pig?

They're the same passing game with a different ending. In Pig, the first player with four of a kind touches their nose and the last to copy loses. In Spoons, players grab spoons from the middle, and the player left without one loses the round.

What can you use instead of spoons?

Any small object that's easy to grab works, as long as there's one fewer than the number of players. Wikipedia describes the objects as typically spoons. Pens, bottle caps or wrapped candies all work fine.

Sources

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

1. Spoons, Bicycle Cards. Read September 29, 2026.
2. Pig, Spoons, pagat.com. Read September 29, 2026.
3. Pig (card game), Wikipedia. Read September 29, 2026.

Also on the table: Old Maid, BS (Cheat), Slapjack, Speed.