How to play Crazy Eights: a visual guide
Match the top card by rank or suit, play an 8 to change the suit, and be the first to empty your hand. Everything you need for your first game.
Crazy Eights is a shedding card game for two to four players. Everyone starts with five cards, and the first player to get rid of them all wins the round. On your turn you play one card that matches the top of the discard pile by rank or by suit. The four 8s are wild.
The deck
The game uses one standard 52-card deck with no jokers: four suits of 13 cards, from A through 10 to J, Q and K. Card order never matters in Crazy Eights. Nothing beats anything. You only need to match.
Setting up
- Deal five cards to each player. Your hand stays hidden from everyone else.
- Turn one card face up. It starts the discard pile and sets the first rank and suit to match. If that card is an 8, it goes back into the deck and the deck is shuffled until a different card comes up.
- Put the rest face down. This is the draw pile. You take from it when you can't play.
- The player after the dealer goes first. Play then passes around the table. The deal moves on one seat each round.
Match the rank or the suit
On your turn, play one card on top of the discard pile. It has to share the top card's suit or its rank. You can only ever play one card per turn.
The top card is the 7♥. Which card can you play?
Eights are wild
You can play an 8 on any card, whatever its rank or suit. When you do, you name a suit, and the next player has to play a card of that suit or another 8.
When you can't play
If nothing in your hand matches and you have no 8, draw one card from the draw pile. You may only draw when you have no card you could play.
- If the card you drew can be played, you play it straight away.
- If it can't, your turn ends and play moves on.
- When the draw pile runs out, every card in the discard pile except the top one is shuffled to make a new draw pile.
Winning and scoring
The round ends as soon as one player plays their last card. That player scores nothing. Everyone else scores penalty points for the cards still in their hand.
| Card | Penalty points |
|---|---|
| Each 8 | 50 |
| Each J, Q or K | 10 |
| Each A | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | The number on the card |
Scores add up from round to round. When anyone reaches 100 points or more, the game ends and the player with the lowest total wins. House rules vary on the target score and on what face cards are worth, so agree on them before you deal.
Quick recap
- Five cards each, one card face up to start the discard pile.
- Play one card that matches the top card's rank or suit.
- An 8 goes on anything, and you name the next suit.
- No match? Draw one card, and play it if it fits.
- Go out first to win the round. Everyone else scores their cards, and the lowest total wins the game.
You know the rules. Deal the cards.
Play solo against the AI, or open a private room for up to four friends with optional video chat. No download, no sign-up.
