Crazy Eights

1 Game Overview

Crazy Eights is the classic matching card game that directly inspired Uno. Players take turns playing cards that match either the suit or the rank of the top card on the discard pile. Eights are wild, they can be played at any time and let you call the next suit. First to empty your hand wins.

2 What You Need

• 1 standard deck of 52 cards (use 2 decks for 5+ players)

3 Setup

1. Deal 5 cards to each player (7 cards for 2-player games).
2. Place remaining cards face-down as the Draw Pile.
3. Flip the top card face-up to start the Discard Pile. If it's an Eight, bury it and flip another.
4. Player to the dealer's left goes first.

4 How to Play

1. On your turn, play a card from your hand to the Discard Pile. It must match either the suit or the rank of the top card.
2. Eights are wild: You can play an Eight on any card, regardless of suit or rank. When you play an Eight, declare the new suit that the next player must match.
3. If you cannot play, draw from the Draw Pile until you draw a playable card (or until the pile runs out, some versions allow passing after one draw).
4. After playing, your turn ends.

Optional Special Cards (common house rules)

• 2s: Next player draws 2 cards and loses their turn.
• Ace: Skips the next player.
• King of Spades: Next player draws 5 cards.

5 Winning

The first player to play all cards from their hand wins. In multi-round scoring: remaining players count their hand values (8s = 50 points, face cards = 10, number cards = face value). First to a target score (e.g., 200 points) loses.

6 Tips

• Save Eights. They're your get-out-of-jail cards. Use them when truly stuck, not just for convenience.
• Change the suit to what you have the most of. When playing an Eight, pick the suit you hold most of.
• Track what suits opponents struggle with. If someone keeps drawing, they probably don't have the current suit. Keep that suit running if it benefits you.