How to Play Spoons: Rules for the Card Game

Picture a kitchen table, a deck of cards and a few spoons in the middle. Everyone is passing cards as fast as they can, and then one spoon quietly disappears. Within seconds there is a scramble, and one player is left with nothing. If you want to know how to play Spoons, the rules take two minutes to learn. Here is everything from the deal to the last player standing, plus the common variants and a few tips for playing safely with kids.

What you need

The Spoons card game needs one standard 52-card deck and a handful of spoons. You need exactly one spoon fewer than the number of players, so six players use five spoons. The game works with three players, but it gets better with more, and a single deck stretches to a large group because only four cards are in each hand.

Spoons belongs to an old family of party games built around the same race to collect four of a kind. Wikipedia’s article on Pig, the card game, covers the whole family: in Pig you touch your nose instead of taking a spoon, and in Donkey you grab a token. The article notes that the name “Spoons” first shows up in print in 1990, while Pig is recorded as far back as 1911.

Use plain table spoons or, better, plastic ones. Players lunge for them, and the softer they are, the better.

Setting up and the deal

Place the spoons in the middle of the table, where every player can reach them.

The dealer shuffles and deals four cards to each player, one at a time. The rest of the deck goes face down next to the dealer as the stock. Players pick up their cards and look at them, but nobody passes yet. When everyone is ready, the dealer says “Go.”

How to play Spoons: passing the cards

The heart of the spoons game is a nonstop chain of passing. There are no turns. Everyone moves as fast as they can.

1. The dealer draws. The dealer takes the top card of the stock, so they briefly hold five cards. They pass one card face down to the player on their left.
2. Everyone passes on. Each player picks up the card passed to them, decides which card they want to lose, and passes one card to their left. Nobody may hold more than five cards at a time, so you have to pass before you pick up the next one.
3. The end of the line. The player on the dealer’s right has nobody to pass to. They put their unwanted cards face down on a discard pile.
4. Recycling. If the stock runs out before anyone collects four of a kind, the discard pile is turned over and becomes the new stock.

Cards pile up in front of slow players, and that is part of the fun.

Grabbing a spoon

The goal of every deal is to collect four cards of the same rank, such as four 7s or four queens. Suits don’t matter. The moment you have four of a kind, take a spoon from the middle.

The quiet grab

The best players take the first spoon calmly and without a word. You can even keep passing cards after you take it, as long as you hold on to your four of a kind.

The scramble

As soon as one spoon is gone, every other player may take one, whether they have four of a kind or not. Once a second spoon is grabbed, everyone usually notices at once, and the rest disappear in a rush. Since there is one spoon too few, one player ends up empty-handed. That player loses the deal.

Letters, elimination and winning

The player left without a spoon takes a letter. The first loss earns an S, the second a P, and so on. Spell the whole word and you are out of the game.

• S-P-O-O-N: five lives, the usual choice. Some groups spell S-P-O-O-N-S for six.
• P-I-G: three lives, for a shorter game borrowed from Pig.
• Straight elimination: the loser of each deal is out at once, with no letters at all.

Each time a player drops out, remove one spoon so there is still exactly one fewer than the number of players. Deal again and keep going. When only one player is left, that player wins. Many groups let the winner of each deal take the dealer’s seat next, while others simply pass the deal to the left.

Common spoons rules disputes

Spoons rules vary from table to table, so settle these before the first deal:

• Grabbing too early. Taking the first spoon without four of a kind is the classic mistake. Most groups give the offender a letter on the spot.
• Fake reaches. Bluffing is part of the game in many groups: you can reach toward the spoons to make others flinch, as long as you don’t touch one. A player who grabs because of your bluff, without four of a kind, takes the penalty.
• Showing your cards. The first grabber should be ready to show their four of a kind if anyone asks.

Spoons variations

The wider Pig family has several variants worth trying:

• No stock: instead of a dealer feeding cards, use one set of four cards per player, deal them all, and have everyone pass a card to the left at the same moment. When a player is knocked out, one set of four comes out of the deck.
• Pig: no spoons at all. Whoever gets four of a kind quietly touches their nose, and the last player to copy them loses.
• Tongue: the same idea, but players quietly stick out their tongue.
• Donkey: tokens instead of spoons, five-card hands, and the losing word is D-O-N-K-E-Y.
• Extreme or hidden spoons: the spoons sit somewhere away from the table, so players have to run for them.

Playing Spoons safely with kids

Spoons is popular with families because the rules are simple and the scramble is loud and silly. That same scramble is how fingers get bumped and drinks get spilled, so a few house rules help:

• Use plastic spoons, and never forks or knives, whatever the variant says.
• Clear glasses, mugs and anything breakable off the table before the first deal.
• No pulling a spoon out of someone else’s hand. Once it is held, it is theirs.
• Keep “extreme” versions away from stairs and furniture, and walk, don’t run, with younger players.
• For small children, try Pig or Tongue. Nobody has to grab anything, and the game is just as funny.

Strategy tips

Commit to a rank. If you are dealt a pair, keep it and pass everything else.

Pass quickly. Speed matters more than perfect choices. The more cards that pass through your hands, the more chances you get at four of a kind.

Keep one eye on the middle. Most letters are lost by players who were so busy with their cards that they missed the first spoon going. Count the spoons every few passes.

Play Spoons online

You don’t need a crowd to practice. Our free Spoons game puts you at a table with three to five computer players in real time. You pass with a tap or the number keys, and the computer players take the first spoon quietly when they collect a set. They notice a missing spoon at different speeds depending on the level you pick, and sometimes they notice late. You can play to S-P-O-O-N or the shorter P-I-G.

If quick reactions are your favorite part, try Slapjack next, where you race the computer to slap every jack that lands on the pile.

Frequently asked questions

How many players do you need for Spoons?

At least three, and the game gets better with more. With one deck of 52 cards and four cards per hand, a large group can play, and you always use one spoon fewer than the number of players.

Do you need four of a kind to take a spoon?

Only to take the first one. Once any spoon is gone, every other player may grab one, with or without a set. Taking the first spoon without four of a kind usually earns a letter.

What do you spell in Spoons?

Most groups spell S-P-O-O-N, one letter for each deal you lose, and you are out when the word is complete. Some spell S-P-O-O-N-S, and others use P-I-G for a shorter game.

Can you keep passing after you take a spoon?

Yes, and it is a good trick. As long as you keep your four of a kind, you can carry on passing to hide the fact that you already have a spoon.

What happens if the stock runs out?

The discard pile collected by the player on the dealer’s right is turned over and becomes the new stock, and passing carries on.

Conclusion

Spoons is easy to learn: four cards each, pass to the left, collect four of a kind, and grab a spoon before they run out. The real skill is watching the middle while your hands stay busy. Deal a round with friends tonight, or warm up first with the Chrome Dino game on our homepage.