What is the goal of Spit (Speed)?

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards across multiple rounds. You race your opponent simultaneously — not in turns — to play face-up stock cards onto two central 'spit' piles in consecutive sequence. When a round ends, slap and claim the SMALLER of the two central piles so you carry fewer cards into the next round. Per Bicycle Cards: 'The winner is the first player to get rid of all of their cards.'

How many players is Spit for, and how long does it last?

Spit is for exactly 2 players — a head-to-head race with no turns. Per Pagat: 'Spit and Speed are games for two players in which the aim is to get rid of your cards as fast as possible.' A full game runs about 5 to 15 minutes ; individual rounds last under a minute once both players get quick. Suitable for ages 7 and up.

What is the 1-2-3-4-5 setup in Spit?

Each player receives 26 cards . Lay out 5 stock piles in a row: Pile 1 = 1 card face up. Pile 2 = 1 face-down + 1 face-up on top. Pile 3 = 2 face-down + 1 face-up. Pile 4 = 3 face-down + 1 face-up. Pile 5 = 4 face-down + 1 face-up. That uses 15 cards. The remaining 11 cards become your face-down spit pile beside your tableau (do not look). The two central spit piles are formed in the middle when both players shout 'Spit!' to start the round.

What makes a legal play in Spit?

A card may be played onto a central spit pile only if it is exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card of that pile. A 5 plays on a 4 or a 6. Suit and color do not matter. Aces wrap around : an Ace plays on a King or a 2, and a King or a 2 plays on an Ace — this is what keeps long sequence runs possible without dead-ending. You may use only ONE hand and move only ONE card at a time.

What happens when both players get stuck?

If a moment arrives when neither player can make a legal play, both players say 'Spit!' again together and each flips the next card from their personal spit pile onto their respective central spit pile, creating new top cards. Per Pagat: 'If a position is reached where neither player can play… both players shout spit again, and each turns up their next spit card.' Repeat as needed until a legal play exists.

Why slap the SMALLER central pile at the end of a round?

The moment a player empties their tableau, both players race to slap one of the two central piles. The first hand wins that pile and the other player must take the other. Always slap the smaller pile — you must shuffle whichever pile you claim into your cards for the next round, so taking the smaller pile gives you a major advantage. The player who consistently claims the smaller pile gets closer to winning each round.

What is the difference between Spit, Speed, and California Speed?

Spit uses the classic 1-2-3-4-5 stock pile layout from one shared 52-card deck. Bicycle’s version of Spit is a 4-card-row variant played with two decks , one per player — each player lays out the top 4 cards of their deck face up in a row and holds the remainder of their deck in one hand, refilling each row position from the top of the deck whenever a card is played; no slap-the-smaller-pile mechanic; first to deplete their deck wins outright. California Speed is a simpler sibling — instead of consecutive-rank plays onto central piles, players race to cover pairs of equal cards in a shared layout (Pagat). Good for younger children.

Free Printable Spit Rules — How to Play Speed

About Free Printable Spit Rules

Whichever pile you take is shuffled into your cards for the next round, so the smaller pile means fewer cards to get rid of. Both players usually go for the pile they think is smaller.

By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026

Spit (also called Speed) is a two-player racing card game played with one standard 52-card deck and no jokers. Both players play at the same time, not in turns, putting cards one rank up or down onto two central piles, and the first player to get rid of all their cards over several rounds wins. A full game takes about 5 to 15 minutes and suits ages 7 and up. The full printable rules sheet with the 1-2-3-4-5 layout and slap diagrams is on this page.

How to play Spit

Deal each player 26 cards. Each player lays out 5 stock piles in a row: 1 card, then 2, 3, 4 and 5 cards, with only the top card of each pile face up. The remaining 11 cards are your face-down spit pile.
Both players shout 'Spit!' together and each flips the top card of their spit pile into the middle. These two cards start the two central spit piles.
Race at the same time: take a face-up card from any of your stock piles and play it on either central pile if it is exactly one rank higher or lower than the top card. Suits do not matter, and Aces go on both Kings and 2s.
Use one hand and move one card at a time. When you take a stock pile's face-up card, turn the next card in that pile face up. If a stock pile space is empty, you may move one face-up card from another pile into it.
If neither player can play, both shout 'Spit!' again and flip the next card from their spit piles onto the central piles.
When one player clears all five stock piles, the round ends and both race to slap a central pile. Slap the smaller one: if you slap the same pile, the hand underneath wins it and the other player takes the other pile.
For the next round, each player shuffles the pile they took with their unused stock and spit cards and deals a new layout. A player with too few cards for a spit pile deals as many stock piles as they can, and there is only one central pile.
You win the game by clearing your stock piles in a round where you had no spit pile, leaving you with no cards at all.

Examples

Strategy tips

Watch the size of both central piles throughout the round so you know which one to slap the moment the round ends.
Play from the piles with the most face-down cards first; each play there uncovers a new card and opens more options.
Fill an empty stock space quickly, because a covered face-down card underneath another pile is a card you cannot reach.
Look one step ahead: if a 6 is on top, a 7 and an 8 in your layout make a two-card run before your opponent can react.
When you are close to clearing your layout, keep your slapping hand ready rather than reaching across the table for the last card.

Example: the end of a round

You play your last stock card, a 9 onto a 10. The left central pile has about 6 cards and the right one about 18. You slap the left pile first, so your opponent must take the 18-card pile. Next round you shuffle your 6 cards with the cards still in your spit pile and lay out a new 1-2-3-4-5 tableau.

Frequently asked questions

Why should you slap the smaller pile in Spit?

Whichever pile you take is shuffled into your cards for the next round, so the smaller pile means fewer cards to get rid of. Both players usually go for the pile they think is smaller.

What if both players slap the same pile?

The first hand down, the one underneath, takes that pile and the other player takes the other pile. If you slap different piles, each player keeps the pile they chose.

What happens when neither player can play?

Both players say 'Spit!' again together and each flips the next card from their spit pile onto their central pile. Repeat as often as needed until someone has a legal play.

Can you move cards between your own stock piles?

Only to fill a completely empty space: you may move a single face-up card from another stock pile into it. This keeps all five positions in play.

What happens when a player runs low on cards?

If you have too few cards to lay out the full tableau and still keep a spit pile, you deal as many stock piles as you can and have no spit pile. That round has only one central pile, started by your opponent, and nobody slaps at the end.

How do you actually win a game of Spit?

You win when you clear your stock piles in a round where you had no spit pile, so you are left with no cards. In that round the player who clears first takes nothing, and the other player takes the central pile plus their own unplayed cards.

Is there a version of Spit with two decks?

Yes. In the two-deck version each player uses their own deck, lays out a row of 4 face-up cards and refills it from the deck in their hand. There is no pile slapping; the first to use up their deck and row wins.

Part of ToolFluency’s library of free online tools for Printables. No account needed, no data leaves your device.

You might also need

♠Speed Rules ♠Egyptian Ratscrew Rules ♠Slapjack Rules ♠Snap Rules ♠Crazy Eights Rules

Embed this tool on your site (free)

Paste this where you want the tool. Please keep the attribution link.

<iframe id="tf-spit-rules" src="https://toolfluency.com/tools-v2/printables/games/spit-rules.html?embed=1" width="100%" height="640" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e2e2e2;border-radius:12px;max-width:760px" title="Free Printable Spit Rules by ToolFluency"></iframe>
<script>addEventListener("message",function(e){var f=document.getElementById("tf-spit-rules");if(f&&e.source===f.contentWindow&&e.data&&e.data.tfEmbedHeight){f.height=e.data.tfEmbedHeight}});</script>
<p>Powered by <a href="https://toolfluency.com/tools-v2/printables/games/spit-rules.html">Free Printable Spit Rules</a> — free tools by ToolFluency</p>