How to keep score in Spite and Malice
In Spite and Malice, the first player to play out their whole pay-off pile wins the game. If you keep score over several games, only the winner scores: 5 points, plus 1 for every card still in the other pay-off piles. The first to the target, often 50, wins the match.
- Players
- 2, or 3 and 4 with more decks
- Who wins
- First to the target, often 50
- Pay-off pile
- 20 cards each, 26 in the card-book version
- Scored
- After each game, by the winner only
Keep score for Spite and Malice on your iPhone or iPad. Tallynight is free, with no ads.
Get TallynightHow the winner scores
A game ends the moment someone plays the last card of their pay-off pile, also called the goal pile, to a centre stack. Only that player scores.
| What counts | Points |
|---|---|
| Emptying your pay-off pile | 5 |
| Each card left in another player's pay-off pile | 1 |
| Cards in hands, side stacks and the stock | 0 |
| Everyone who didn't win | 0 |
Catch your opponent with 6 cards still in their pay-off pile and you score 5 + 6 = 11.
Playing to a target
Write the winner's points after each game and keep a running total. Matches are usually played to 25, 50 or 100, and 50 makes a good evening for two. The first to reach the target wins.
Only one player scores each game, so two players can't pass the target together.
When the stock runs out
It's rare, but it happens: the stock is empty and there's no way to make a new one. Under the plain rules the game is a draw and nobody scores.
Tables that keep score usually give the player with fewer cards left in their pay-off pile the difference between the two. Say Ana has 4 left and Ben has 9: Ana scores 5.
Pay-off pile sizes
- 20 cards each in the game most people play, with two decks shuffled together.
- 26 cards each in the version printed in many card books, or 13 for a shorter game.
- Other sizes: some tables use 21 or 25, and the Massachusetts variation uses 14.
The scoring stays the same whatever the size, so shorter piles mean lower scores. Agree a lower target if you play with small piles.
Three or more players, and Skip-Bo
With three or four players, add a deck (some tables use one deck per player) and allow one more centre stack than there are players. Score it the same way: the winner takes 5, plus 1 for each card left in every other pay-off pile.
Skip-Bo is the boxed game based on Spite and Malice, with its own cards. It scores 25 for the winner plus 5 a card, and plays to 500.
A scoring example
Ana and Ben, 20-card pay-off piles, playing to 50.
| Game | What happened | Ana | Ben |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ana wins. Ben has 7 left | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | Ben wins. Ana has 3 left | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Stock runs out. Ana 4 left, Ben 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | Ana wins. Ben has 13 left | 18 | 0 |
| 5 | Ben wins. Ana has 11 left | 0 | 16 |
| 6 | Ana wins. Ben has 10 left | 15 | 0 |
| Total | 50 | 24 |
Each win is 5 plus the cards left in the other pile, so game 1 is 5 + 7 = 12 and game 4 is 5 + 13 = 18. Game 3 was blocked, and Ana had 5 fewer cards left. Ana reaches 50 in game 6 and wins the match.
Keep score for Spite and Malice in Tallynight
Spite and Malice isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else and call it Spite and Malice. Under How you score, pick Rounds, where everyone scores each round, and under Who wins, pick Highest. Turn on Play to a target and set it to 50.
Tap the star to Add to favourites so it's ready next time, then Start game. After each game, type the winner's points and 0 for everyone else.
- Each game's points on one keypad
- Offers to end the match when someone reaches the target
- Tap any game to fix it
- Head-to-head records in the Family Hall of Fame (Pro)
A Spite and Malice score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Spite and Malice score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Questions
How do you score Spite and Malice?
The player who empties their pay-off pile first scores 5, plus 1 for each card left in the other players' pay-off piles. Everyone else scores 0 for that game.
What score do you play to in Spite and Malice?
25, 50 or 100, agreed before you start. 50 is a good length for two players with 20-card piles.
How many cards are in the pay-off pile in Spite and Malice?
20 each in the game most people play. The version in many card books uses 26, or 13 for a shorter game.
What happens if the stock runs out in Spite and Malice?
Under the plain rules it's a draw. With scoring, the player with fewer cards left in their pay-off pile scores the difference between the two piles.
Is Spite and Malice the same as Skip-Bo?
Skip-Bo is a boxed game based on it, with numbered cards and its own scoring: 25 for the winner plus 5 a card, to 500. Spite and Malice uses ordinary cards, with kings wild.