8️⃣ How to play Crazy Eights

Easy rules, to read aloud 🔊

1. Everyone gets five cards.
2. Turn one card face up to start the pile.
3. Play a card with the same number or the same suit, like hearts.
4. An eight can go on anything, and you pick the next suit.
5. If you cannot play, take a card from the deck.
6. The first one with no cards left wins.

The full rules

1. Deal five cards each, or seven each with two players. Put the rest face down as the draw pile and turn its top card face up to start the discard pile.
2. The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves to the left.
3. On your turn, play one card onto the discard pile that matches its rank or its suit. A six of clubs can go on any six or any club.
4. An eight can go on any card. When you play one, say which suit the next player must follow.
5. If you have nothing you can play, draw from the draw pile until you get a card you can play, then play it.
6. If the draw pile runs out, keep the top discard, shuffle the rest of the discard pile, and use it as the new draw pile.
7. The first player to play their last card wins the hand.
8. To keep score, the winner gets points for the cards left in everyone else's hands: 50 for each eight, 10 for each king, queen or jack, and face value for the rest, with aces worth 1.

How to win: The first player to empty their hand wins the hand. For a longer game, keep score, and the first to 100 points wins.

Tips

• Save your eights for when you are stuck.
• When you play an eight, pick the suit you hold the most of.
• Watch which suit makes other players draw; they may not have any.

What it practises

matching numbers and suits, planning ahead, following a rule change.

Other ways to play

• Queens skip. Playing a queen makes the next player miss a turn.
• Draw two. Playing a two makes the next player pick up two cards, unless they can play a two of their own.
• Aces turn around. Playing an ace reverses the direction of play.