Crazy Eights Rules: How to Play the Card Game
Updated
In crazy eights, you try to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. On your turn you play one card that matches the rank or the suit of the top card on the discard pile, or you draw from the stock. Any eight can be played at any time, and the player who plays it names the suit that must follow.
Crazy eights is the base of a whole family of card games. Switch, Mau-Mau, Whot and the color-matching games sold with special decks, Uno among them, all work on the same pattern.
What you need
- One standard 52-card deck for up to five players; with more players, shuffle two decks together.
- Two to eight players.
- Paper and a pen if you play for points.
How to deal
The dealer deals five cards to each player, or seven each with two players. The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up beside it to start the discard pile.
If the first card turned up is an eight, the dealer names a suit, and the first player must follow it.
How to play crazy eights, step by step
- The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play continues clockwise.
- On your turn, play one card face up on the discard pile. It must match the top card by rank or by suit. On the 6 of clubs, you can play any 6 or any club.
- An eight can be played on any card. When you play one, name a suit. The next player must play that suit or another eight.
- If you cannot play, or choose not to, draw a card from the stock.
- When you have one card left, say "last card". If you forget and the next player takes their turn first, you draw two cards as a penalty.
- The first player to play their last card wins the hand.
These are the basic rules as given on pagat.com. In the basic game, you may draw even when you hold a card you could play.
Drawing: the rule groups argue about
Drawing is where house rules differ most, so agree on it before the deal.
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Draw one | You draw one card and your turn ends |
| Draw and play | You draw one card and may play it at once if it fits |
| Draw until you can | You keep drawing until you get a playable card |
| Draw a fixed number | You draw up to a set number of cards, then pass |
| Must play if you can | You may draw only when you hold no playable card |
When the stock runs out, players usually shuffle the discard pile, except its top card, to make a new stock. Many books say instead that play goes on without drawing; a player who cannot play passes, and if everyone passes the game is blocked.
Special cards
The basic game has one special card, the eight. Most groups add more. These are the typical choices:
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| Eight | Wild: play it on anything and name the next suit |
| Queen | Skip: the next player misses a turn |
| Ace | Reverse: the direction of play changes |
| Two | Draw two: the next player draws two cards or plays another two; twos stack, so two twos mean four cards |
If the winning card is a special card, its effect is ignored. Some groups use other cards for these effects, such as a jack to skip or a four to reverse. In the British game Switch, the suit-changing card is often the ace instead of the eight.
How scoring works
When a player goes out, everyone else counts the cards left in their hand.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Eight | 50 |
| King, queen, jack | 10 |
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | Face value |
There are two common ways to keep score. In one, each player takes the points left in their own hand as penalty points, so a low total is good. In the other, described in the Wikipedia article on crazy eights, the winner collects all the points left in the other hands, and the target is 50 points per player: 100 with two players, 150 with three.
Because an eight costs 50 points, do not hold one too long.
Crazy Eights Countdown
Every player starts with a score of eight. Your score is both the number of cards you are dealt and the rank that is wild for you. Win a hand and your score drops by one, so you get seven cards and sevens become your wild cards. The first player to reach zero wins.
Tips for crazy eights
- Save your eights. An eight is your way out of any position. Play it when you have no other legal card, or to finish.
- Change to your strongest suit. When you play an eight, name the suit you hold the most of.
- Watch what others draw. If the player after you draws on hearts, they probably have no hearts, so try to keep hearts on top.
- Match rank to switch suits. Playing the 9 of spades on the 9 of hearts changes the suit without spending an eight.
- Get rid of high cards. If someone is close to going out, play your face cards first, since they cost 10 points each.
Color-matching versions in your browser
The card games you find online often replace suits with colors and ranks with numbers. The rule is the same: match the top card by color or by number, and wild cards let you choose the next color.
- Fours Colors uses four colors, red, blue, green and yellow. You match by color or number, play action cards such as skip, reverse and draw, and choose a color when you play a wild card. You must declare your last card to avoid a penalty.
- Duo Cards starts you with seven cards against computer players. You match the discard pile by number, color or icon, announce your next-to-last card, and play to 500 points.
- Whot is a member of the same family that uses shapes instead of suits, and this Whot game follows it closely. You match the shape or the number of the top card, draw one card if you cannot play, and the Whot cards, numbered 20, are wild. Each player starts with six cards, and you can play the computer or friends online.
Rummy Multiplayer is a relative rather than a member of the family. Rummy also has a stock and a discard pile, but you go out by laying your cards down in sets and runs. You can play it online, against the computer or with a friend on the same device.
For more card games, open the puzzles category or the multiplayer category. If you prefer a card game for one, read how to play solitaire, and for a tile game with the same matching idea, how to play dominoes.
Common questions about crazy eights
How many cards do you deal in crazy eights?
Five each, or seven each with two players. Some groups deal eight.
Can you play an eight on anything?
Yes. An eight can go on any card, and you name the suit the next player must follow.
Can you draw a card if you can play?
In the basic rules, yes. Many groups require you to play when you can and draw only when you cannot.
What happens when the stock runs out?
Usually the discard pile, except its top card, is shuffled into a new stock. In the book rules, players pass when they cannot play, and the game ends if everyone passes.
Match the suit or the rank, keep an eight for later, and say "last card" before anyone else plays.
