How To Play Speed: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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How to Play Speed Download Article Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: June 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Dealing the Cards
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• Playing the Game
|
• Adding Variations to the Game
|
• Printable Rule Sheet
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips
|
• Warnings
|
• Things You'll Need

|Show more |Show less ARTICLE VIDEO X

This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 970,830 times.

Speed is a card game of fast reflexes, accuracy, luck, and logic. The game is for two players and the objective is to get rid of all of your cards first. Learn how to successfully play this fun and challenging card game!

Playing the Speed Card Game

Speed is a 2-player card game in which your goal is to get rid of all your cards first. Each player gets 20 cards, and the rest of the deck is split into 4 piles in the middle. Flip over the top card of the middle 2 piles, and place any card in sequential order on top. Be the first to lay down all of your cards to win.

Steps

Printable Rule Sheet

Speed Rule Sheet Part 1 Part 1 of 3:

Dealing the Cards

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1. 1 Shuffle and deal player cards. Shuffle a standard 52-card deck. Deal 20 cards to yourself and 20 to the other player.
   • Keep all cards face-down for the time being.
   • Use a hard, sturdy surface like a table or wood floor for ideal game play.
2. 2 Make 4 piles in the middle. Deal the remaining cards into 4 piles in one row at the center of the table between you and your opponent. Place cards, left to right, as follows:
   • Deal 5 cards to the far left pile. This is one of the reserve piles for game play.
   • Deal 1 card to the middle-left pile. This is one of the active piles during game play.
   • Deal 1 card to the middle-right pile. This is one of the active piles during game play.
   • Deal 5 cards to the far right pile. This is one of the reserve piles for game play.[1]
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3. 3 Separate the top 5 player cards. Have each player deal 5 cards off of their pile of 20 cards. The new pile of 5 cards becomes the hand that is played from; the remaining 15 become a draw pile for that player.
   • Keep the 5 cards of your playing hand face-down until game play begins.
   • For the rest of the game, you should always have 5 cards—and only 5 cards—in your playing hand by drawing from your draw pile.[2]
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Part 2 Part 2 of 3:

Playing the Game

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1. 1 Flip over the 2 middle cards. Have your opponent flip over one of the two middle piles of 1 card in the center of the table, while you flip over the other one.
   • Count down from 3 at the same time as your opponent so that you flip over the cards at the same time.
2. 2 Pick up your 5-card hand. Survey your 5 cards to determine if any can be played on either of the active middle cards that you just flipped over. Play a card if it is in sequential order from one of the middle cards, in either ascending or descending order, regardless of suit.[3]
   • For example, if one of the middle cards is a 5, you can play a 4 or a 6 from your hand on top of it.
   • The order of cards is 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A. The order continues in a circuit, so if there is an Ace on a middle pile, you can play a King or a 2 from your hand on top of the pile.
   • Don’t let your opponent see the cards in your hand.
3. 3 Lay down cards as quickly as possible. Keep laying down cards from your hand in ascending or descending order from the top cards on either of the middle piles. You and your opponent lay down cards as quickly as possible.
   • There are no turns, so both players continue to lay down cards as fast as they can. You can play as many cards in a row as you want without waiting for the other player to lay down anything.
   • Draw a card from your draw pile of 15 cards every time you lay down a card from your hand, so that you have 5 cards in your playing hand at all times. After you run out of cards in your draw pile, continue to play out all 5 cards in your playing hand to win.
4. 4 Flip over reserves when no one can play. If neither player can lay down a card from their hand on either of the top cards in the middle, flip over a card from the far left or right 5-card reserve piles at the same time as your opponent. Place these cards on top of the piles in the middle and resume play from your hand.[4]
   • Repeat this process any time game play halts due to neither player being able to lay down a card.
   • If you run out of your left and right reserve piles, turn over the middle piles, shuffle them, and flip over the top card from each of them to resume play.
5. 5 Yell “Speed” when all your cards are gone. Be the first to get rid of all of your cards, slam your hands down on the middle piles, and yell “Speed!” to be the winner of the game.
   • Typically, Speed is played as a best-out-of-three game. The first player to win two games wins the set. But you can play for as many games as you like!
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Part 3 Part 3 of 3:

Adding Variations to the Game

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1. 1 Play using doubles. Try modifying game play to allow players to play the same number card on one of the middle piles, in addition to playing ascending or descending cards.[5]
   • For example, you could play a 5 on another 5 card, or a 4 or 6 as in normal game play.
   • Play this variation if you want to make the game easier or go by faster.
2. 2 Put down more than one card at a time. Modify the game by agreeing with your opponent to be able to lay down more than one card at a time in ascending or descending order.[6]
   • For example, if you have a 3, 4, and 5 in your hand, you can wait until you see a 2 or a 6 on a middle pile and then lay down all three cards at once onto the pile.
   • Play with this variation if you want to make the game go by faster or just want an extra way to “attack” or best your opponent by getting rid of cards more quickly.
3. 3 Use jokers as a wild card. Try including the two Joker cards into your deck before dealing. If you get a Joker in your playing hand, use it on top of any card in the middle pile to act as a “wild.” Play any other card in your hand on top of the wild Joker, and play resumes normally on that card.
   • Try to hold onto a Joker in your hand as long as possible, only using it when you can’t play any of the other cards in your hand. A Joker must be played, however, when you can’t play any other cards and before you and your opponent can flip over reserve cards onto the middle piles.[7]
   • When you use Jokers in the deck, player draw piles should have 16 instead of 15 cards each.
   • The Joker cannot be the last card you play to win the game.
4. 4 Play with three or four players. Expand the game to include more than two players by creating an extra middle pile for each player. In this case, deal out cards to the middle piles first, then distribute playing cards evenly to each player. Everyone should still have 5 cards in their playing hand.
   • For three players, have three active middle piles for the players to lay cards on. For four players, have four active piles.
   • Try using two decks instead of one when you're playing with more than two players for a longer game with more possibilities for game play.[8]
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Community Q&A

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• Question What can I put on a King? Community Answer When playing Speed you can either put an Ace or a Queen on top of a King, because the Ace is starting over from the top since the King is the highest card. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 17 Helpful 37
• Question What is the rule about suits? Community Answer The suits don't really matter. Speed is more about the numbers than the suits. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 13 Helpful 21
• Question Can you put an 2 on a 2 or a 4 on a 4? Community Answer Only if you have added that variation to your game. But if you are playing by the original rules, you cannot. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 17 Helpful 26

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Video

Tips

• Order the 5 cards in your hand sequentially for the easiest gameplay. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 3
• Use several decks of cards if you want to make the game lengthier/more challenging. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 3

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

• Unless players agree to be able to lay down more than one card at a time, make sure you're not putting more than one card down, or you may be accused of cheating. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 3

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Things You'll Need

• Standard 52-card deck
• 2 (or more) players

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References

1. ↑ http://www.howtoplaystuff.com/how-to-play-speed/
2. ↑ http://www.howtoplaystuff.com/how-to-play-speed/
3. ↑ http://www.howtoplaystuff.com/how-to-play-speed/
4. ↑ http://www.howtoplaystuff.com/how-to-play-speed/
5. ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Speed.htm
6. ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Speed.htm
7. ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Speed.htm
8. ↑ https://www.catsatcards.com/Games/Speed.htm

About This Article

Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 970,830 times. 9 votes - 62% Co-authors: 34 Updated: June 5, 2025 Views: 970,830 Categories: Shedding Card Games In other languages Spanish Portuguese French Russian Chinese Czech Japanese Italian

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Reader Success Stories

• 

  Anonymous

  Jul 13, 2016

  "This article was very helpful, because I love the game speed and it has been just a long time since I've..." more

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Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert 9 votes - 62% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 34 Updated: June 5, 2025 Views: 970,830

Anonymous

Jul 13, 2016

"This article was very helpful, because I love the game speed and it has been just a long time since I've..." more

Peniel Koko

Oct 25, 2020

"My favorite part was that the first to get rid of all his or her cards and yells Speed! wins."

Leanne Minchington

Feb 27, 2018

"I needed to know the rules how to play Speed. Some friends of mine told me how to play it. "

Anonymous

Oct 3, 2016

"Red black, red black is a good variation for the game of speed."

Sarah S.

Feb 10, 2017

"I didn't know you had to yell "Speed" once you were done." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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