Shuffle the deck thoroughly before you begin dealing. Don’t forget to remove the Jokers from the deck.
Both players will lay out their own set of stacks rather than playing from same stack. The object of each round of play is to successfully sort all of the cards in your hand into 2 middle stacks which will be turned over at the start of the game.
Only the top card on the stack should be face-up. You’ll turn over the rest of the cards in the stack individually as you play to keep the game fast-paced and unpredictable.
Leave enough room between the reserve piles to fit 2 more cards for when you begin playing. Most games are played with the reserve piles resting on the table. If you prefer, you can also hold your reserve pile in one hand once the game starts. Just make sure you keep the cards face-down!
To keep things fair, be sure to flip your Spit cards at the same time. You might even perform a quick countdown to prevent either player from getting an unfair head start. [6] X Research source The values of the Spit cards will determine which of the cards in your individual hand you can play at a given time.
You must select playable cards from your hand one at a time.
If neither player is able to make a play, turn over 2 new Spit cards from your reserve piles and try again. Suits make no difference in Spit—only the number values of the cards matter.
Remember to keep 5 face-up cards in your hand at all times. Forgetting to turn over a new card will slow down your next play.
Just like at the beginning of the game, it’s important that you both turn over your new Spit cards at the same time. It’s possible to get “stuck” several times in a single round, so be prepared to stop and reset your Spit cards as often as needed.
Be careful not to get in such a rush that you accidentally slap the larger stack, or you’ll immediately lose your advantage!
If you don’t have the full 15 cards needed to build your stacks, set them up as completely as you can and proceed to play like normal. [13] X Research source The idea is to keep playing games back-to-back with hands of varying sizes until one player manages to discard all of their cards.
When played correctly, a typical game of Spit is over in a flash. Try playing a 2-out-of-3 or 3-out-of-5 series of games to keep the fun going and declare an ultimate winner.
