Crazy Eights

What is Crazy Eights?

Crazy Eights is a shedding game: the goal is to get rid of all your cards before anyone else. You play onto a single pile in the middle, matching the top card by suit or by rank. Eights are wild, so you can play one at almost any moment and pick the next suit. It's one of the first card games a lot of people learn, and it plays well with two players or a full table.

Our version is free and plays in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to download. You can play against one, two or three computer rivals.

How to play Crazy Eights

The deal

Use a standard 52-card deck. With two players, each gets 7 cards. With three or four players, each gets 5. The rest of the deck goes face down as the draw pile, and the top card is turned face up to start the discard pile. If that starter card is an eight, it gets shuffled back into the deck and a new card is turned.

Your turn

• Play one card that matches the top card's suit or rank. On a 6♥, you can play any heart or any 6.
• Eights are wild. You can play an eight on anything, then call the suit the next player has to follow.
• If you can't play, draw cards from the deck until you get one you can use. You're also allowed to draw when you could play, which is sometimes a smart way to hang on to a card.
• When the deck runs out, there's no more drawing. If you can't play, you pass. If every player passes in a row, the round is blocked.

In our version, the discard pile is not reshuffled when the deck runs out. That's the classic rule, and it makes late-round play a lot more tactical.

Going out

The first player to play their last card wins the round and scores points for the cards still left in everyone else's hand.

Crazy Eights scoring

If a round is blocked, the player with the lowest total in hand wins the round and scores the difference between their total and each other player's. If two players tie for lowest, nobody scores that round.

Rounds continue until someone reaches 100 points. The highest score at that point wins the match.

Controls

Cards you can play are shown bright. Tap one to play it, or drag it onto the pile. When you play an eight, pick the new suit. Tap Draw or the deck to draw a card. When the deck is empty and you have nothing to play, you'll get a pass option.

On a computer, arrow keys pick a card, Enter plays it, D draws, P passes and Esc pauses. You can save and quit a match and come back to it later.

Rivals and difficulty

In settings, choose 1, 2 or 3 rivals at the table: Juno the juggler (fast hands, loves wild cards), Pip the popcorn kid (counts every card) and Marigold the show host (calm, sharp and sneaky). Then choose how hard they play:

• Easy: rivals play the first card they see.
• Normal: rivals save their eights and plan their suits.
• Hard: rivals track which suits you're missing and try to block you.

That last one is worth knowing. When you draw because you couldn't follow a suit, Hard rivals notice and will try to keep the pile on that suit.

Daily Show, tickets and prizes

The Daily Show is three rounds against two rivals, with the same deals for everyone that day. Your score is your points plus 2 for every card you play, so even a round you lose can add up. Check the leaderboard and keep your day streak going.

In every game you earn tickets: 1 for each card you play, 2 more when you switch suits by matching rank, and a bunch for each round you win. Tickets fill the Prize Booth with 12 plush pals, from Bear Buddy at 30 tickets and Lucky Duck at 80 up through Ollie Octo, Star Pal, Wally Whale, Prickles, Hop Bunny, Dino Dot and Sleepy Moon, to Bolt Bot at 2,500. You never spend tickets, so prizes only ever get added.

Milestones unlock card backs for every card game on our site: your first round win, going out on an eight, your first match win, a match where no rival scores at all, and ten match wins.

Crazy Eights strategy tips

• Don't rush your eights. An eight is your escape card when nothing else fits. Playing one early just to get rid of it wastes it. Save it for when you'd otherwise have to draw.
• But don't get caught holding them. An eight left in your hand is worth 50 points to whoever goes out. When a rival is down to one or two cards, it's time to use it.
• Switch suits with rank. If the pile is on hearts and you're out of hearts, a matching rank in another suit moves play to a suit you do hold. It's like a free eight.
• Call the suit you hold the most of. When you play an eight, name the suit where you have the most cards left, so you can keep playing on your next turns.
• Dump high cards early. Kings, queens and jacks are worth 10 each if you get stuck with them. Play them while it's safe and keep low cards for later.
• Watch what rivals draw on. If a rival draws when the pile is on spades, they're probably out of spades. Try to steer play back to that suit.
• Drawing on purpose. Late in a round, when the deck is small, drawing instead of playing your last safe card can keep you from being forced into a bad play next turn.

If you like this kind of quick matching game, Go Fish Pond is another easy one for a full table.

Questions