Some card games reward patience. Speed rewards fast hands and faster eyes. If you've ever seen two people slap cards down in a blur while shouting "Speed!", this is the game behind the chaos.
How to Play Speed
Speed (known in some regions as Spit) is a fast-paced two-player matching game where reflexes matter more than strategy. The objective is simple: be the first player to get rid of all your cards.
Each player starts with a stock pile of cards held in hand, plus a few cards laid out face-down (flipped face-up one at a time as they're used) as a personal side row. In the middle of the table sit two shared center piles, or "spit piles," typically started with one card each.
Once both players are ready, they flip their center piles simultaneously and play begins immediately — there are no turns. Each player races to play cards from their hand or side row onto either center pile, as long as the card is one rank higher or one rank lower than the top card showing (suit doesn't matter, and rank wraps around from king to ace). Both players play at the same time, as fast as they can, grabbing new cards from their side rows to keep playing.
When neither player can play any more cards onto either pile, both players slap a hand down on their own stock pile and shout "Speed!" (or "Spit!"). Whoever has fewer cards remaining in their stock and side row combined starts the next mini-round with a fresh deal of the center piles. The first player to completely empty their hand and side row wins the game.
Tips for Playing Faster
Speed rewards pattern recognition as much as raw reflexes. Rather than scanning your whole hand every time a center pile changes, keep a running mental note of the two or three cards you're most likely to play next, so you're already reaching for them the instant a pile becomes playable. Strong players also watch both center piles at once instead of fixating on just one, since a card that's dead on one pile might be exactly what's needed on the other.
Because both players play simultaneously and there's no waiting for a turn, hesitation is the biggest enemy in Speed. It's usually better to play a legal card immediately than to pause and search for the "best" one, since your opponent will likely beat you to the pile if you take too long deciding. Practicing with a consistent hand position — cards fanned so you can see ranks at a glance — makes a bigger difference in win rate than almost any other single habit.
The History of Speed
Speed's history is notably thin for a game so widely played, and that's not an accident — it's a game that spread almost entirely through word of mouth rather than published rulebooks. The earliest known print reference appears in Margie Golick's 1973 book Deal Me In!, which described it as a game children taught each other directly rather than one adults introduced. No earlier source, credited designer, or confirmed country of origin has ever surfaced.
What is generally agreed upon is that Speed is a modern game, most likely originating in the mid-to-late 20th century, and that it developed as a faster, more dexterity-driven variant of the older shedding game Spit (the two names are often used interchangeably today, with "Speed" more common in the United States and "Spit" more common in the UK and Canada). Because it spread through playgrounds, dorm rooms, and family card tables rather than commercial publishing, its true origin point is likely to remain a mystery — but its rapid rise in popularity through the late 20th century is well documented in how ubiquitous it became among American teens and young adults.
Why Play Speed on RivalPit
- Free and no download. Speed runs instantly in your browser.
- Real-time multiplayer. Challenge a friend with a link, or play a solid CPU opponent.
- Points, never money. Every match is played for points and bragging rights — no betting, no wagering, ever.
- One of 100+ free games on RivalPit, with new games added every week.
Love a fast-paced challenge? Check out more picks in our classic card games you can play online guide.