Crazy Eights rules: the complete guide

Crazy Eights at a glance

If you only remember one thing, remember this: you must match the top card’s suit or its rank — unless you play an eight, which goes on anything and lets you name the next suit. That’s the whole game. Everything else is house rules and good timing.

Setting up the game

Shuffle a standard deck. Jokers aren’t used. Choose a dealer any way you like; after each round the deal moves one seat to the left.

Dealing

The dealer deals one card at a time, clockwise:

• Two players: 7 cards each.
• Three or four players: 5 cards each.

The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the stock (or draw pile). The dealer turns the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile. That first card is called the starter.

If the starter is an eight, it’s buried back in the deck — most people tuck it into the stock or slide it to the bottom — and a new card is turned. Nobody gets to name a suit on the very first card.

How to play a turn

The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and play continues clockwise. On your turn, play one card onto the discard pile that:

• matches the suit of the top card (any heart on a heart), or
• matches the rank of the top card (any 9 on a 9), or
• is an eight, which can be played on anything.

Playing an eight

When you play an eight, you name a suit — any of the four, not necessarily the eight’s own suit. The next player must play a card of that suit, or another eight. They can’t match the eight’s rank, because the eight is wild; only the named suit counts.

When you can’t play

If you have nothing that fits, you draw from the stock. Under the most common rule you keep drawing, one card at a time, until you get a card you can play, and then you play it. Some families let you draw only one card (or up to three) and then pass; see the variations below.

When the stock runs out

When there’s nothing left to draw, the usual fix is to keep the top card of the discard pile in place, shuffle the rest, and turn it face down as a new stock. Some stricter rule books don’t reshuffle at all: a player who can’t play simply passes.

In the rare case that nobody can play and nothing is left to draw, the round is blocked and ends.

Example. Three players. The top card is the 6♥. You hold 6♣, 9♥, K♣, 2♣ and 8♠. You could play the 9♥ (same suit), the 6♣ (same rank) or the 8♠ (wild). You have three clubs, so the 6♣ is the smart play: it changes the suit to clubs without spending your eight. Rose follows with the J♣. Hank has no clubs, so he draws two cards before he finds the J♦ and plays it — matching Rose’s Jack by rank. Now you know Hank is short on clubs, which is worth remembering.

Winning a round

The first player to play their last card wins the round. Play stops right away. If that last card is an eight, you don’t need to name a suit — the round is already over.

Unlike Uno, classic Crazy Eights has no rule that you must announce your last card, though some families add one.

Scoring

The winner of a round scores points for every card still held by the other players:

Example. You go out. Rose is still holding the 8♣, K♦ and 3♥, which is 50 + 10 + 3 = 63 points. Hank has the A♠ and 7♣: 1 + 7 = 8. You score 71 for the round, and the others score nothing.

That 50-point penalty is why players sometimes hold an eight too long and regret it. An eight is your best card while the round is going and your worst card when it ends.

Blocked rounds

If a round is blocked, each player totals the cards in their own hand. The player with the lowest total wins the round and scores the difference between each other hand and their own.

Example. The round is blocked. You hold 9 points, Rose 12 and Hank 20. You win and score (12 − 9) + (20 − 9) = 14.

Winning the game

Rounds are played until someone reaches an agreed target. 100 points is a popular choice; some tables play to 200, or simply count each round as a game of its own. The highest total wins.

Two players or four: how the game changes

The rules are the same at any table size, but the game feels different.

With two players, each of you starts with seven cards and every card you play affects only one opponent. You learn a lot about their hand quickly: if they draw on spades, they almost certainly have no spades left, and you can steer back to spades whenever you get the chance. Eights matter even more, because there’s no one else to break up a long run of bad luck.

With three or four players, you start with five cards and lose some control. The suit may change twice before your turn comes back, so long-range plans rarely survive. The best approach is to keep your hand flexible — a mix of suits and at least one eight in reserve — and pay closest attention to whoever has the fewest cards.

Edge cases and rule disputes

Can you play an eight on an eight? Yes. Eights are wild, so an eight can always be played, and you name a new suit.

Can you name the same suit as the eight you played? Yes. You can name any suit, including the eight’s own.

Can you play an eight when you have another playable card? Yes. It’s legal, though it’s usually a waste. Most strong players save their eights.

Can you draw on purpose when you could play? Tables differ. Some allow it, so you can hang on to a card you’d rather keep. Others say you may only draw when nothing in your hand fits.

Do you have to play the card you just drew? Under the “draw until you can play” rule, you play once you have a card that fits. Under “draw one, then pass,” you may keep the new card and pass even if it fits.

Can you play more than one card in a turn? Not in the classic game: one card per turn. Some families let you play all your cards of the same rank at once.

What if the starter is an eight? It goes back into the deck and a new starter is turned.

Is going out on an eight allowed? Yes. Many players aim to finish on an eight because it can never be blocked.

Common variations and house rules

• Draw one, then pass. Draw a single card. Play it if it fits; otherwise your turn ends. Rounds last longer and nobody gets buried in cards.
• Draw up to three. A middle ground: draw up to three cards looking for a play, then pass.
• Action cards. Many families give special powers to a few ranks, which makes the game play a lot like Uno. A common set: a 2 makes the next player draw two (and another 2 passes the pile-up along), a Queen skips the next player, and an Ace reverses the direction of play. Some groups use Jacks as skips instead.
• Last card. You must say “last card” when you’re down to one. Forget, and you draw a penalty card if someone catches it.
• Playing sets. You may play several cards of the same rank in one turn.
• Different targets. Some tables play each round as a separate game; others play to 100, 200 or more.
• Related games. British Switch, and Mau-Mau in parts of Europe, are close cousins with their own special cards.

On BieGames you can play against one, two or three computer players, choose a single round or a game to 100 or 200 points, pick “Draw until you can play” or “Draw one, then pass,” and switch action cards on or off (2 = draw two, Queen = skip, Ace = reverse) — all in Settings, along with Easy, Normal or Hard opponents.

Crazy Eights terms

• Stock or draw pile — the face-down pile you draw from.
• Discard pile — the face-up pile everyone plays onto.
• Starter — the first card turned up after the deal.
• Wild — a card that can be played on anything; in Crazy Eights, the eights.
• Name a suit (or call a suit) — choose the suit that must be played after your eight.
• Going out — playing your last card.
• Blocked — nobody can play and nothing is left to draw.
• Void — having no cards of a suit. Spotting a player’s void is one of the best tricks in the game.

Quick questions about the rules

How many cards do you get in Crazy Eights? Seven each with two players, and five each with three or four.

Is Crazy Eights the same as Uno? Uno grew out of the same idea, with a custom deck. In Crazy Eights the eights are the wild cards, and the action cards are an optional house rule.

Can you play Crazy Eights with two players? Yes. Deal seven cards each. It’s quick, and a well-timed eight matters even more.

What is an eight worth at the end? Fifty points to the player who went out — by far the most expensive card to be caught holding.

Where can I practice? You can play Crazy Eights free in your browser against friendly computer players. If you like simple, relaxed games, Kings Corner is another good one, and our guide to easy card games for seniors has more ideas.