How to play Spoons: Grab your friends, a deck of cards and trusty utensils for this game
Looking to kill time? Want to entertain a group and add a few laughs to the mix? Spoons may be the game for you.
This childhood classic involves grabbing spoons before the other players, but there are variations like Pigs, where players touch their noses to complete the game. Other versions include Vatra and Magarac, played with slightly different rules in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
You’ll need at least three players for this rowdy, fast-paced card game.
How to play Spoons:
Players should sit in a circle. Using a standard deck, deal four cards to each player. The rest of the deck goes to the right of the dealer, according to the standard Bicycle card game rules.
Place spoons in the middle of the players, one less spoon than the number of players. For example, if there are four players you’ll want to have three spoons in the middle.
Play
The next player does the same, quickly picking up and passing cards along to the next player. The last player in the circle discards their cards into a discard pile next to the deck. You can reshuffle the discard pile and give it to the dealer if the deck runs out at any point in the game.
The game continues with fast-paced swapping and discarding to the left until one player has four of a kind in their hand. At that point, you can covertly pick up one of the spoons in the pile.
When the other players notice a spoon is missing, they have to scramble to get one of the remaining spoons, even if they don’t have four of a kind yet. The player who is left without a spoon loses the round.
Scoring
You have five chances to lose until you’re out of the game entirely.
According to official Bicycle card game rules, players score by spelling out “S-P-O-O-N.” If you don’t get a spoon, add a letter to your tally by beginning with “S.” You can write this down on paper or remember it in your head. For example, if you lose two rounds, you’re onto “S-P.”
You’re eliminated once you collect all the letters in Spoon. Continue playing rounds until one player remains. The player who makes it through the game without spelling “S-P-O-O-N” wins.
Can you play Spoons without spoons?
Not near a kitchen? Don’t want to break out the utensils? You can also play Spoons using another easy-to-grab object, like a marker.
Keep the fun going with more illustrated game guides
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- How to play UNO: Have you been playing this family favorite wrong?
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