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Speed is a card game, in which each player tries to get rid of his or her cards.

Dealing

Each player is dealt five cards to form a hand, and fifteen cards facedown to form a drawing pile. A stack of five cards is then placed facedown on each side between the players, and serves as a replacement pile. Finally, two cards are placed between the replacement piles in the center in two different places, also facedown. Players flip the two center cards and proceed to put down cards. In traditional Speed, a player can put down a card that is either one higher or lower than the card in the center. For ace cards, the two choices are king and two. The game ends when one player has put down all of his or her cards. If neither player can put down any cards, they flip cards from the replacement cards and continue. If all replacement cards are used up, two cards are randomly selected from the pile and placed on top.

Variations In Play

Doubles: In addition to ascending or descending order, players can also play a card equal in value to the face-up card. For example, if a 7 was one of the middle cards, players could play either a 6, 7, or an 8.

Multiple Cards: While most players choose to rule that only one card can be played at a time, others favor playing where opponents can play multiple cards. For example, if a player’s hand consisted of a 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and a 4 was one of the down cards, he or she could play all of the cards in one placement.

Verbal Win: In some games, a player is required to shout “Speed!” in addition to slamming all of the cards in the middle. Though this must be agreed apon, before the play begins.

Magic Speed: After the game is ‘over’, each player tries to slap the smaller pile and the loser takes the larger one. From this, the game continues with the players always slapping a pile at the end until someone has no cards left.

Similar Games: The game Spit is similar in nature to this game because of the way players play cards sequentially and quickly. Spit, however, is not played with cards in your hand, instead all cards are laid out in 5 stacks and played from the top down. The end of the game is what is described above as the variation “Magic Speed”.