How to play Crazy Eights

One standard deck for two to five players (two decks for bigger groups).

Be the first to get rid of all your cards.

1. 1Deal five cards to each player—seven each if only two are playing.
2. 2Place the rest face down as a stock and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.

1. 1Starting at the dealer’s left, each player must play a card that matches the top discard by suit or by rank.
2. 2An eight can be played on anything. When you play one, name the suit the next player must follow.
3. 3If you cannot—or choose not to—play, draw from the stock. In the basic game you may draw at any time, even if you could play.

• The first player to play their last card wins the hand.
• A common way to score: the winner collects points for the cards left in opponents’ hands—50 for each eight, 10 for picture cards, 1 for aces, and face value for the rest.

• Special cards: many families add twos (next player draws two), queens (skip), or aces (reverse).
• Some play that you may only draw when you have no legal card.
• Deals of eight cards each are also common.

• Hold your eights until you really need them.
• Change the suit to one you hold several of—and that your neighbor seems short of.
• When the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to make a new stock.