Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights is an easy-to-learn card game that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The basics of the game as explained here are very simple and allow for an almost endless number of variations to match players' abilities and preferences.

Players: The game can be played by any number of two or more players.

Cards: Use a standard 52 card deck. For six or more players, use two decks shuffled together.

Object:  The goal of Crazy Eights is to be the first player to discard all the cards in your hand.

Before play begins: The dealer shuffles the cards.

Deal five cards (one-at-time) to each player. For two players, deal seven cards apiece.

Place the remaining cards face-down in a stack on the table.

Flip the top card on the stack over and place it face-up next to the stack to begin the discard pile.

Game play: The player to the left of the dealer begins the game with play continuing clockwise. Each player will place a playable card from their hand face-up on the discard pile. A card may be played if it matches the previous card on the discard pile either in suit or in number. For example, if the discard pile shows the king of spades the next player can play any spade or any king. Eights are always wild and any eight may be played at any time. If a person plays an eight, he gets to pick the suit that the following players will then need to match. If the player has no playable cards, he must draw a card from the discard pile. The rules that a player must follow at this point vary. By some rules he will simply draw a card and, without playing anything, play will pass to the next person. Others let the player play the drawn card if it is playable. Still others require the player to continue drawing until he gets a card that he is able to play (or the deck runs out).

Winning: The player who runs out of cards first wins the game.

Scoring can be added to play multiple games. In this variation players are penalized points for the cards left in their hand at the end of each round. Points are typically assigned at fifty points for an eight, ten for any picture card, and all number cards (except eights) at face value (where an ace is worth one point, twos are worth two, and so on). The game ends when a player reaches a preset high number, often 200, with the winner being the player with the lowest score at that point.

Additional variations: The game is flexible enough to allow any number of customizable variations ranging from the scoring method to number of cards. The following are a few of the more common variations involving special rules for certain cards.

Some rules hold that when a queen is played the player whose turn is next is skipped over and loses their turn.

Some rules designate any two as a draw card, where the next player is forced to draw two cards, unless he can play another two card. The draw cards continue to add up until a player is reached who cannot play another two. He must then draw the sum of all the draw cards previously played.

Aces are sometimes treated as reverse cards that change the direction in which the game is played. If the game is being played clockwise, then it would change to counterclockwise.

© Moms Break; Inc. Only for use with Printable Shop games.