<p>Simply place the spoons in an oval pattern; with each spoon handle pointing towards the players; all equidistant from the players. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-01T02:53:02.880Z
Do you mean something like [this](https://i.sstatic.net/Wrwms.png)?
Zac
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-01T13:03:17.650Z
@Zac Exactly. It should be possible to distance them in such a way that it's very close to equal for all players.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-01T15:30:53.957Z
My issue with that is in a scenario like [this](https://i.sstatic.net/jtO6r.png).  Player A gets four of a kind and grabs Spoon 1.  Player B sees him, and grabs Spoon 2, and C grabs Spoon 3.  Now poor Player D has to lunge down the table to grab a spoon, because all of the spoons at his end are gone.  If this hypothetical game were at a round table, it wouldn't matter how many spoons are gone; D could still grab one as long as there's one left.  You see that the players along the side still have an advantage over those at the ends.
Zac
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-31T12:39:17.987Z
2016-07-31T12:39:17.987Z
GendoIkari
<p>When you're playing the game of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoons" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Spoons</a>, it's a <em>really good</em> thing to have all the spoons distributed in way where they're all equidistant from the players.  This is easy to do at a round table.  However, at a <em>rectangular</em> table, it seems like it's hard to keep it balanced.  When I've played at a rectangular table, we usually have the spoons laid out like this:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/6db1f.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/6db1f.png" alt="Spoons table diagram"></a></p>

<p>However, this gives players at/near the ends a disadvantage.  When someone grabs a spoon and the free-for-all starts, players in the middle have a wide selection, even after several have been grabbed.  But players at the end have farther and farther to reach as the spoons on the ends get taken.  Often, the player without one is on an end.  Is there an better way to keep things balanced at a rectangular table, without giving anyone an advantage/disadvantage?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-30T22:00:53.070Z
Is this the game you are asking about? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoons
Joe W
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-30T22:45:31.587Z
@JoeW  Exactly.  That's the one.
Zac
<spoons>
Spoons - How to evenly distribute the spoons when playing in a rectangle
Zac
# Spoons - How to evenly distribute the spoons when playing in a rectangle

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-07-30)

When you're playing the game of [Spoons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoons), it's a *really good* thing to have all the spoons distributed in way where they're all equidistant from the players. This is easy to do at a round table. However, at a *rectangular* table, it seems like it's hard to keep it balanced. When I've played at a rectangular table, we usually have the spoons laid out like this:

[![Spoons table diagram](https://i.sstatic.net/6db1f.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/6db1f.png)

However, this gives players at/near the ends a disadvantage. When someone grabs a spoon and the free-for-all starts, players in the middle have a wide selection, even after several have been grabbed. But players at the end have farther and farther to reach as the spoons on the ends get taken. Often, the player without one is on an end. Is there an better way to keep things balanced at a rectangular table, without giving anyone an advantage/disadvantage?

**Tags:** spoons

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Is this the game you are asking about? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoons  
> **username_0**: @username_1  Exactly.  That's the one.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-07-31. Score: 2

Simply place the spoons in an oval pattern; with each spoon handle pointing towards the players; all equidistant from the players.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Do you mean something like [this](https://i.sstatic.net/Wrwms.png)?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 Exactly. It should be possible to distance them in such a way that it's very close to equal for all players.  
> **username_0**: My issue with that is in a scenario like [this](https://i.sstatic.net/jtO6r.png).  Player A gets four of a kind and grabs Spoon 1.  Player B sees him, and grabs Spoon 2, and C grabs Spoon 3.  Now poor Player D has to lunge down the table to grab a spoon, because all of the spoons at his end are gone.  If this hypothetical game were at a round table, it wouldn't matter how many spoons are gone; D could still grab one as long as there's one left.  You see that the players along the side still have an advantage over those at the ends.  

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