Read this out first

Spoons

Everyone passes cards around the table as fast as they can, hunting for four of a kind. There's one fewer spoon than players in the middle. The moment someone gets four of a kind, they take a spoon, and everyone else scrambles for the rest. Whoever's left empty-handed gets a letter.

Set up · 1 of 2

Put the spoons in the middle of the table, within everyone's reach. Use one fewer spoon than there are players.

Set up · 2 of 2

Deal four cards to each player. The dealer keeps the rest of the deck face down beside them.

How to play · 1 of 5

Draw and pass

The dealer takes the top card from the deck, so they're holding five. They keep one and pass one face down to the left.

How to play · 2 of 5

Keep it moving

Everyone does the same: pick up the card passed to you, keep one, pass one to the left. You always hold four. The last player puts their passed card on a discard pile.

How to play · 3 of 5

Get four of a kind

The moment you hold four cards of the same rank, like four 7s or four Queens, take a spoon. Be as sneaky or as obvious as you like.

How to play · 4 of 5

Grab!

As soon as anyone takes a spoon, everyone else can grab one too, four of a kind or not.

How to play · 5 of 5

Take a letter

Whoever ends up without a spoon gets a letter: S, then P, then O, and so on. Put the spoons back and deal again.

How to win

Spell S-P-O-O-N and you're out. Take away a spoon each time someone leaves. The last player standing wins.