How do you Play Spite and Malice
Setup: Divide the cards into two different decks.
Spite and Malice rules require One deck have bordered cards while the other contains non-bordered cards.
Shuffle them separately and place the non-bordered cards deck aside for a minute.
From the bordered card deck, deal eight cards to each player (card stack), and place them face down. When the game starts, they will all turn the top card faceup, creating the “UP” card.
Combine the non-bordered and bordered card decks to create a Draw Pile by placing the deck of bordered cards on top of the non-bordered deck, both facedown.
From the top of the Draw Pile, deal 4 cards to each player. These make the player’s hand, which they can look at but not show their opponents.
Place the Draw Pile to one side of the table, leaving enough room for the Discard Pile.
Spite and Malice Rules Gameplay: Every player starts with a Card Stack and a hand of cards. The players alternate drawing cards from the Draw Pile and play cards to Build Piles (the Build Pile is always in the center). After every player’s turn, they stock cards in their Store Piles. They aim to play all their cards until they exhaust the Card Stack. The highest value UP card holder starts. If there’s a tie, the player closest to the left of the dealer goes first.
Your Turn: Spite and Malice rules require every player to draw five cards to their hand from the Draw Pile. If the players exhaust the Draw Pile, shuffle the Discard Pile to create a new Draw Pile. One can’t directly draw from the Discard pile. Players should check the cards in hand and the UP card for any “1” cards. If a player has any “1” cards, play them face up, immediately, side by side, and to the center of the play area. These cards will start the Build Piles.
Build Piles: They always start with the “1” card, continuing in ascending order. All players use the same Build Pile. Participants can play the top card from their hand or Store Piles. Alternatively, they can play the UP card from their Card Stack and send it to the Build Piles. There’s no skipping of numbers; cards played to Build Piles should always be in order.
Players should Build Piles by playing as many cards as they can or want to at the center of the table. The goal is always to play the UP card, but players can also adopt a strategy that blocks an opponent from playing what they want. Each of the “1” cards indicates the start of a separate Build Pile. To add to a specific Build Pile, place a card face up as long as it is in sequence. Players can use any card to play from their UP card, on hand, or the top card on the Store Pile.
Hot Tip: It’s not in the Spite and Malice rules, but play cards from Store Piles or hand strategically to allow playing the UP card to a Build Pile.
If a participant plays their UP card, they create a new UP card by flipping the top card from their Card Stack and placing it face up. One can continue playing Store Piles or hand cards. Players that run out of the five cards from the hands when they play draw another five cards.
Players must store a card on the Store Pile to end a turn by selecting any card from the hand and placing it face up in front of them. The player can have four Store Piles at a time, which they can add to in any order. However, they can only play the top cards.
Note: One can’t use some cards in the Store Piles, such as the 2s and the Wild Cards. These have Red Numbers to distinguish them. If a player only has the red-numbered cards at the end of their turn, hence they can’t store them, they must show their opponents.
A Stuck Player: If a player has five cards in hand that they can’t play or store, they should show their hand to the others and discard it. They can draw five new cards on the next turn as per the Spite and Malice rules.
1 Cards: Play the 1 Card as soon as you draw it, as you cannot hold it.
2 Cards: Players cannot place a 2 on the Store Pile and must play it during their turn the instant a Build Pile they can play to is available.
13 – Malice Cards: They cap a Build Pile. As soon as someone plays the 13, send that entire Pile to the Discard Pile. The person who played the 13 will take the top card from the Draw Pile and hand it to any player facedown. That player will take it and tuck it at the bottom of their Card Stack without looking at it.
Wild/Spite Card: It is two cards in one. As a Wild Card, it takes the form of any card value except 1,2,7, or 13, ensuring you can start or cap a Build Pile. Place the Wild on a Build Pile and name its value. However, you cannot play a Wild on top of another, place it on the Store Pile, or leave it on top of a Build Pile without putting another card on top. When used as a Spite Card, the owner can use it to carry through what it says on the card. One can play the Spite Card even when it’s not their turn. Spite and Malice rules allow a Spite Card-holder to play it as an opponent is playing to stop them from playing further.
Winning Spite and Malice: A player wins after playing the last card from the Card Stack to Build Pile.
