Have you ever used cutlery to play a card game before?
If this has sparked your curiosity, then read on to learn how to play Spoons, the quirky card game which is not only unique, but also easy to master.
Despite needing an object that is out of the ordinary for a typical card game, the game takes ideas from games such as HORSE in basketball and applies them to cards.
This card game is also super simple to set up and play. It’s ideal to introduce to beginners and doesn’t include complicated scoring systems like in Hand, Knee, and Foot.
If we’ve convinced you that spoons and cards are an unlikely combo that has piqued your interest, then learn how to play the Spoons card game by reading our informative guide below.
What Is the Spoons Card Game?
The Spoons card game is a fairly fast-paced game that rewards players who firmly keep their eye on the prize. Quick reactions and reflexes are definitely needed for victory with this game.
Also known as Pigs and Tongue, the game accommodates a large number of players like the cops and robbers card game. You can also play Spoons with alternative rules to make gameplay more interesting.
Number of Players Required: 6 – 13 players, you can play with as little as 3 also.
Who Can Play It: Suitable for all ages.
Difficulty: Very easy.
Length of Play: 30 – 45 minutes per round.
Similar to: Snap; Kemps; Donkey card game; Old Maid
Main Goal: Become the last person standing at the end of the game by being the only player to avoid spelling out SPOON and being out of the game.
Why we love it: The Spoons card game is so out there in terms of inventiveness that it’s hard not to love. With 2 simple concepts melding into 1 game, the fast and furious gameplay will often lead to tense finishes as the numbers slowly dwindle.
Playing Spoons – What You’ll Need
Unsurprisingly, it is obvious the objects needed to play the spoons card game as it’s self-explanatory in the title.
Make sure that you have the following:
- One less spoon than the number of people playing, so if playing with 5 people you’ll need 4 spoons.
- A standard 52 deck of cards.
- A table or space to play where everyone can fairly reach the spoons.
Despite the name, don’t be afraid of using whichever kitchen utensil that you have on hand. To make life easier for yourself consider purchasing this Spoons Set from PlayMonster. It comes with everything that you’ll need to play with up to 6 players.
How To Set Up Spoons
Set up is very straightforward. Place the number of spoons required in the middle of the table, fairly so that nobody is at a disadvantage to where they are sitting to be able to reach them.
Shuffle the decks of cards, and deal each player out 4 cards each. With the remaining cards, place them in the middle of players in a draw pile.
Once the game begins, there will be a discard pile formed as players can only have a maximum of 4 cards in their hand. The fifth card is always discarded by the player at the end.
Spoons Rules and Gameplay
Make sure that all participants have signaled that they are ready to go. This is important as in Spoons there are no excuses if a player says that they weren’t ready!
Starting the Game
The game of Spoons begins once your group picks a player to begin the game.
A traditional way of doing this is with all players ‘drawing cards’ at the start. Whoever has the highest value card begins the game, with redraws between players who draw the same card.
Other card games such as Palace have a system where the player with the lowest-ranked card in their hand begins the game.
This part is a personal preference, so choose whatever best works for you. Once decided though, the game can begin.
How to Play Spoons
The Spoon card game follows 2 key rules that players have to abide by whilst playing the game. Making 4 of a kind and avoiding being the last player to pick up a spoon.
The aim is for players to match 4 cards in their hand that are the same number or suit as one another. Once achieved then the player who has 4 of a kind can pick up a spoon.
Players shuffle their cards around the circle. The player begins the game picking up a card from the draw pile so that they have 5 cards, and discarding a card to the player on the left.
All players discard an unwanted card until the last player in the circle picks, who then place their unwanted card in the discard pile instead.
It is up to the other players to notice once a spoon gets picked up, as this means that the remaining spoons are free for players to pick up too.
If you run out of cards to draw from, simply reshuffle the discard pile and continue the game as normal.
Scoring In Spoons
Scoring in the Spoons works similar to games such as H-O-R-S-E.
The last player to pick up a spoon gets awarded a letter of the word ‘Spoon’. Once they have all the letters necessary to spell ‘Spoon’ they are out of the game.
Play continues until there is one player left who has managed to grab enough spoons so they haven’t managed to spell out the word fully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any other rules you can add when learning how to play Spoons?
Understandably, the Spoons card game can be a bit of a slog if playing with many players as getting everyone out can be time-consuming.
Instead, consider playing the PIG version of the game if there are more than 6 as the basic rules stay the same. Players have to spell out PIG instead of SPOON to speed the game up.
Can you play the Spoons card game without any cutlery on hand?
Like many card games, Spoons has alternate versions that don’t involve cutlery so you can play on places like trains if you have a deck of cards.
Use different things such as a thumb on the table or sticking our tongue out to get the same effect as grabbing spoons.
Alternative games to Spoons
Hopefully this guide has given you everything you may need to know to learn how to play the Spoons card game with your friends and family.
But the card game fun doesn’t quite end there, with many more games that we have guides on that should fill any gamer’s card-shaped hole.
For those who enjoy the more traditional card games, have a look at the Chase the Ace card game, or check out Follow the Queen Poker.
Alternatively, if you’re someone who enjoys the new age brand of card games that are becoming popular, be sure to read up on the Nertz Game card rules or learn how to play Unstable Unicorns.
