Speed is the card game with no turns. You and the computer play at the same time, each from a hand of five with fifteen more in your own pile, onto two shared centre piles. Any card one rank above or below a pile's top card can go on it — suits do not matter, and the ace sits between the king and the two — and every card you play is replaced from your pile at once. When neither of you can go, a card is turned from each side stack onto the piles; when those run out, the centre is shuffled into new side stacks. The first to get rid of every card wins the deal. Here that race runs at six tables, from Grandpa Joe at the kitchen table to Quick Kate in the Final, and the only thing that changes between them is how fast your rival spots a card. Tap a card to play it, drag it onto a pile, or keep your hands on the keyboard. Reaching for a card that goes nowhere ties your hands for a second, so looking beats tapping everything. Win a table for a star, and leave your rival holding more cards for two or three.
How to play Speed Card Game
- Press Play, pick a table and press Start. After a quick 3-2-1 count the two centre cards turn face up and both of you start playing at once — there are no turns.
- You hold five cards, with fifteen more face down in your pile. Your rival holds the same. Two side stacks of five sit beside the two centre piles.
- Play any card that is one rank above or below the top card of either centre pile. Suits do not matter, and the ace goes on a king or a two (and either goes on an ace).
- Tap a card to play it. If it fits both piles, the piles light up — tap the one you want. You can also drag a card onto a pile, or press 1 to 5 for a card — and Q or E for the left or right pile when it fits both.
- Every card you play is replaced from your pile at once, so you always hold five until your pile runs out.
- Tap a card that goes on neither pile and your hands are tied for a second while your rival keeps playing, so look before you tap.
- When neither of you can play, a card is turned from each side stack onto the centre piles a second later — and if the table stands still for three seconds, they turn anyway. When the side stacks run out, the centre piles are shuffled into new ones.
- The first player with no cards left in hand or pile wins the deal. Win for a star; win with your rival still holding more cards for two or three. Each table you win opens the next.
Tips
- Watch the two centre cards, not your hand. Know the four ranks that go — one either side of each — and your eye only has to find one of them.
- Play into a run. A 6 on a 5 turns a 7 in your hand into a card that goes, so a hand with 6, 7 and 8 can go down in three quick taps.
- Remember the corner: the ace joins the king and the two, so a king, an ace and a two are a run too.
- When a card fits both piles, glance at the rest of your hand first: put it on the pile that leaves another of your cards able to go.
- Do not tap blind. A card that goes nowhere ties your hands for a second, and at the later tables that is two or three cards your rival plays while you wait.
- Keyboard players: leave one hand on 1 to 5 and the other on Q and E. Pressing a card that fits one pile plays it straight away.
FAQ
Is the Speed card game free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All six tables are included and open one after another as you win them.
What are the rules of Speed here?
The common two-player version: each player has a hand of five and a pile of fifteen, there are two side stacks of five, and one card from the pack starts each centre pile. Both players play at the same time, any card one rank above or below a centre card with suits ignored and the ace between king and two. Hands refill from your own pile as you play. When nobody can go, each side stack turns a card onto its pile; when they are empty, the centre piles are shuffled into new side stacks. The first player out of cards wins. There is no slap at the end.
Can you put an ace on a king in Speed?
Yes. The ranks wrap around, so an ace goes on a king or a two, and a king or a two goes on an ace. Suits never matter.
What happens when nobody can play?
A second after the table is stuck, a card is turned from each side stack onto the two centre piles. The same happens if nobody has played for three seconds, even if someone could — so a player who cannot go is never left waiting for long. When the side stacks are empty, the centre piles are shuffled together into new side stacks. And if twelve turns go by with no card played, both hands are shuffled back into their piles and dealt again, so no deal can stall for good.
Can I just tap every card as fast as I can?
It does not pay. A card that goes on neither pile ties your hands for a second. Measured against the computer, a player tapping random cards without looking loses about four deals in five even at the first table, and nine in ten or more from the second table on.
How fast is the computer?
Each table's rival is modelled on a person: a reaction to the table changing, a moment per card it looks at, and a small chance of looking straight past a card that would have gone. That works out from about a second a card at the first table to about a quarter of a second at the Final. Measured over deals the tables were not tuned on, a player taking about 0.9 seconds a card wins the first table about four times in five; a 0.6-second player wins the first two tables most of the time and almost never the Final; and even a quarter-second player wins the Final only about half the time.
How do the stars work?
Win a deal for one star. The second and third stars depend on how many cards your rival still holds when you go out — the numbers for each table are on the result card. They come from how many cards a quick test player left each rival, so they fall from twelve cards at the first table to four at the Final, though not at every step: the fourth table asks for eleven, one more than the third.
Is Speed the same as Spit?
They are close relatives. In Spit each player builds their own stock piles from half the pack and the round ends with a slap on the smaller centre pile; Speed deals a hand, a draw pile and two shared side stacks, and here the deal simply ends when one player runs out of cards.
How is it different from War?
War is pure luck — you flip cards and the higher one wins. Speed is all reflexes: every card you play is one you spotted before your rival did. Both are on this site; War is on the War Card Game page.
Does it pause, and does it work on a phone?
Yes to both. Switching to another tab pauses the deal, and so does the Pause button or the P key — your rival waits too, and a quick 3-2-1 count starts it again. On a phone every card is a tap or a drag, and held upright the table gets a taller frame so the cards stay big.