Spit rules

Two solitaire layouts racing to empty onto the same two piles. Like Speed, there are no turns — you both play at once, and it is loud.

The setup

Split a 52-card deck in half, 26 cards each. Each player lays out five piles in a row in front of them: one card in the first, two in the second, up to five in the fifth, with only the top card of each face up. That uses fifteen cards; the remaining eleven are your spit pile.

The spit

Both players say spit together and turn the top card of their spit pile into the middle. Those two cards are the central piles.

The play

Play any face-up card from your layout onto either central pile if it is one rank above or below that pile's top card. Aces wrap around to kings, so the sequence has no ends.

Whenever you uncover a face-down card in your layout, turn it up. If a layout pile empties, you may move a face-up card into the gap.

Only one hand, one card at a time, and there is no waiting for anyone.

When both are stuck

Both players spit again — turn one more card from the spit pile onto each central pile — and carry on.

Ending a round

The first player to empty their layout slaps whichever central pile they want. The other player takes the remaining pile. Each player gathers their new cards, shuffles, and lays out again.

Winning

When you have too few cards to make a full layout, you make as many piles as you can. The first player to run out of cards completely wins.

Spit: an example game

One game of Spit followed from the deal to the finish, move by move, with the reason for each choice.

The layout

You and Ada split the deck, 26 cards each, and lay out five piles. The top cards of yours are 7♣, Q♦, 3♠, 9♥ and 2♦; the first pile is a single card, and under the Q♦ in the second pile is one face-down card. Ada shows K♠, 5♥, 10♣, 8♦ and 4♣.

You both spit: you turn 8♠ into the middle and Ada turns J♥. The two piles are an 8 and a jack.

The first plays

Your 7♣ and 9♥ fit the 8, and your Q♦ fits the jack. Ada's 10♣ fits the jack too. You play 7♣ onto the 8♠, which empties your first pile.

Ada answers with 8♦ onto your 7♣. You play 9♥ onto her 8♦ and turn up the card under it: 10♠. Meanwhile Ada has put 10♣ on the jack, so your Q♦ no longer fits anywhere.

Using the gap

Your 10♠ goes onto the 9♥. That uncovers 5♣ in the same pile. Now nothing in your layout fits: the piles are on 10♠ and 10♣, and you show Q♦, 3♠, 5♣ and 2♦.

But your first pile is empty. You move the Q♦ into the gap, which uncovers the card under it: J♣. The jack goes onto the 10♠, and the Q♦ goes straight onto the jack. One empty pile turned into two plays.

Stuck, and spit

A few plays later neither of you can put anything down. The table shows "Spit!", Ada presses it, and you each turn one card from your spit pile into the middle: a 6 and a 4.

Your 3♠ goes on the 4 and your 5♣ on the 6. The race starts again.

Winning the round

You empty your last pile first. The middle piles hold 6 and 19 cards, and you take the 6. Ada takes the 19, together with everything still in her layout and spit pile.

You now hold your 7 spit cards plus the 6: 13 cards. That is not enough for five piles, so you lay out four — one, two, three and four cards — with 3 cards to spit. Ada has 39 cards, a full layout and 24 to spit.

The end

With fewer cards and a smaller board you win the next round too, and the one after that. Eventually you empty a layout with no spit pile behind it: no cards at all, and the game is yours.

Ada could have come back by winning a round quickly while her board was full. In Spit, a lead is never safe until your last card is down.