Speed
Officially Speed (Spit / Slam)
FAST-PACED 2-PLAYER real-time card game using STANDARD 52-CARD DECK — both players simultaneously play cards onto SHARED CENTER PILES (up or down in rank, wrapping A-K-Q...); FIRST to EMPTY hand + stock wins. Beloved as a QUICK 5-MINUTE FILLER at parties + families + college dorms. Rounds intense enough to be exhausting; often 'BEST OF 5' matches. Simple rules but requires LIGHTNING reflexes + card-pattern recognition. Related: SPIT variants for 2-4 players.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Duration
~3 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Folk-game origin USA + UK mid-20th c.; documented in 'Hoyle's Rules of Games' from 1970s+; extremely popular at summer camps + college dorms; no formal international federation; casual play only.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Be FIRST to play ALL your cards (hand + stockpile) onto shared center piles.
Rules
Basic rules
SETUP: Deal 26 cards to each player: 5 face-up in personal PLAY ROW, 15 face-down as PERSONAL STOCK, plus 5 cards face-down as central PILES + 1 face-up REPLENISH card for each player
Signature 26-card split setup.
START: Both players simultaneously flip their REPLENISH card to start the game — 2 shared central 'PLAY PILES' are now active
Signature simultaneous flip-start.
REAL-TIME: NO TURNS — both players simultaneously play from their PLAY ROW onto CENTER PILES
Signature no-turn real-time play.
PLAY RULE: Card played must be RANK-ADJACENT (+1 or -1) to top of center pile (A wraps to 2 or K); suits ignored — pure rank-adjacency
Signature rank-adjacent play.
REPLENISH: When PLAY ROW spot is empty, DRAW from PERSONAL STOCK to REFILL
Signature draw-to-refill.
STUCK: If neither player can play → both simultaneously flip a REPLENISH card onto center piles + resume play
Signature stuck → replenish rule.
WIN: FIRST player to empty their STOCK + PLAY ROW yells 'SPEED!' + wins round; scoring per round or best-of-5
Signature 'Speed!' victory yell.
SPIT VARIANT: same rules but slightly different setup + name 'SPIT' popularized in UK/US
Signature Spit variant naming.
Scoring
Round = one game; typical match best-of-5 or first-to-3.
Win condition · Empty stock + play row + yell 'Speed!'
Equipment
STANDARD 52-CARD DECK (no jokers)
Signature standard deck.
TABLE + 2 CHAIRS (face-to-face)
Standard playing space.
Terminology
- Play Row
- Personal 5-card face-up row.
- Stock
- Personal 15-card face-down pile.
- Center Pile
- One of 2 shared piles both players build on.
- Replenish
- Face-down card flipped when stuck to restart play.
- Rank-adjacent
- ±1 rank from top card (A wraps K↔2).
- Speed!
- Victory yell when you empty your last cards.
Major competitions
No formal championships; casual party + camp games
n/a · USA + UK · since 1950
Where it is played
Governing bodies
No formal governing body — folk card game
Founded 1950 · USA + UK
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- No professional players; casual folk game with no championship series
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Speed (card game)— Wikipedia
- Hoyle's Rules of Games— Hoyle's Rules of Games