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Crazy Eights is a shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig and Spoons. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The game is similar to Switch, Mau Mau or Whot!. [1]
- Overview
- Setup
- How to Play
- Winning & Scoring
- Simple Variations
- Zimbabwean Crazy Eights
Crazy Eights is a game where the players try to get rid of all their cards. You may even already know this classic card game by one of its unofficial names, like Eights or Swedish Rummy.
No matter what you call the game, you’ll only need a standard deck of 52 cards to play with a group of five or less, and you can easily include more players by adding a second deck.
Ready to have some fun? We’ll teach you exactly how to play and walk you through all the rules you need to know, plus strategies to win every time.
The basic gameplay of Crazy Eights involves trying to get rid of your cards by matching either the rank or suit of the face-up card in the discard pile.
The objective of the game is to be the first one to discard all your cards. Or, if you’re playing multiple rounds, you want to have the fewest points.
You can play variations by assigning different actions to cards, increasing the number of starting cards, and more.
8 cards to each player.
Take a normal 52-card deck and thoroughly shuffle it. One card at a time, deal cards to players starting with the player on your left.
In Crazy Eights (and, generally, in most card games), cards are always dealt starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
If there are only two players total, only deal 7 cards instead of the usual 8. As mentioned earlier, if there are more than 5 players, combine 2 decks together.
Place the remaining cards in the center.
When each player has 8 cards, set the remaining cards face down in the center of the playing area. These cards form the draw pile. If you can’t play a card, you’ll draw from these cards until you get a playable one.
Match rank or suit with the top card to get rid of one of your cards.
To play a card, players must either match the rank (4, 10, K, A…) or suit (♣,♦,♥,♠) with a single card in their hand. This card is placed face-up on top of the discard pile and the turn passes to the next player on the left.
In most standard card games, including Crazy Eights, the player to left of the dealer is the first to play a card after the cards are dealt.
8s are wild cards in this game. When you play an 8, you'll have to declare the new suit. Some versions of Crazy Eights restrict players from ending on an 8.
Draw cards if you have no playable cards in your hand.
If you don't have any cards in your hand that match the rank or suit of the top card, draw cards from the draw pile until you get a playable card. After that, play the card and then continue as normal.
Count points to decide the winner if the draw pile runs out.
It’s possible that the draw pile will run out before the game is finished. This is a game-ending condition in Crazy Eights. The player with the fewest points (not necessarily cards) in their hand wins.
Aces are worth 1 point.
Numbered cards are worth the same amount as their number of pips.
Court cards (J, Q, K) are worth 10 points apiece.
crazy with a value of 50 points!
Increase the number of cards in the starting hand.
The more cards in your starting hand, the longer the game will go on. However, doing this will decrease your draw pile, which could have the opposite effect and shorten your game. Because of this, you may want to play with two decks combined.
When adding more cards to your Crazy Eights deck, choose cards with the same design to prevent card counting.
Add your second deck to the first by
the cards together as you would normally. Take your time - since there are more cards, it can be difficult to shuffle.
Assign crazy actions to certain cards.
Recognize the different aspects of this version of Crazy Eights.
All the normal rules of Crazy Eights hold for this Zimbabwean version. The big difference is that other cards besides 8s have special abilities too.
These special abilities of cards are broken up into three categories: offensive, shifting, and defensive.
Explain offensive cards to players.
Offensive cards cause the next player to draw a certain number of cards, making it more difficult for them to win. Playing a 2 causes the next player to draw two cards. Playing the Queen of Spades causes the next player to draw five.
Some players allow forced draws to skip a person if an offensive card is played on top of an offensive card. So if a 2 were played, the next player could lay another 2, passing a four-card draw down the line.
Play the classic card game Crazy Eights online for free, against the computer or your friends. No download required, just start playing right away!
Playing Crazy Eights can help improve decision-making and critical thinking skills. You’ll have to think and decide between a few options when playing your turn, especially when playing with action cards.
- Game
Crazy eights is a popular shedding type game, popular with children all around the world as it's easy to learn: often being an introductory card game for younger children.
crazy eights, popular children’s card game. The basic idea is to be the first to play all one’s cards to a communal discard pile. This game has a huge number of variations and many alternative names.
Crazy Eights is a popular and simple card game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages. Below are the rules and an overview of how to play: Buy Now! Objective. The objective of Crazy Eights is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. Setup. 1.
