How to Play Crazy Eights
Match the suit or rank — 8s are always wild.
Also known as Switch (UK) · Mau-Mau (Germany) · Dos (Mexico)
Learn Crazy Eights for 2–8 players: match the suit or rank, call a suit with an 8, draw only when stuck and score the cards left behind. Work through four turns, then play in your browser.
Four turns on a 7♥
The top discard is the 7♥ and hearts are in play. You hold the 7♠, the 8♣ and the K♦. The K♦ does not fit, so you play the 7♠: the rank matches and spades are now in play. Your opponent has no spade and no 8, so they draw until a card fits. Later you play the 8♣ and call diamonds, and the K♦ becomes playable on your next turn.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| 7♥ on top, you play 7♠ | Legal: the rank matches, and spades are now the suit in play |
| Spades in play, no spade and no 8 in hand | You must draw one card at a time until one fits, then play it |
| You play 8♣ and call diamonds | Legal on anything; the next player needs a diamond or an 8 |
| Someone goes out while you hold 8♣ and K♦ | They score 60 from you: 50 for the 8 and 10 for the King |
The app lets you draw only when nothing fits, and a drawn card that fits must be played. With the Special cards option on, Queens skip, Aces reverse and 2s make the next player draw two.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Be the first to empty your hand each round. The player who goes out scores the cards the others still hold, and the first total to reach the target (200 by default, 50 to 500 at setup) wins the match.
🃏 Crazy Eights Setup & Rules
- 2 to 8 players with one standard 52-card deck. Two players get 7 cards each; three or more get 5 each.
- The top card of the stock is turned up to start the discard pile. An 8 turned up is buried in the stock and another card turned; the opening card never acts, whatever it is.
- The player to the dealer's left plays first. The deal moves one seat to the left each round.
▶ How to Play Crazy Eights
- On your turn play one card that matches the suit in play or the rank of the top discard. Matching the rank with a different suit changes the suit in play.
- An 8 can be played on anything, even another 8. Name a suit as you play it: the next player must follow that suit or play an 8.
- If nothing in your hand fits, draw one card at a time until one does, then play it. You cannot draw while you hold a playable card, and you cannot keep a drawn card that fits.
- When the stock runs out, the discards under the top card are shuffled into a new stock. With nothing left to draw at all, you pass.
- With the Special cards option on, a Queen skips the next player, an Ace reverses the direction (a skip with two players), and a 2 makes the next player draw two and lose their turn. 2s do not stack.
- The first player to shed every card wins the round. If nobody can play and nothing is left to draw, the round is blocked and the lowest hand wins it.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Crazy Eights
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Crazy Eights, then pick 2 to 8 seats. Up to 5 of them can be app opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard, so a table of 7 or 8 needs more than one human player.
- Target score: the match ends when a total reaches it. 200 by default, from 50 to 500 in steps of 50.
- Special cards: off by default. Switched on, a Queen skips the next player, an Ace reverses the direction and a 2 makes the next player draw two and lose their turn.
- Tap Deal. One 52-card deck serves every table size: 7 cards each for two players, 5 each for three or more, and the rest is the stock.
Playing a card
- Play a card of the suit in play or of the top card's rank. The suit in play is the top card's suit, or the suit the last 8 called.
- Matching the rank with a different suit changes the suit in play, which is the cheapest way to steer the game toward your long suit.
- An 8 goes on anything, even another 8. Name the suit it calls as you play it; the next player must follow that suit or play an 8 of their own.
- Only the top card matters, so a hand that looked dead a moment ago can open up when the suit changes.
Drawing and passing
- You may draw only when nothing in your hand fits, and you draw one card at a time. A drawn card that fits must be played at once; one that does not stays in your hand and you draw again.
- When the stock is empty, the discards under the top card are shuffled into a new stock, so you keep drawing until a card fits.
- If the stock and the discards are both gone, a draw passes the turn instead.
- When every player passes in turn, the round is blocked: the lowest hand wins it and scores the other hands' points less its own.
Scoring and the match
- The first player out wins the round and scores the cards left in every other hand: 8s 50, Kings, Queens and Jacks 10, Aces 1, the rest face value.
- At the end of a round every hand is revealed with its points and the new totals.
- The deal moves one seat to the left and the next round starts with full hands again, clockwise once more whatever an Ace did last round.
- The first total to reach the target wins the match. Two players who reach it in the same round with the same total share it.
📊 Crazy Eights Scoring
Each 8 left in a hand costs 50, Kings, Queens and Jacks 10, Aces 1, and every other card its face value. The player who goes out scores the points left in every other hand. In a blocked round the lowest hand scores the other hands' points less its own. The match ends when a total reaches the target, 200 by default (50 to 500 at setup); two players who reach it with the same total share the match. The app seats up to 5 app opponents, so a table of 7 or 8 needs more than one human player.
❓ Crazy Eights — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Crazy Eights?
Crazy Eights is played with 2–8 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
What happens when you play an 8 in Crazy Eights?
An 8 can be played on any card, even another 8. You name a suit as you play it, and the next player must play that suit or an 8 of their own. An 8 left in your hand when someone goes out costs 50 points.
Can you draw a card when you have a playable card?
No. The app lets you draw only when nothing in your hand fits, one card at a time, and a drawn card that fits must be played at once.
Are Queens, Aces and 2s special in Crazy Eights?
Only with the Special cards option on at setup; it is off by default. Then a Queen skips the next player, an Ace reverses the direction, and a 2 makes the next player draw 2 cards and lose their turn. Twos do not stack.
How many points do you need to win Crazy Eights?
The match ends when a player's total reaches the target score: 200 by default, from 50 to 500 at setup. The player who goes out scores the cards left in the other hands, so a round can be worth anything from a few points to over 100.
