Spoons
Spoons
|
| Type |
Matching |
| Players |
3-6 (6-13 best, can have 13+ if varied) |
| Skill(s) required |
Speed, Memorization |
| Deck |
Anglo-American |
| Playing time |
5-15 min. |
| Random chance |
Easy |
| Related games |
| Spit, Speed |
Spoons, also known as Pig and Tongue,[1] is a fast-paced game of matching and bluffing family of card games of the Crazy Eights group, closely related to Craits[2] played with an ordinary pack of playing cards and several ordinary kitchen spoons or various other objects. It is played in multiple rounds and each player's objective is to be the first in the round to have four of a kind, or to not be the last to grab a spoon. Once one spoon is taken, everybody attempts to get the remaining spoons.
Spoons is a game most popular among children and teenagers, though many adults play it as well.[1]
Playing the game
Preliminaries
The game Spoons can be played with 3 or more players, using two decks of 52 ordinary playing cards and a number of spoons totalling one fewer than the number of players. The spoons are placed in the center of the table in a circle with handles pointing outward so that they may be easily grabbed by any of the players. One person is designated first dealer and deals four cards to each player. The dealer will use the remaining cards to draw from.
Play
Players are not allowed to pick up their cards until the dealer has. If they do, they get a letter which will begin to spell out the word "SPOON". Oftentimes the dealer may trick everyone into picking up their cards by hovering their hands over them or even touching them. Once everyone has picked up their cards, the game can begin. The dealer selects the top card from the pile and then discards one card to the right, face down on the table. The next player picks up the dealer's discarded card, discards a card to the right, and play continues with the next player. The last player discards his card into a "discard pile", while the dealer continues to select cards from the original pile. A player is not allowed to place a discarded card in their hand until they have discarded one, so if they are slow, their piles could build up. Each player is trying to make their four cards into a set of four of a kind (four queens, four twos, etc.) by drawing new cards and discarding unused ones. A player should keep the four cards that are most likely to produce a matching set. No player may have more than 5 cards or fewer than 4 cards at any given moment. You must hold your cards in your hand...
Grabbing spoons
As soon as any player has a set of four of the same card, anyone is allowed to take a spoon from the pile in the middle of the table. As soon as any player grabs a spoon from the pile of spoons, any other player is allowed to take a spoon as well. This usually causes a mad grab for spoons leaving one player empty handed. The player who ends the round without a spoon gets a letter to spell out SPOON.
Scoring
A player losing a round for the first time earns the letter "S", then at the next loss the letter "P", and so on gradually spelling out "S-P-O-O-N". When a player has accumulated all five letters in "spoon", they drop out of the game. At that time, the number of spoons used in game play is reduced by one. The game continues until only one person remains. That person is the winner. Once a person receives all the letters for SPOON, they are now out of the game. The people still in the game are not allowed to talk to, speak of, or acknowledge those with SPOON. If so, they get a letter for SPOON. People with SPOON can try and get people out by distracting them but are not allowed to touch the people in the game. Alternatively, players may be eliminated after one loss and the last remaining person declared the winner for quick games.
Irregularities
- Preemptive Grabbing: No player may grab the first spoon unless any player has a four of a kind in their hand. If someone takes the first spoon without anyone having four of a kind, the situation is usually resolved in one of two ways: Either all the spoons are returned to the middle and gameplay resumes where it was interrupted, or the preemptive spoon grabber loses the round and the cards are re-dealt.
- Running/Physical Contact (optional rule): Grabbing a spoon and running from the table isn't allowed. However if two players are holding the same spoon, a player may move around the table to pull the spoon away, so long as that player is at arm's length of everyone at the table.
- Final Two (optional rule): If there are only two players left in the game, and one of the two people has SPOO, and if the other person gets four of a kind and in their cockiness throws down and reveals their four of a kind without grabbing the spoon, then the other player with the SPOO has the right to grab the spoon before the person who got the four of a kind. The player who has SPOO does not get a letter.
- Hang on until the end (optional rule): Spoons aren't technically claimed until there is a definite loser for that round i.e. if a spoon is set down while two (or more) people are wrestling over the last remaining spoon one of those wrestling can grab the spoon that was set down leaving the original owner empty-handed.
Strategy
- Bluffing: Bluffing is allowed and sometimes encouraged. Spoons can be reached for at any time so long as the spoon is not actually touched. This can have a distracting effect on one's opponents, or even cause someone to improperly grab a spoon prematurely. (See Preemptive Grabbing above.)
- Eyes on the spoons: Players should be vigilant while playing their cards that all the spoons are accounted for. Sometimes a player can quietly get four of a kind in their hand and slip a spoon away from the pile without anyone noticing. Because players are focused on their own hands, a player getting four of a kind can surreptitiously nab a spoon and card-passing may continue for several seconds while they watch the fun.
- Eyes off the cards: One can conceivably play without ever looking at the cards at all and just pass the discards from left to right, keeping both eyes on the spoons. Often players employing this strategy will look at their cards at the beginning to try to close out as many matching sets as possible by keeping four cards of different ranks in their hands.
- Total discard: In some cases a player may employ the "Eyes off the cards" strategy to the most extreme extent by discarding the entirety of their hand and wait for the remaining spoons. While this tactic is often frowned upon, it is considered entirely legitimate in most circles.
- Sweeping: In some cases, the player that gets four of a kind can reach across the table, grab the far spoon, and "sweep" the remaining spoons across the table. This tactic is generally used to sweep the spoons away from the winning player, leading to more violent mad grabs. However, care must be taken to not sweep them unreasonably outside of the playing zone.
- Getting hit by a spoon: In some cases, one player may get four of a kind and grab a spoon without the other players noticing. If enough time passes, the player who grabbed the spoon may eventually take pity on the "slower" players who don't realize there are spoons missing and throw a spoon at them as a hint.
Variations
- Spoon Uno: The game is played with Uno Cards rather than regular playing cards. For this, four of a kind can be Skips, Wilds, Number Cards, Draw 2s, etc. but not four of the same color. This is good if playing with a large group because it enables more than 13 players. If it's a large group, spell out UNO instead of SPOON to make the game go faster.
- No Spoons: It is possible to play this game by players holding their index fingers to their noses, or sticking out their tongues instead of using spoons, or placing a thumb on the playing table. This method has the advantage of being more discreet than picking up noisy spoons and also prevents any player from having an advantage by sitting closer to the spoons.
- Fork: When you're short on time, try playing to "Fork" or "Forks" instead of "Spoons".
- Steak Knives: For a more thrilling version of spoons, try replacing the spoons with steak knives.
- No Table: It is occasionally easier to play on the floor instead of a table, due to the nature of spoons to slide across and fall off tables. The use of the floor instead of a table is also wise when playing with aggressive players so that neither the table, nor the players, will be damaged.
- Other objects: When playing somewhere where spoons are not obtainable, play is possible with other similar objects, such as pencils, pens, glasses, cups, coins, hats, pots, pans, candy, or any other objects at hand. Spelling rituals may vary as well, with spelling longer or shorter words making for longer or shorter games.
- Levels: Alternatively, levels can be used instead of letters, normally the levels 1 to 5.
- Cutthroat: In some versions, a player can still lose a spoon even when it's in their hand. This can only be prevented by the player touching the spoon to their chest, nose, or some other body part.
- Card Hinting: In some instances of this game, the dealer will tell the rest of the players the bottom 1-4 cards in the deck, so they will know that if they try to collect that number, then the rest of their cards will be at the bottom of the deck.
- No Talking: Further depth can be added to the game by introducing that players can talk to people with the same letters as them, but if they talk to someone with more letters, they automatically jump to that players level. For example, player A and B just have "S", and player C has "SPOO". Players A and B can talk to each other, and player C can say anything to A and B, but if player A or B talks to player C they will become "SPOO". This can add much enjoyment, especially in large groups, as players on different levels try to trick each other into talking to them, and the conversations start referencing other players in the third person.
- Double Decks: Use two 52 card decks of cards to make the odds of getting a 4 of a kind higher. This can speed up play. This is best when more than 6 players are playing.
- Dealer Call: Instead of the normal 4 of a kind the dealer can call the "trick", that is the dealer calls what cards must be held to "win". The dealer can even change the number of cards held from 4,5, or 6 to make the rounds easier - or more difficult if the "trick" chosen is hard to obtain. Examples of different "tricks" are 3 of a kind + 2 of a kind (full house), all one suit, all one color (these last two are especially good when playing with younger children). Any variation can be used.
- Spoons as a Drinking Game: At the end of each round, the loser must take a drink (depending on the desired length of gameplay, this can range from one reasonably sized sip to one shot to a chugged beer.)
- "Ultimate Spoons" or "Contact Spoons": Place the spoons a good distance away. Ex. at the top of your apartment building or across a pool.
- Pig: A game related to the game spoons, but doesn't require the extra equipment and can be more embarrassing (fingers often end up up the nose instead of aside). The game is played with spoons as normal, but a plastic or styrofoam cup is kept aside. The last person to grab a spoon must grasp the bottom lip of the cup between their teeth as too keep the top half above their nose, like a pig's snout. It is best played with only one cup, that must be shared between the losers. Another way is to stick out your tongue when you get a four of a kind.
- Mystery Spoons: This version requires the spoons to be hidden by a third, neutral, party. Prior to the beginning of the card part of the game, a vague clue as to the location of the spoons is given to the players from the person who hid them. According to the number of players the spoons can be either placed in the same location or separately (each with specific clues). The person which successfully collects four of a kind is given a 15-30 second head start to find the hidden spoons using the clues.
- Dare: In this variation, the last person to grab a spoon gets a letter. When the chosen word is spelled out (e.g. S-P-O-O-N-S or P-I-G) by a player, that player must complete a dare. After the completion of a dare, all players resume play with no letters.
- Eating Spoons: In this version, the loser of each round (person who does not get a spoon) must eat whatever three items the other players can fit into a spoon. The things in the spoon must be told before the person who lost eats them (to make sure he is not allergic to any of the items).
- Tongues: All of the rules are the same for Tongues as they are for Spoons. However, in Tongues, actual objects are never reached for as one would reach for a spoon in Spoons. Instead, the first person to receive four of a kind signifies by sticking his or her tongue out. This adds a new aspect to the game as players must pay attention to their cards as well watch for others to stick out their tongue. This variation can result in players playing for significant periods of time after others receive four of a kind due to that player only paying attention to their own cards and not other players.
- No Draw Pile: In this variation, there is no draw pile. Each player has four cards as normal, but the dealer must ensure beforehand that the number of sets of four is equal to the number of players. The passing of cards is orally controlled by the dealer, who states when everyone should pass one of their cards. Obviously, when only two players remain, both receive a set of four at the same time, which makes for an interesting climax.
- Spank Pankis: A combination of spoons and Speed that involves 2 decks
- Kemps: A team-based variant in which, instead of picking up a spoon, the players must attempt to communicate to their partner, via a pre-determined signal or indication, that they have four of a kind. When the partner sees this signal, or otherwise determines that their partner has a set of four, they must say 'Kemps' aloud to win the round. This earns them a letter 'K', and each successive win adds another letter spelling 'Kemps'; when a partnership earns all five letters, they win the game. If a player believes that an opponent has four of a kind or believes he sees an opponent signaling, he may stop the round by saying 'Stop Kemps', at which point he specifies the player in question, who must reveal his cards. If he in fact had a set of four, his team loses a letter, if any, and the round starts over. If a player calls 'Stop Kemps' on someone who does not have four of a kind, the player who called the stop loses a letter.
- Double-Kemps: Similar to the variant above but "Kemps" can only be called by a pair if both of the pair have Four similar cards. This gives more time for other teams to call if they think their opponent has given a secret signal and has four cards. Players calling "Stop Kemps" against other teams still stop the round successfully even if only one of the other players has a set of four.
- Takenoshi: Very similar to Spank Pankis. However this Japanese version of the game involves only 1 deck in addition to the rules of Speed.
See also
References
External links