Spite & Malice Instructions

Use two packs of cards to play this exciting game.

Spite and Malice is an exciting game for two players. The object of the game is to be the first to lose all cards in your pay-off pile by building up piles in the center from ace to queen. It will take a few games to get used to the fast pace, but once you've got it, don't forget the name of the game. Be spiteful. Be malicious. And do everything in your power to win.

Things You'll Need

• 2 decks of cards, shuffled

Instructions

Set Up

1. Get to know the cards. Aces are low, and kings and jokers are wild.

2. Deal the cards. Each player gets five cards in his hand and a pile of 10 pay-off cards. All the pay-off cards are face down except the top card. Place the rest of the cards in the middle, to be used as stock. Each time you play a card from your hand, pick one up from the stock pile, so you always have five cards in your hand.

3. Use your help stacks. At any one time, there can be up to four piles in the center, and players are allowed up to four help stacks each. You may lay cards on your help stacks in any order. Help-stack cards should be facing down except the top card on each pile.

Play

1. Start the game. The player with the highest card on top of the pay-off pile goes first. If player one has an ace, he should play it to the center, but if not, he may start his first help stack in front of him.

2. Build up the center piles. Use cards from your hand, the top card of your pay-off pile or a top card from one of your help stacks. After a player has laid a card on a help stack, his round is over, but he may lay as many cards as he likes on the center stacks.

3. Replace your five hand cards after each round.

4. Shuffle the cards from center piles back into the stock pile after a center pile is full.

5. Aim to be the first to get rid of your pay-off pile. If the stock gets used up before either player manages this, the player with the least cards wins. The stock pile depletes if players build up cards on their pay-off piles without getting rid of them.

Tips & Warnings

• 1. You cannot use two wild cards in a row.

• 2. You can't move cards around from one help stack to the other. Once a card has been laid on a help stack, keep it there until you can play it to the center.

• 3. It's called Spite and Malice for a reason. Hold on to cards you know your opponent needs in order to continue.

• 4. Develop a strategy of how to lay cards in your help stacks to help you win -- and add interest to the game. Build piles with high cards first, so the lower cards are available when you need to play them to the center. If you can build a run, so much the better.

• 5. Always play from the hand where possible, to bring new cards from the stock pile into play.

• 6. Use your wild cards wisely. Only play them if they will allow you to empty your hand or block your opponent.