Crazy Eights

How to play Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights is a classic family card game for two, played here against Anne, the computer. You take turns playing cards onto a pile, matching the card on top. The first to play all their cards wins the hand, and the first to 100 points wins the game.

The deal

We use a standard 52-card deck. Each player gets seven cards. The next card is turned face up to start the pile, and the rest lie face down as the stock. If the first card turned is an 8, it goes back under the stock and the next card is turned instead. The deal alternates between you and Anne, and the player who didn't deal plays first.

Playing a hand

• On your turn, play one card that matches the top card of the pile by suit (hearts on hearts) or by rank (a 7 on a 7). Tap the card to play it.
• Eights are wild. You can play an 8 on anything, and then you name the suit that must be followed next. It can be any suit, even the one already showing.
• If none of your cards fits, draw from the stock, one card at a time, until one does. In our game you draw only when nothing fits.
• If the stock is empty and nothing fits, you pass.

Scoring

• When a player plays their last card, they win the hand and score the cards left in the other player's hand: 50 for each 8, 10 for each King, Queen, Jack or 10, 1 for each Ace, and the number on the card for the rest.
• If neither player can move (the stock is empty and both pass), the hand is blocked. The player whose cards count less wins the hand and scores the difference. If the counts are equal, nobody scores.
• The first to reach 100 points wins the game.

Tips

We measured these by letting Anne play thousands of games against copies of Anne that each ignored one tip. They're listed with the most valuable first.

• When you play an 8, name the suit you hold most of. The point of an 8 is to make sure you can play next time too. In our tests this was the most valuable habit of all: naming a suit at random lost about 7 games in 10.
• Save your 8s. Don't play an 8 while another card fits: keep it for when nothing else does. It counts 50 if Anne goes out first, but because an 8 always fits, you'll rarely be caught with one. In our tests it happened in about 1 lost hand in 200.
• Get rid of picture cards and 10s early. They count 10 each against you if Anne goes out first. When two cards fit, play the higher one. Aces count only 1, so they can wait.
• Follow with your longest suit when the choice is otherwise even, so you'll still be able to follow next turn. Noticing which suits Anne draws on helps a little too, though in our tests far less than the tips above.
• Ask for a hint. It suggests a card and explains why: keeping your 8, getting rid of a high card, or the suit to name.

Questions

How good is Anne?

Anne follows the tips above. In our tests, Anne's way of playing beat a player who chose cards at random about 74 games in 100, and a player who simply played the first card that fit about 67 games in 100. Against another player using the same tips, each won about half.

Does Anne see my cards?

No. Anne knows only Anne's own cards, the cards played, and which suits you couldn't follow when you drew. Every hand is dealt from the game number, so you can share a game with a friend.

Is any money involved?

No. Crazy Eights here is played just for fun: there's no betting, no prizes and no real money, and nothing to buy.

How long does a game take?

A game to 100 usually takes seven or eight hands, around 15 minutes at a relaxed pace. In our tests, about one hand in eight ended blocked. Your game saves itself, so you can stop at any time.

Can I take back a move?

Yes. Undo takes back your last card played or drawn, and Anne's reply if Anne has played since, within the current hand.

Why don't 2s and Jacks do anything special?

Many families add house rules, such as a 2 making the next player draw two, or a Queen skipping a turn. We play the classic game, where only the 8s are special. It's simpler to learn, and it's the version found in standard rule books.

Does Crazy Eights have other names?

Yes, plenty. It's also known as Eights, Swedish Rummy and Rockaway, and in Britain a version called Switch is popular. Germany has a close cousin called Mau-Mau. All of them belong to a big family of “shedding” games, where the aim is to be first to get rid of your cards.