Spite and Malice Card Game

Spite and Malice is a two-player race: build the shared piles in the middle up from ace to queen, and be the first to play every card from your pay-off pile. Plan your discards carefully, and watch out for helping your opponent.

How to play Spite and Malice Card Game

• Two standard decks are shuffled together (104 cards). Each player is dealt a pay-off pile of 20 cards (10 or 30 for a shorter or longer game) with only the top card face up, and a hand of five cards. The rest is the stock.
• In the middle are up to four shared building piles. Each must start with an ace and is then built up in order, 2, 3 and so on up to the queen. Suits do not matter.
• Kings are wild: a king can be played on a building pile as whatever card it needs, including an ace.
• At the start of your turn, draw from the stock until you have five cards. Then play as many cards as you like onto the building piles from your hand, the top of your pay-off pile and the tops of your own discard piles.
• If you play all five cards from your hand, draw five more and keep going.
• End your turn by placing one card from your hand on any of your four discard piles. Only the top card of a discard pile can be played later, so plan the order.
• When a building pile reaches the queen, it is cleared away and those cards are later shuffled back into the stock.
• The first player to play the last card of their pay-off pile wins.

Controls

• Tap a card (your pay-off card, a discard pile top or a card in your hand) to select it, then tap a building pile to play it. Tap the selected card again to play it on the first pile that takes it.
• To end your turn, select a hand card and tap one of your discard piles.
• Hand cards that can be played right now are outlined. Press Escape to cancel a selection.

Tips

• Playing your pay-off card is the goal of every turn. Look for a chain from your hand and discard piles that reaches it.
• Avoid leaving a building pile one below your opponent's pay-off card: you would be handing them a free play.
• Stack your discards in descending order or by rank (9 on 10, or 7 on 7) so you can play them back in sequence later.
• Hold on to kings. A wild card is often the missing link that gets your pay-off card out.

FAQ

How do you play Spite and Malice?

Each player has a pay-off pile, five cards in hand and four discard piles. Build the shared piles in the middle upward from ace to queen using cards from your hand, your pay-off pile and your discard tops, then end your turn with a discard. First to empty the pay-off pile wins.

Are kings wild in Spite and Malice?

Yes. A king can stand in for any card on a building pile, from the ace up to the queen.

How many cards are in the pay-off pile?

Twenty each in the standard two-player game. Choose 10 for a quick game or 30 for a long one from the toolbar.

Can I play from my opponent's piles?

No. You may only play from your own hand, your own pay-off pile and your own discard piles. The building piles in the middle are shared.

What happens when the stock runs out?

Completed building piles are shuffled to form a new stock. In the rare case nobody can draw or play, the game is a draw.