Keep Your Hands off my Spoon

Spoons is not a published game, like most we review. It's played with any old deck of cards and a bunch of real, you-can-eat-with-them-but-probably-won't-want-to spoons. It's fast-moving, easy to teach and learn, and lots of people can play at a time, which makes it perfect for camps or reunions or any large-group gathering. That's where I found myself playing Spoons this summer, something I hadn't done since I was a teen. But before I could play, I needed a refresher on the rules. Maybe you do, too.

Supplies:
Cards, one or more decks, just about any kind will do
Spoons, plastic or metal
Lots of people

Preparation: Gather your group around a flat playing surface. Count out spoons for each player, minus one. Place the spoons down the middle of the playing surface so that everyone can reach at least one. Deal out three cards to everyone. (Or four, depending on how many people you have and how fast you want the game to move.)

How to Play: Choose a person to lead off. That person picks up the top card of the deck, looks at it to see if it matches anything he has in his hand and then discards to the person on his left.  That person picks up the discarded card, looks at it, and discards to his neighbor while the lead person is taking another card. This manner of play continues around the group until everyone is picking up and discarding cards.

How to Win: The first person to get three or four of a kind. takes a spoon. As soon as one spoon is taken, the free-for-all begins. Everyone makes a grab, but one person will come up short. That person is out. One spoon is removed and play continues in the same way until only the victor remains.  

Now for some helpful hints. Keep the cards moving fast. Since this is an elimination game, you don't want those sitting out to wait too long. And besides, it's more fun that way.Try different kinds of cards. Specialty cards can be used as wilds to speed things up even more. And last, watch out for fingernails.