Spite and Malice is a two-player card game where the goal is to empty your 20-card pay-off pile before the computer empties its own. You build shared center piles from Ace up to Queen, play from your hand, and end each turn with a discard. Play it free here, with no download or sign-up.
Spite and Malice is a classic family game that has been played with ordinary playing cards for generations, yet it has been surprisingly hard to find a good place to play it online for free. This table fixes that. You get a full game against the computer the moment the page loads, and you can switch between three skill levels whenever you like.
How a turn goes
Your turn starts with a hand of five cards. Look at the top card of your pay-off pile first, because that is the card you are trying to get rid of. Then look at what the three center piles need. Each pile starts with an Ace and climbs one rank at a time, in any suit, until it reaches a Queen and is cleared away.
Play as many cards as you can from your hand, from the top of your pay-off pile, and from the tops of your four discard piles. If you play all five hand cards, you draw five fresh ones and keep going. When you have nothing more to play, choose one card from your hand and put it on a discard pile. That ends your turn, and the computer takes its turn.
Why this version plays differently
Most of the thinking happens in your discards. The four piles in front of you are your memory: stack a lower card on a higher one and you can play them back out in order. Cover a low card with a high one and you bury it. The computer's discards are face up too, so you can see which ranks it is saving.
There is also a quiet duel over the center piles. If the computer's pay-off card is a 7, the worst thing you can do is build a pile up to 6. The Hard level watches for exactly this, and it will plan several plays ahead to reach its own pay-off cards. Easy simply plays what it can, which makes it a gentle place to learn.
Tips for your first games
- Play from the pay-off pile before anything else. Every card there is one step closer to winning.
- Keep Kings for pay-off cards, not for emptying your hand.
- Build descending stacks on your discard piles, such as a 5 placed on a 6.
- Leave one discard pile open for awkward cards when you can.
- Use Hint when you are stuck. It highlights the next move a strong player would make.
New to the game? The full Spite and Malice rules include a step-by-step example turn you can click through. This site uses Kings as wild cards and plays without jokers, which is one of the common house versions.
Quick rules summary
| Players | You against the computer |
|---|---|
| Cards | Two standard decks, 104 cards, no jokers |
| Deal | 20-card pay-off pile and a hand of 5 each |
| Center piles | Up to three, built Ace to Queen in any suit |
| Wild cards | Kings stand in for any rank |
| Ending a turn | Discard one card (never an Ace) to any of your four discard piles |
| Winning | Be first to play your whole pay-off pile |
Spite and Malice questions
Is this Spite and Malice game really free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no account and no payment. Your win record is kept on your own device only.
Can I play against another person?
Not yet. This version is you against the computer, with three difficulty levels. A two-player table may come later, but today it is a solo game.
Why are Kings wild?
A King can stand in for whatever card a center pile needs next, so it can start a pile as an Ace or finish one as a Queen. Kings are the most valuable cards in the game, so save them for the moment they unlock your pay-off pile.
Can I discard an Ace?
No. Aces must be played to an empty center pile, which is the only place they are useful anyway. If all three center piles are in use, an Ace simply waits in your hand.
What happens when the draw pile runs out?
Each time a center pile reaches Queen, it is set aside. When the draw pile is empty, those finished piles are shuffled and become the new draw pile, so the game keeps moving.
How do I undo a mistake?
Use Undo during your turn to take back plays one at a time. Once you discard, your turn is over and it can't be undone, so look over your hand before you do.