Crazy Eights Rules

The object of Crazy Eights is to get rid of the cards in your hand onto a discard pile by matching the number or suit of the previous discard.

There are many variations of Crazy Eights - here are the rules for this version.

Players

There are two players, you against a computer opponent.

Cards

A standard 52 card pack is used.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to score as few points as possible by discarding all the cards in your hand. When one player has discarded all cards, points are scored against the other player based on the cards still held. When one (or both) players reach 100 points, the game is over and the person with the lowest score wins.

Deal

The dealer deals out 7 cards to each player. The remainder (stock) is placed face down in the middle of the table and the first card is turned over.
When one player has no more cards in their hand or the stock is depleted and no player can play any card, the deal is over.

Play

The non-dealer plays the first card. He/she may choose to:

  • Play a card that matches the same suit as the last discard.
  • Play a card of the same rank as the last discard, eg a 3 spades on a 3 hearts.
  • Play an Eight. All 4 Eights can be played on any card and when you play an Eight, you must nominate a suit to switch to. The other player then needs to play a card from that suit or an Eight.
  • Draw a card from the stock. You may choose to draw a card even if you have a valid card to play (eg you may wish to keep your Eights until later in the deal).
The player must play a card before the turn moves to the next player. If you don't have a valid card, you must keep drawing one from the stock until you can play. The only exception is at the end when there are no more cards in the stock and you do not have a valid play.

The play of the deal ends when one player has no more cards or neither player can play any card and the stock is depleted.

Note: Cards that may not be played in the trick will be shown in darker color making it easy to see valid cards to play.

Scoring

When the deal is over, each card left in your hand scores points against you. Eights will score 50 against, picture cards 10, and other cards their face value. An Ace scores 1 point. When a player has 100 or more points against, the game is over.