Crazy Eights Rules: How to Play, Score and Win With 8s Wild

The Crazy Eights rules fit on a postcard: play a card that matches the top of the discard pile by suit or rank, and if you can't, draw from the stock. Every eight is wild: you can play it at any time and name the suit the next player must follow. The first player to empty their hand wins.

All you need is a standard deck of cards, which is why Crazy Eights is one of the best first card games for children and one of the quickest to set up anywhere. If you've played UNO, you'll recognise the idea straight away.

Objective

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards. In a scored game, you collect points for the cards left in your opponents' hands, and play continues until someone reaches an agreed target.

Setup: what you need

If the starter card is an eight, many players bury it in the middle of the stock and turn up the next card, so the first player isn't given a free choice of suit.

How a turn works

The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play continues clockwise.

1. Match the top card of the discard pile by suit (any heart on a heart) or by rank (any 5 on a 5).
2. Or play an eight. Eights are wild and can be played on anything. When you play one, you name a suit (it doesn't have to be the eight's own suit), and the next player must follow that suit or play another eight.
3. If you can't play, draw cards from the stock one at a time until you can, then play that card.
4. If the stock is empty and you still can't play, you pass.

Rules people often ask about

• Can you play an eight on an eight? Yes. An eight can be played on anything, including another eight, and you name a new suit.
• Can you draw when you could play? In many rule sets, yes: you may choose to draw rather than play. Agree this before you start.
• How many cards do you draw? In the traditional game you keep drawing until you can play. Many families limit it to one card (or three) and then pass, which keeps hands smaller.

Scoring and winning

You can play single hands (first to go out wins) or keep score over several deals. When a player goes out, they score the value of all cards left in opponents' hands:

The game is won by the first player to reach an agreed total, such as 100 points. If the stock runs out and nobody can play, the hand is blocked: the player with the lowest count in hand usually wins it, scoring the difference against each opponent.

Some groups prefer penalty scoring instead: everyone adds up the cards left in their own hand, and when someone passes the limit, the lowest total wins.

Variations

Crazy Eights has many relatives around the world. These are the best known:

• Switch (UK): extra power cards. Commonly, a 2 makes the next player pick up two, a jack skips the next player, an ace is the wild suit-changer, and players announce "last card" when down to one.
• Mau-Mau: popular in German-speaking countries, with a call of "Mau" on your last card and power cards that vary from family to family.
• Two-player draw limits: many players cap drawing at one card in a two-player game to keep it tight.
• Two-deck Crazy Eights: shuffle two decks together for 6 or more players.
• UNO: the commercial cousin, with its own coloured deck and action cards. See our UNO rules for how it differs.

Because every family's power cards differ, write the house rules down before you begin, especially what each special card does and whether penalties can be passed on.

Crazy Eights strategy tips

1. Hold your eights. An eight is your get-out-of-jail card. Playing it early wastes it, and in a scored game it's worth 50 against you if you're caught holding it, so don't hoard it too long either.
2. Use rank matches to switch suit. If the pile shows 6♦ and you're long in clubs, playing your 6♣ moves the game into your suit without spending an eight.
3. Name the suit you're longest in when you play an eight, not just the eight's own suit.
4. Watch what opponents draw on. If a player draws when hearts are led, they're probably short of hearts, so switch to hearts when you can.
5. Get rid of high cards early in a scored game. Face cards cost 10 each.
6. Keep a mix of suits near the end so you're not stuck drawing on your last two cards.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the eight must be followed by its own suit. The player names any suit.
• Forgetting that you can match by rank as well as suit.
• Playing your eight the first time you're stuck instead of drawing a card.
• Not agreeing the drawing rule (one card, three cards, or until you can play) before the game.

More easy card games

Crazy Eights is a great family starter. For more ideas, see our guides to card games for kids and card games for 2 players, or brush up on how to shuffle cards before the next deal. For regional variants and history, the Crazy Eights article on Wikipedia is a good reference.

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FAQ

How many cards do you deal in Crazy Eights?

Deal 7 cards each in a two-player game and 5 cards each with three or more players.

Can you play an 8 on an 8 in Crazy Eights?

Yes. Eights are wild and can be played on any card, including another eight. You then name the suit to follow.

What happens if you can't play in Crazy Eights?

You draw from the stock until you can play, under traditional rules. Many groups limit it to one card and then pass. If the stock is empty, you pass.

How much is an 8 worth in Crazy Eights?

In standard scoring an eight is worth 50 points, face cards 10, aces 1, and other cards their face value.

Is Crazy Eights the same as UNO?

They're closely related shedding games, but Crazy Eights uses a normal 52-card deck and only the eights are wild, while UNO has its own deck with action cards.

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