Crazy Eights – The Wildly Fun Classic Card Game!
Simple enough for kids but with plenty of strategic depth for adults, Crazy Eights is one of those delightfully addictive card games that never gets old. The rules are easy to learn, but the back-and-forth gameplay will have you gleefully agonizing over every discarded card.
The Basics Crazy Eights is traditionally played with a standard 52-card deck between 2-7 players. The dealer distributes the deck evenly, and players attempt to be the first to run out of cards in their hand by discarding matching cards from their hand to the central pile.
Cards are played by matching either the suit or rank of the top card on the discard pile. For example, if a 5 of Hearts is showing, you could play any heart or any 5 to discard your card. When you’re unable to play, you must draw cards from the stockpile until you get a playable card.
The Crazy 8s As the namesake card, the 8s add a fun wildcard twist to the gameplay. When an 8 is played, the person discarding it gets to call out a new suit that continues play. So an 8 of Clubs could be played on a 5 of Hearts, and the player could declare “Spades!” as the new suit to match.
This simple rule creates constantly shifting opportunities and new chances to finally play those difficult cards stuck in your hand. It also means you frequently need to weigh playing an 8 to reset to a preferable suit or holding it for when you get really stuck.
Scoring and Variations In the classic game, players attempt to be the first to accurately discard all their cards from their hand. More skilled players enjoy adding scoring methods that tally penalty points for cards remaining in their hand at the end — Aces are low at 1 point, face cards are 10, etc.
Other fun variations include making the game more competitive by allowing picking up the discard pile if you play a matching 8, or going for lowest score over multiple rounds and rotating the deal. Some even play Crazy Eights as a drinking game by assigning funny rules and consuming beverages for playing illegal cards!
Crazy Eights sits in that sweet spot of being easy enough for family game nights with kids while providing a simple strategic card game for more cutthroat play among adults. With rounds that move quickly and luck playing a pivotal role, it’s an ideal portable game for travel or any casual setting. Just tuck a deck of cards in your bag and you’ll be ready for some wonderfully Crazy Eights fun!
How to play Crazy Eights:
Objective Be the first player to empty your hand by playing all your cards.
The Deal
- Use a standard 52-card deck.
- Deal 5-7 cards to each player or team.
- Place the remaining cards facedown as the draw pile.
- Turn the top card of the draw pile faceup to start the discard pile.
Gameplay
- Take turns playing a card that matches the suit or rank of the top discard pile card.
- Eights are wild – play them anytime, then declare the new suit.
- If you can’t play a card, draw one from the draw pile.
- Play continues until someone goes out by emptying their hand.
Scoring
- First player to empty their hand wins the round.
- In variations, points are scored per the cards opponents are left holding.
- First player to reach a set point total wins the overall game.
Strategies
- Memorize which suits and ranks are played.
- Save eights for when you are stuck.
- Try to hang onto a card that can change the suit.
- In multi-player games, team up by playing the same suits.
Have fun outplaying opponents in this family favorite!