SpoonsPractice
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Pass cards left, collect four of a kind, grab a spoon before they run out.

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Practice against the computer

FREE ONLINE CARD GAME

Spoons Card Game

Four of a kind.
Grab a spoon first.

Play the classic Spoons card game free against up to seven computer players, with no download or sign-up. Pass cards around the table, collect four of a kind, grab a spoon before they run out, and avoid spelling S-P-O-O-N-S. Choose Easy, Standard or Expert opponents.

Classic Spoons · 3–8 seats · Last player standing

Updated

New to Spoons? Learn the rules

HOW TO PLAY

How to play
Spoons, the card game

Three to eight players, one 52-card deck and one spoon fewer than there are players. Collect four of a kind, grab a spoon, and don’t be the one left empty-handed.

Nobody takes turns. Cards keep moving round the table to the left, as fast as each player can choose, until somebody quietly reaches for a spoon.

Play a practice game ↑
01

Take one, pass one

Everyone is dealt four cards; the rest form the stock beside the dealer. The dealer draws the top card of the stock, so they hold five, and passes one card face down to the player on their left. Everyone else picks up the card passed to them and passes one card on. Cards that arrive before you are ready wait face down in front of you.

You (five cards)
Ash

The end of the line: the player on the dealer’s right passes into the trash. When the stock runs out, the trash is shuffled and becomes the new stock. Here you tap a card or press 1–5 to pass it; the dealer presses D to draw.

Five cards in hand: keep the three 9s, pass the king.

02

Four of a kind takes the first spoon

Keep collecting one rank until you hold all four: four 9s, four kings, any rank. Suits don’t matter. The moment your hand qualifies, the table outlines your cards, the Grab button lights up and the line above the table reads “You have four 9s — grab a spoon”.

From Wren
You

Three 9s in hand; the fourth is on its way.

03

Then everyone grabs

Only a player with four of a kind may take the first spoon. As soon as one spoon is gone, everyone may grab one, four of a kind or not, and the last few go in a scramble. The player left without a spoon takes a letter. Press Space, tap Grab, or tap the spoons themselves.

Four players, three spoons

False grab: reaching for a spoon when you don’t hold four of a kind and nobody else has taken one ends the round at once, and you alone take the letter.

Three spoons for four players: one player will miss out.

Who wins a race, and other fine print
  • Every grab is stamped with the moment you pressed. The first spoon goes to the first player with four of a kind. After that each spoon is decided in turn: the grabs waiting are compared for about a quarter of a second and the earliest stamp takes the spoon, while the rest stay in line for the next one. So the spoons go in order of who pressed first, and the latest press is left without one. A press after the last spoon has gone costs nothing.
  • Passing goes on during the scramble, so a player can still complete four of a kind while spoons are disappearing; it makes no difference to their grab.
  • When a player is out, the table plays on with one spoon fewer. Out players stay in their seat, greyed, and watch the letters and spoons.
  • The last two players play with a single spoon: the first to four of a kind wins the round.
  • Stall rule: if the trash goes back into the stock three times and nobody has taken a spoon (say both players hold the same two ranks, two each), the round is dealt again and nobody takes a letter.
  • The earliest valid stamp wins, whoever hosts. Delivery delay counts against a guest unless their browser reports when the spoon disappeared; the table credits up to 150 milliseconds of that delay. A press faster than a person could react counts at the human limit, which limits what a tampered browser could gain but cannot stop it entirely, so the game relies on fair play.

LETTERS, NOT POINTS

How Spoons is scored

Each round hands out exactly one letter: to the player left without a spoon, or to a false grabber. Six letters spell S-P-O-O-N-S and put you out; the last player still in wins the game.

The Options sheet offers two shorter games: P-I-G, where three letters put you out, and sudden death, where one lost round does. The scorecard lists every round, who took the letter, who grabbed in what time, and each player’s letters so far.

Left without a spoon
1 letter
False grab
1 letter, round over
S-P-O-O-N-S
6 letters and out

PLAY IT SMART

Spoons strategy
that actually helps

Pick a rank early and commit

With four cards you usually start with one pair. Keep it and pass everything else straight away; a quick pass keeps cards flowing towards you. Switching targets halfway costs you the cards you already gave away.

Notice what goes by

Every card you pass on is a card you can’t collect. If two copies of your rank have already gone through your hands, four of a kind is out of reach until the trash comes back round, so move to your next-best pair. The Expert computer does exactly this.

Watch the spoons, not just your cards

Most rounds are lost by the player who didn’t notice the first spoon go. Glance at the spoon row between passes. With the Loud alert the first grab flashes and sounds; with Silent grabs the spoon simply disappears, which is the sneaky version families play at the kitchen table.

Grab quietly, but only when you’re sure

Four of a kind lets you take the first spoon without a word. Count your cards before you press: a grab with three of a kind ends the round with a letter for you. Easy computers sometimes make that mistake; Expert computers never do.

Peek mode

With Peek mode on, the spoons, who holds one and the grab alert are covered. Hold V or tap Peek to look for up to two seconds, then wait three; you can grab only while you look. Peek in the moment after you pass, while your next card is still on its way, and you lose the least.

QUICK ANSWERS

Spoons card game FAQ

How do you play Spoons step by step?

Deal four cards to each player and put one spoon fewer than the number of players in the middle. The dealer draws from the stock and passes one card face down to the left; everyone picks up the card passed to them and passes one on, without taking turns. The first player with four of a kind takes a spoon, then everyone else grabs one. The player left without a spoon takes a letter, and six letters (S-P-O-O-N-S) put you out.

How many spoons do you need?

One fewer than the number of players still in the game. Six players start with five spoons, and the count drops by one each time a player is out, down to a single spoon for the final two.

How many players can play Spoons online here?

Three to eight at one table. Computer players fill every seat you don’t take, and you can set them to Easy, Standard or Expert in Options. Choose the number of players there too.

What happens if you grab a spoon by mistake?

A grab without four of a kind, before anyone else has taken a spoon, is a false grab. The round ends at once and only the false grabber takes a letter. Once a spoon is gone, grabbing is always allowed, so there is no penalty for grabbing late.

What does S-P-O-O-N-S mean?

It is the score. Each round the player left without a spoon takes the next letter of the word, and the sixth letter spells SPOONS and puts that player out. Options also has P-I-G (three letters) and sudden death (one lost round).

Can you play Spoons with 2 players?

This table seats three or more, because with two players and one spoon the game is only a race to four of a kind. Every game does end with two players, though: the final rounds are played with one spoon until one player is out.

What’s the difference between Spoons and Spit (or Speed, Slam)?

Spit, Speed and Slam are two-player shedding races: both players play cards onto shared piles as fast as they can. Spoons is a passing game for a group, where you collect four of a kind and then grab a spoon before they run out.

Is Spoons the same as Pig?

Very nearly. In Pig the first player with four of a kind quietly touches their nose instead of taking a spoon, and the last to notice is the pig. This table uses spoons and letters, and the P-I-G option borrows Pig’s three-letter count.

What is Peek mode?

An option that covers the spoons, who holds one and the grab alert. Hold V or tap Peek to look for up to two seconds, with a three-second wait before the next look, and grab while you look: a grab with the spoons covered does nothing. It rewards watching the table at the right moment instead of staring at your hand.

Can I play Spoons online free with no download?

Yes. The game runs in your browser for free, with no download and no account. Your options, a game in progress and your record are saved in this browser.

Can I play Spoons online with other people?

Practice against computer players is complete today. To play with friends, open a HopLobby lobby and send one link: our party games run in the browser too.

How good are the computer players?

Easy passes slowly, notices a missing spoon after 0.65 to 1 seconds and sometimes grabs with only three of a kind. Standard passes at a steady pace and notices after 0.45 to 0.7 seconds. Expert passes fast, remembers which cards have gone by and notices after 0.3 to 0.48 seconds, and it never grabs by mistake. No computer sees your cards or the order of the stock.

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CARD NIGHT WITH FRIENDS?

Bring everyone to HopLobby.

HopLobby is free party games in your browser. Open a lobby, send one link, and your friends join from any phone or computer, with nothing to install.

Create a lobby

Spoons in three lines

  1. Everyone holds four cards. The dealer draws from the stock, and every player passes one card to the left as fast as they like: there are no turns.
  2. Collect four of a kind and grab a spoon (Space). Once one spoon is gone, everyone grabs one. There is one spoon fewer than players.
  3. The player left without a spoon takes a letter. Spell S-P-O-O-N-S and you are out; the last player left wins.

Grabbing before anyone has four of a kind is a false grab: the round ends and you take the letter. Keys: 1–5 or Enter on a card pass it, D draws (dealer), Space grabs from anywhere on the table.

Read the full rules