Rules of the Game
How to Play Crazy Eights: Rules, Card Effects, and Scoring
Known simply as "Eights" in 1930s America, the game earned its modern name in the 1940s, when soldiers nicknamed it after the Section 8 military discharge. Crazy Eights went on to inspire Uno, but the original asks for nothing more than a standard deck of 52 cards, and rewards sharper play than its famous descendant.
The aim of the game
Crazy Eights is a shedding game: the winner is the first player to get rid of every card in their hand. Each hand is quick, so the game is usually played over several rounds, with points scored against the cards your opponents are left holding.
The deck and the deal
Use a standard 52-card deck. With six players or more, shuffle two decks together.
- Deal five cards to each player, one at a time (seven cards each when playing with only two players).
- Place the rest of the deck face down in the center: this is the stock.
- Turn the top card of the stock face up beside it to start the discard pile. If it is an eight, bury it in the stock and turn the next card.
How a turn works
The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise. On your turn, you must do one of the following:
- Play one card onto the discard pile. It must match the top card in suit or in rank: a seven of spades can be covered by any spade or by any seven.
- Play an eight, from any suit, at any time (see below).
- Draw from the stock if you cannot, or do not want to, play. In the classic rules you keep drawing until you can play; a common gentler variant limits the draw to one card, then passes.
When the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile (all but its top card) to form a new one.
The eights: wild cards
The eight is the card that gives the game its name. It can be played on anything, and the player who lays it down names the suit the next player must follow. Held until the right moment, a single eight can undo an opponent who is one card from going out.
Card effects: the most common variant
Most tables play with special cards beyond the eight. The set below is the most widespread in American play; agree on your table's effects before the first deal.
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| Eight | Wild: play on anything, name the next suit |
| Two | Next player draws two cards and skips their turn (some tables let twos stack) |
| Queen | Skips the next player |
| Ace | Reverses the direction of play |
Scoring
When a player goes out, the hand ends. Every other player counts the cards left in their hand, and the total is credited to the winner.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Eight | 50 |
| King, Queen, Jack | 10 |
| Nine to Two | Face value |
| Ace | 1 |
Play to an agreed target, commonly 100 points with two players, higher with more. The first player to reach it wins the game.
Three tips to sharpen your game
Hold your eights. An eight played early is a wasted wild card; an eight played when you are down to two cards closes the door behind you.
Count what you cannot see. If three hearts have gone by and your opponent keeps drawing on hearts, steer the pile there and keep it there.
Shed your high cards first. Every king in your hand is ten points for someone else the moment another player goes out.