FIVE CARDS. TWO PILES. NO TURNS.
Play Speed online. Five cards, one quick decision.
An instant card race in your browser. Play together on one screen, invite a friend or challenge the computer.
- 5 cardsAlways in hand
- ± 1 rankEither centre pile
- 0 cardsWin the race
Same device, private link or computer.
Hands refill automatically.
Separate local and computer saves.
Ready, set, play
Open the table in Same device mode. Choose Play with a friend for a private link, or Vs computer for a solo race. There is no random matchmaking, download or account.
A quick race with a standard deck
Speed uses a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Each player has 20 cards: 5 in hand and 15 in a personal stock. Two face-up cards start the centre piles, with a reserve of 5 face-down cards on each side.
Both players press Ready, then play at the same time. A card must be one rank higher or lower than the top card of either centre pile. Suits and colours do not matter. An ace connects to both a king and a two; equal ranks do not match.
Tap a playable card to send it to the leftmost matching pile, or drag it onto a particular pile. A card from your personal stock automatically fills the same hand slot until the stock is empty. Empty both your hand and stock first to win the round.
When neither player has a legal move, press Flip centre cards. One card from each side reserve is turned onto its centre pile. Repeat if still blocked. When both reserves run out, earlier centre cards are shuffled into new reserves, keeping the top cards in place. If no remaining reserve or centre card can ever unlock either hand, the round is a draw.
This is the five-card-hand version of Speed, sometimes called Spit, rather than the version with five tableau piles. Each round is a separate race with no cumulative score. A fresh round deals a new shuffle.
On one device both hands are visible: Player 2 above and Player 1 below. Tap simultaneously on a touchscreen. Keyboard: Q W E R T for the upper hand, A S D F G or 1–5 for the lower hand; Space flips blocked piles and Escape pauses. Against the computer and online, each player sees only their own hand.
Easy reacts every 1.5 seconds and chooses a legal card randomly. Medium reacts every 0.85 seconds and plans the next card; Hard reacts every 0.45 seconds and searches longer sequences in its current hand. All levels use only their own cards and public information. Choose difficulty through Vs computer; changing it preserves your current deal.
See the next connection
Watch both centre piles, not just the highlighted cards. Plan a chain through your hand, and remember that a king can connect through an ace to a two. Drag when you want to choose a specific pile.
Pick up where you paused
Local and computer rounds save separately in this browser and resume paused. Press Ready to continue. A private online room restores your seat in the same browser. Both players must stay connected; same-pile races are decided by server arrival order. Both players must accept a new round. Clearing site data removes saves and seat credentials. Inactive rooms expire after seven days.
GOOD TO KNOW
Speed / Spit Online FAQ
Are Speed and Spit the same game?
This table uses Speed with a five-card hand and automatic refill. The related Spit variant uses five tableau piles per player.
Can I play a king on an ace?
Yes. K–A–2 connects in either direction. Equal ranks do not match, and suits do not matter.
What if we both play at once?
That is the game. Online, legal moves are accepted in server arrival order. A move onto the other pile does not cancel yours; a changed target pile must be checked again.
What happens when nobody can play?
Flip reserve cards onto both centre piles. Empty reserves recycle older centre cards. A completely trapped deck is a draw.