Spite and Malice is a classic two-player card game in which each player races to be first to empty a personal stack of 20 cards. It is the traditional ancestor of the boxed game Skip-Bo, but the original is played with two ordinary 52-card decks rather than a special deck. This guide explains the standard rules from the ground up: what you need, how to set up, how a turn works, and how to win.
Quick Facts
| Players | 2 (best); adaptable to more with extra decks |
|---|---|
| Cards | Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards), shuffled together |
| Also known as | Cat and Mouse |
| Game type | Competitive solitaire / card shedding |
| Pay-off pile | 20 cards each, dealt face down (top card face up) |
| Starting hand | 5 cards |
| Centre stacks | Up to 3 shared piles, built Ace to Queen |
| Side stacks | Up to 4 personal discard piles per player |
| Wild card | King (stands in for any rank) |
| Objective | Be first to play your last pay-off card to the centre |
What is Spite and Malice?
Spite and Malice, also known as Cat and Mouse, is a competitive form of patience (solitaire) for two players. Instead of playing alone, two people share a set of central piles and compete to unload their own cards onto them first. It is a reworking of the older Continental game Russian Bank (Crapette), which itself descends from Double Klondike.
The game was first documented in the 1960s — the earliest recorded rules are credited to Richard L. Frey in 1965 — and it gained a wide following in the 1970s after bridge expert Easley Blackwood saw it played on a cruise ship and published the rules. Today it exists in several forms: the free traditional version described here, a commercial edition called Spite and Malice sold by Hasbro, and the best-known adaptation, Mattel’s Skip-Bo, which uses a dedicated 162-card deck.
What you need to play
- Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards) shuffled together. Jokers are removed.
- Two players. The original game is designed for two; larger groups usually add more decks (see below).
- A flat surface with room for a shared central area and two personal areas.
Suits do not matter in Spite and Malice — only the rank (number) of each card counts.
Card ranking and wild Kings
Cards rank from low to high as follows: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen. The Ace is always low and starts a pile; the Queen is the highest card and finishes a pile.
Kings are wild. A King can stand in for any rank you need. If a centre pile is showing a 6, for example, you may play a King as a 7 and then continue building 8, 9, and so on. Wild Kings are the engine of the game — they let you keep piles moving and dig into your pay-off pile.
Setting up the game
- Deal the pay-off piles. Shuffle both decks together and deal each player a face-down stack of 20 cards. This is your pay-off pile (sometimes called the goal or stock pile). Turn the top card of each pay-off pile face up.
- Deal hands. Deal five cards face down to each player as their starting hand.
- Form the stock. Place the remaining cards face down between the players as a shared draw stock.
- Decide who goes first. Compare the two face-up pay-off cards; the player showing the higher card takes the first turn.
The three central building spaces (centre stacks) start empty, and each player has room in front of them for up to four personal side stacks, which begin empty too.
How a turn works
A turn has three simple stages. Your whole goal on every turn is to shift cards off the top of your pay-off pile and onto the centre stacks.
Step 1 — Draw to five
At the start of your turn, draw from the shared stock until you have five cards in hand. On your very first turn you already hold five, so you draw nothing. On later turns you top up whatever you played or discarded last time.
Step 2 — Build on the centre stacks
There can be at most three centre stacks at any time. Each one must begin with an Ace (or a King used as an Ace) and is then built upward one rank at a time: A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen. You may play as many legal cards as you can, drawing from three sources:
- The top card of your pay-off pile (this is what you most want to play).
- Any card from your hand.
- The top card of one of your side stacks.
Whenever you play the face-up top card of your pay-off pile, turn the next card up so it becomes available. If you manage to play all five cards from your hand to the centre, immediately draw five fresh cards and keep going.
Step 3 — Discard to end your turn
When you can no longer (or choose not to) build on the centre, you end your turn by discarding one card from your hand onto one of your four side stacks. You may start a new side stack or add to an existing one, in any order you like. Discarding is what passes play to your opponent, so save a useful discard until you have made all the centre plays you can.
Two important limits: you may not discard a card from your pay-off pile onto a side stack — pay-off cards can only go to the centre — and you can never have more than four side stacks going at once.
Completing a centre stack
A centre stack is complete once a Queen (or a wild King acting as a Queen) is played on top, giving a full run from Ace to Queen. The completed stack is then removed and shuffled back into the bottom of the draw stock, freeing that central space so a new Ace can start a fresh pile. This recycling keeps the game supplied with cards, so a session rarely stalls for lack of stock.
How to win
The winner is the first player to play the very last card of their 20-card pay-off pile onto a centre stack. Because you can only reach the next pay-off card by clearing the one above it, every turn is a small puzzle: which centre plays open up your pay-off pile fastest, and which cards should you keep in hand or park on a side stack for later?
Spite and Malice vs. Skip-Bo
Many people meet this game first through Mattel’s boxed version. The rules are close cousins, but there are real differences worth knowing before you sit down. If you already own the boxed game, our guide to how to play Skip-Bo covers that edition in full.
Spite and Malice vs. Skip-Bo
| Feature | Spite and Malice (original) | Skip-Bo (Mattel) |
|---|---|---|
| Cards used | Two standard 52-card decks | Dedicated 162-card deck |
| Pay-off / stock pile | 20 cards | 20 or 30 cards depending on player count |
| Building piles | Up to 3 shared, built Ace to Queen | 4 shared, built 1 to 12 |
| Wild card | Kings are wild | Dedicated Skip-Bo wild cards |
| Discard piles | Up to 4 side stacks per player | 4 personal discard piles per player |
| Players | 2 (best); more with extra decks | 2 to 6 |
| Availability | Free with any two decks | Sold as a boxed game |
Playing with more than two people
The original game is at its best with two players, but it scales up. For three or more players, add a third (or even a fourth) 52-card deck so there are enough cards for everyone’s pay-off pile and the shared stock. Deal each player a pay-off pile of the same size — many groups shorten it to make longer games manageable — and simply take turns clockwise. Everyone still shares the same three centre stacks, which makes larger games faster and more chaotic, as an opponent may complete the exact pile you were waiting to use.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring your pay-off pile. Playing hand cards is satisfying, but the game is won only by emptying the pay-off pile. Prioritise plays that free your top pay-off card.
- Wasting Kings. A wild King is precious. Spending one just to clear a hand card can cost you a turn when you desperately need it to reach a pay-off card.
- Discarding your best card too early. Once you discard, your turn ends. Make every possible centre play first.
- Building side stacks blindly. Only the top card of a side stack is playable, so burying a low card you will soon need can trap it.
Simple strategy tips
- Organise your four side stacks by rough rank so useful cards stay near the top.
- Hold on to cards that match or come just after your face-up pay-off card.
- Watch which centre stacks are near completion — a well-timed Queen can deny your opponent a play and reset the board.
- Don’t hoard: playing steadily thins your hand and lets you redraw a fresh five when you empty it.
Spite and Malice rewards patience and planning, which is exactly why it has survived for generations and inspired popular boxed versions. For more on the game’s background and where it fits among family card games, see our overview of the Skip-Bo card game.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Spite and Malice the same as Skip-Bo?
They are the same family of game but not identical. Spite and Malice is the traditional version played with two ordinary 52-card decks, while Skip-Bo is Mattel’s commercial adaptation that uses a dedicated 162-card deck with numbered cards and special wild cards. The core idea — emptying a personal stock pile onto shared building piles — is shared by both.
How many players can play Spite and Malice?
The original game is designed for two players and is generally considered best that way. It can be adapted for three or more players by adding extra 52-card decks, though larger games become faster and more unpredictable because everyone shares the same three centre stacks.
Are Kings really wild?
Yes. In the standard rules a King can represent any rank you need on a centre stack, including starting a new pile as an Ace. Kings are the most valuable cards in the game, so most players save them for moments when they unlock a pay-off card.
What happens when a centre stack is finished?
A centre stack is complete when a Queen (or a King acting as a Queen) tops off a run from Ace to Queen. The finished pile is removed and shuffled back into the draw stock, and the central space becomes free for a new Ace to start another pile.
Do suits matter in Spite and Malice?
No. Suits are ignored entirely. Only the rank of each card matters when you build the centre stacks in sequence from Ace up to Queen.
