We have been married for 11 years. Rob and I have known each other for 16 years. While we were on our honeymoon another couple taught us a card game named speed. We played it for the entire trip and on the plane home. Then as time passed we had forgotten how to play it. After some searching I found instructions for the game. Rob and I played it on our anniversary (I know how corny, but it is the small things in life.) We love this game is it quick and easy. You must try it and let me know what you think. We normally don’t keep score just play.
Speed is a game for two players in which the aim is to get rid of your cards as fast possible. The players do not take turns - physical speed and alertness are required to play faster than your opponent. On each deal, by being first to play all your stock pile cards you can reduce the number of cards you have in the next deal. By being successful for several deals you can eventually get rid of all your cards, thereby winning the game.
In Speed, each player has a single face down stock pile and a hand of five cards.
Speed - version with five-card hands
In the variation usually known as Speed, each player has a hand of five cards, held concealed from the other player, and a single face down stockpile. You play cards from your hand to the face up spit piles, and whenever you play a card from your hand you can draw one from your stock pile, so that you keep five cards in your hand. In this version the face-down spit cards are kept either side of the face-up spit piles.
To begin, you deal face down in the centre two piles of ten spit cards with two single cards between them, and a stock pile of 20 cards in front of each player, so that the layout is like this:
20 cards
5 cards 1 card 1 card 5 cards
20 cards
Each player draws a five card hand from the top of their 15 card stock, and when they are ready the two single cards are simultaneously flipped face up. Both players then play from their 5 card hands to the two centre piles - either the next higher or the next lower card in rank. If you run out of plays but have fewer than 5 cards in hand, draw the cards from your stock to replenish your hand to 5 cards, and continue playing any cards you can.
When neither player can play, though both have 5 cards in hand, a new spit card is simultaneously flipped from each end pile of the centre row onto the two centre piles. If the reserves of spit cards in these end piles run out, shuffle all the cards except the top one from each of the two centre piles and place them face down on either side of the centre cards to form new reserves.
When your stock runs out you continue to play from your hand without replenishing it. When your hand runs out as well, you have won the deal; you score one point for each card in your opponent's hand and stockpile. The first player whose score reaches or exceeds an agreed amount (for example 25 points) wins the game.
