How to Play Crazy Eights: Rules, Scoring, Strategy and Fun Variations

Crazy Eights is one of those card games almost everyone has played without ever reading the rules. Somebody's uncle taught it at a family gathering, every household added a rule or two, and now nobody agrees on what happens when you play a 2. If that sounds familiar, this guide is for you.

Below you'll find the standard Crazy Eights rules, how scoring works, what changes with two players, a few tactics that genuinely win games, and the most popular house rules from around the world. When you're done, you can play Crazy Eights free online, against the computer or with friends using a room code.

Crazy Eights at a glance

• Players: 2 to 7 (best with 3 to 5)
• Deck: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers (use two decks for 6 or more players)
• Goal: be the first player to get rid of all your cards
• Time: about 5 to 10 minutes a round
• The twist: every 8 is wild

How to set up

1. Shuffle and deal the cards one at a time. With two players, deal 7 cards each. With three or more, deal 5 each.
2. Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle. This is the draw pile (or stock).
3. Turn the top card face up next to it to start the discard pile. If that first card is an 8, shuffle it back into the deck and turn over another.
4. The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise.

How to play Crazy Eights: the basic rules

On your turn, play one card onto the discard pile. It must match the top card by suit or by rank.

• If the top card is the 7 of hearts, you can play any heart, or any 7.
• If the top card is the queen of spades, you can play any spade, or any queen.

Can't play? Draw from the draw pile. Here households split: in the most common version you keep drawing until you get a card you can play, while many people play that you draw just one card, play it if it fits, and otherwise pass. Agree before you start. (The online version on this site uses the one-card rule, which keeps the game quick.)

If the draw pile runs out, keep the top card of the discard pile, shuffle the rest and turn it over as the new draw pile.

What does the 8 do in Crazy Eights?

This is the heart of the game. An 8 can be played on any card, at any time on your turn, even when nothing else in your hand matches. When you play it, you name a new suit. The next player must play a card of that suit, or another 8.

That's why a well-timed 8 feels so good. Your opponent has been saving clubs all game, and you switch the suit to diamonds.

How to win and how scoring works

The round ends the moment one player plays their last card. You can play one round for fun, or keep score over several rounds:

• Every 8 left in a hand counts 50 points
• Kings, queens and jacks count 10
• Aces count 1
• All other cards count their number

The winner of the round scores the total of everyone else's leftover cards. Most families play to a target such as 100 points. (Some groups do it the other way round, counting penalty points against each loser, with the lowest total winning. Both work; pick one.)

Crazy Eights rules for two players

The game works brilliantly with two. The only changes are the deal (7 cards each instead of 5) and that power cards, if you use them, hit harder, because "skip the next player" means you play again straight away. Two-player games are faster and more tactical, since you can often work out what your opponent is holding.

7 Crazy Eights strategy tips that actually work

1. Don't waste your 8s. If you can play a normal card, play it. Save your 8s for when you're stuck or when changing suit would wreck an opponent's plan.
2. Change to the suit you hold most. When you play an 8, count your cards and pick your longest suit, not just the one you like.
3. Watch what makes people draw. If a player draws every time diamonds are on top, they're out of diamonds. Switch to diamonds whenever you can.
4. Get rid of high cards early when you keep score. Getting caught holding kings and an 8 is expensive.
5. Use rank matches to change suit for free. Playing the 9 of clubs on the 9 of hearts switches the suit without spending an 8.
6. Keep a variety of suits. A hand of five spades is great until the suit changes and you're drawing for three turns.
7. Count the 8s. There are only four. If three have been played, you know exactly how dangerous the last one is.

Popular Crazy Eights variations from around the world

Crazy Eights has dozens of cousins. Many are the same game with extra "power cards". Some of the best known:

• Kadi (East Africa): hugely popular in Kenya, with extra power cards and the famous warning when you're down to your last card. In the online version on this site, you can switch on Kadi-style power cards: a 2 makes the next player pick up two, a jack skips the next player, and a king reverses the direction.
• Switch and Last Card (UK, Australia, New Zealand): similar power cards, and you must announce "last card" when you have one left, or pick up a penalty.
• Mau-Mau (Germany) and Pesten (Netherlands): close relatives with their own special-card rules.
• Uno: the commercial card game is widely seen as a branded version of Crazy Eights, with skip, reverse and draw-two cards printed on special cards.

Common house rules include stacking 2s (if someone plays a 2 on you, you can pass the penalty on with your own 2, making the next player draw four), and a penalty card for forgetting to say "last card".

Play Crazy Eights online free

No deck handy? The Card Room on MillionDollarJoke lets you play Crazy Eights in your browser on any phone or computer, with no download and no sign-up:

• Play against 1 to 3 computer players with names from around the world
• Or create a room, send the code to friends and play together online from different countries
• Switch Kadi-style power cards on or off
• Earn Hype Points for the global leaderboard every time you win

There's also Solitaire, Hearts, Spades, Go Fish and a no-betting 21 in the same Card Room.

Crazy Eights FAQ

How many cards do you deal in Crazy Eights?

Seven cards each for two players, and five each for three or more. With six or more players, shuffle two decks together.

Can you play an 8 on an 8?

Yes. An 8 can be played on any card, including another 8, and you name a new suit each time.

Can you end Crazy Eights on an 8?

In standard rules, yes, you can go out with an 8. Some families ban finishing on a power card, so check the house rules before you start.

What happens if no one can play and the draw pile is empty?

Reshuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to make a new draw pile. If that's not possible either, the round ends, and the player with the lowest total of cards in hand wins.

Is Crazy Eights the same as Uno?

They're very close. Uno uses its own special deck, but the core idea, matching colour or number and using wild cards to change it, comes straight from Crazy Eights.

Where can I play Crazy Eights online with friends?

Right here: open the Crazy Eights table, choose "Online with friends", create a room and share the code. It's free and works on any phone.