How to play Crazy Eights: rules, scoring and house rules

Crazy Eights is the card game most people learn first: match the card on the pile, and when you're stuck, an 8 saves you. It needs one ordinary deck, plays in ten minutes and works with two players or a table of six. Here are the standard rules, the scoring, the house rules families argue about, and where to play it free.

What you need

• One standard 52-card deck (use two decks for six or more players)
• 2 to 7 players
• Paper and pen if you're playing for points

How to deal

Deal 7 cards each for two players and 5 cards each for three or more. Put the rest face down as the stock pile and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile. If that first card is an 8, shuffle it back in and turn another.

How a turn works

1. Play one card that matches the top of the discard pile by suit (hearts on hearts) or by rank (a 9 on a 9).
2. Eights are wild. You can play an 8 on anything, then name the suit the next player must follow.
3. If you can't play (or don't want to), draw from the stock. The most common rule is to keep drawing until you can play; some tables draw just one card and pass.

The first player to get rid of every card wins the hand.

Scoring

The winner scores the cards left in everyone else's hand:

• Each 8: 50 points
• K, Q, J and 10: 10 points
• Ace: 1 point
• Other cards: face value

Play to an agreed total, usually 100 for two players or 200 for bigger tables.

House rules worth trying

• 2s make the next player draw two, and a 2 can be stacked on a 2 to pass the penalty along.
• Queens skip the next player; aces reverse the direction.
• Last card call: say "last card" when you're down to one, or draw two if someone catches you.
• Jump-in: if you hold the exact same card as the one just played, you can play it out of turn.

Agree on house rules before the first deal. That one habit prevents most card-table arguments.

Strategy that actually helps

• Hold your 8s. They're your escape card and they cost 50 points if you're caught with one, so play them late, not never.
• Change the suit toward your strength. When you play an 8, name the suit you hold the most of.
• Watch what rivals draw on. If someone draws when clubs are up, they're short on clubs. Switch to clubs when you can.
• Dump high cards early when you're playing for points.

Play Crazy Eights online

Our studio's card game Prism Riot has a Crazy Eights mode you can play free in the browser against computer rivals, with no download or sign-up. Eights are wild and 2s make the next player draw two. The same game has 64 more modes: two-player duels, a no-mercy mode with +10 cards, a table that flips to its dark side, Pass & Play for friends on one device, and daily puzzles.

The Prism Riot app for Android, free on Google Play, has every mode and plays offline, which is handy on a flight or anywhere without signal; the iPhone app is in App Store review. See the Prism Riot page for the store link.

Crazy Eights vs. UNO-style games

Commercial colour card games grew out of Crazy Eights: the matching rule is the same, the wild 8 became a wild card, and the house rules above (draw two, skip, reverse) became printed action cards. If you like Crazy Eights, you'll feel at home in any game in that family.

Looking for more ways to pass the time? Games to play when bored covers card, paper and browser games.