Play Crazy Eights for free
Crazy Eights is a simple, fast card game for two to four players: match the top card by suit or by number, and be the first to get rid of all your cards. Here on Kitchen Table Cards you play it free in your browser against Rosa, Walter and June, with big cards, hints, and no time pressure.
Rules · Wild Eights · Drawing · Scoring · Tips · Questions
Crazy Eights rules
The deal
Crazy Eights is played with an ordinary deck of 52 cards. With two players, each player gets 7 cards; with three or four players, each gets 5 cards. The rest of the deck is placed face down in the middle of the table, and its top card is turned face up next to it to start the discard pile. (If that card is an Eight, it goes back into the deck and another card is turned up.)
Your turn
Play goes round the table to the left. On your turn, put one card from your hand on the discard pile. It must:
- match the suit of the top card (a Heart on a Heart), or
- match the number or picture of the top card (a Seven on a Seven, a Queen on a Queen), or
- be an Eight, which can go on anything.
When you play a card that matches by number, the suit changes to the suit of your card. The next player then has to follow that suit, or match the number again.
Winning
The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. In the rare game where nobody can play and there is nothing left to draw, the player with the fewest cards wins.
Why Eights are “crazy”
The Eights are wild. You can play an Eight on any card at any time, even on another Eight. When you do, you choose the suit: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades or Clubs. The next player must play a card of the suit you chose, or another Eight. On this site, the chosen suit is shown next to the discard pile until the next card is played.
Drawing cards
If you can’t play (or don’t want to), draw the top card of the deck. You can keep drawing, one card at a time, until you get a card you can play, and then play it. When the deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to make a new deck; only its top card stays where it is. If there are no cards left to draw at all and you can’t play, you pass.
How to play on this site
| Play a card | Click or tap it, or drag it onto the discard pile. The cards you can play stand up a little out of your hand (you can switch this off under Settings). |
|---|---|
| Draw a card | Click the deck. When none of your cards fit, the deck is outlined in yellow. |
| Choose a suit | After you play an Eight, four buttons appear: click the suit you want. |
| Hint | Suggests a good card to play, or the best suit to choose, and says why. |
| Pause | Stops the game until you are ready to carry on. |
Crazy Eights scoring
Many people just play for the win. If you want to keep score over several games, the player who goes out scores points for the cards left in everyone else’s hands:
| Card left in a hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Each Eight | 50 |
| Each King, Queen or Jack | 10 |
| Each Ace | 1 |
| Any other card | The number on the card |
The first player to reach an agreed total, such as 100 points, wins the match. At the end of each game here, the scores for that game are shown.
Tips for winning at Crazy Eights
- Save your Eights. An Eight can get you out of any trouble, so keep it until nothing else fits, or until it lets you play your last card.
- Change to your best suit. When you can match by number, choose the card that turns the game to the suit you hold most of.
- Play high cards early. Kings, Queens and Jacks cost 10 points each if you are caught with them at the end.
- Watch the other players. When someone is down to one card, try to change the suit away from what they last played.
- Choose wisely after an Eight. Name the suit you have most cards of, so you can keep playing on your next turns.
If you enjoy Crazy Eights, try Kings Corner or Idiot, two more games about getting rid of your cards first.
Crazy Eights questions and answers
Is this Crazy Eights game free?
Yes. Crazy Eights on Kitchen Table Cards is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy.
Who am I playing Crazy Eights against?
Against friendly computer players: Rosa, Walter and June. You can play with one, two or all three of them under Settings.
How many cards do you deal in Crazy Eights?
With two players, each player gets 7 cards. With three or four players, each player gets 5 cards. The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle, and the top card is turned face up to start the discard pile.
What happens when you play an Eight?
Eights are wild. You can play an Eight on any card, and then you choose the suit. The next player must play a card of that suit, or another Eight.
Can you play an Eight on an Eight?
Yes. An Eight can be played at any time, including on another Eight. You then choose the suit again.
What if I can’t play a card?
Draw a card from the deck. Keep drawing, one card at a time, until you get a card you can play, then play it. If the deck is empty, the discard pile (all but its top card) is shuffled to make a new deck.
Can I draw a card even if I could play one?
Yes, in this game you can. Sometimes it is worth drawing to keep an Eight for later. Most players simply play when they can.
What if the first card turned up is an Eight?
It is put back into the deck and another card is turned up, so the game never starts on an Eight.
How do you score Crazy Eights?
The player who goes out first scores points for the cards left in the other players’ hands: 50 for each Eight, 10 for each King, Queen or Jack, 1 for each Ace, and the number on the card for the rest. Many families play to 100 or 500 points over several games.
Is Crazy Eights the same as Uno?
Uno is based on Crazy Eights. Both are about matching the colour (in Crazy Eights the suit) or the number of the top card, and getting rid of your cards first. Uno uses its own deck with special cards; Crazy Eights uses an ordinary deck of 52 playing cards, with the Eights as wild cards.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your current game is saved automatically on your device. If you close the page and come back later, you can carry on where you left off.
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