Coming soonAges 7+2 to 8 playersFree
Crazy Eights
The card game where every 8 is wild
Play it solo against the Locksmith's regulars, or round a TV with friends on their phones. Free, with no app to download.
Crazy Eights is a shedding game: you win by getting rid of every card in your hand before anyone else does. You match the top card of the pile by suit or by number, and every 8 is wild, so an 8 goes on anything and lets you name the next suit. It takes a minute to learn, it plays from two players up to a full table, and it needs nothing but a standard deck.
How to play Crazy Eights
What you need
One standard 52-card deck with the jokers out. Over six players, shuffle two decks together. Two to eight can play.
The deal
With two players, deal seven cards each. With three or more, deal five each. Turn one card face up to start the discard pile. If it is an 8, bury it in the deck and turn another. The rest of the deck goes face down beside it as the draw pile.
On your turn
- Match the top card. Play one card that has the same suit or the same number as the card on top of the pile. A 6 of spades goes on any spade, or on any 6.
- Or play an 8. An 8 goes on anything, whatever is showing. When you play one, you name the suit the next player must follow.
- Can't play, or don't want to? Draw one card from the draw pile. If it fits, you may play it straight away. If it doesn't, you keep it and your turn is over.
Last card
When you are down to one card, you must say "Last card" (in our game you ring the bell). If another player calls you out before you say it, you take two cards from the pile. That one rule is where most of the table talk comes from.
Winning
The first player to play their last card wins the round. You can finish on an 8. If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile (keeping the top card in play) and carry on.
Keeping score over several rounds
One round has a winner and no points. If you want a running score with real cards, the traditional method is for everyone left holding cards to count them after each round and add the total to their score. Lowest total after an agreed number of rounds wins.
| Card | Points against you |
|---|---|
| 8 | 50 |
| King, Queen, Jack, 10 | 10 each |
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 7 and 9 | Face value |
House rules you will meet
Some tables let you draw until you can play, or give a 2 or a Queen a special job. We play none of that: a standard deck, no action cards, and the 8s do all the work. It keeps the game fast, and it keeps the 8s worth saving.
Crazy Eights strategy
- Play your longest suit first. The suit you hold most of is the one you can keep playing. Run it down and your other cards stay safe as spares.
- Keep your 8s back. An 8 is your escape when nothing else fits. Play one too early and you will be drawing from the pile the very next turn. The exception is when it is your last card: that wins.
- Name the suit you hold most of. When you play an 8, do not pick a suit at random. Name the one you can follow with your next play.
- Watch who draws. A player who draws instead of playing has no card in the suit on top. Switch to that suit and they will have to draw again.
- Ring the bell before you think. Say "Last card" the moment you play your second-last card. Forgetting it is the most expensive mistake in the game.
Our Crazy Eights, coming soon
Pull up a chair at the Locksmith's back-room table. Solo, you play against up to three of his regulars: Clem the clockmaker is careful and holds his 8s to the end, Rook the apprentice is cocky and plays his 8s the moment he can, and Aunt Vera the key cutter never forgets a card. The Locksmith deals himself in and narrates. Pick easy, normal or sharp: sharp regulars track who drew and switch to the suit you lack.
The Catch! buzzer lights up for two seconds when a regular forgets the bell. Tap it first and they take two. The regulars are never faster than a person, so a quick thumb always has a chance.
With friends, the TV is the table: the pile, the draw pile and everyone's card count. Each phone is your hand, so nobody sees your cards but you. The host needs a free account and guests need nothing. It is free to play, and there is no app.
Free to play, and coming soon
Crazy Eights is free, solo or with friends, and there is no app to download. Put your email in the box and we will send one email the day it opens, and nothing else unless you tick the box.
More to play and read
The other Classics, coming soon, and the party games you can play today.
- All our party games, free and in Party Pack 01
- Party games you can play on a TV with phones
- Games like Jackbox you can play on your phone
- Murder in the Dark, a free lights-out party game for one room
Questions about Crazy Eights
How many cards do you deal in Crazy Eights?
Seven each for two players, and five each for three or more. With more than six players, shuffle two decks together.
Can you win by playing an 8 as your last card?
Yes. An 8 plays on anything, so it can be your last card and win the round.
How do you play Crazy Eights with two players?
Deal seven cards each, turn one up for the pile and take turns. Everything else is the same: match the suit or number, 8s are wild, draw one card if you cannot play.
What happens when the draw pile runs out?
Keep the top card of the discard pile where it is, shuffle the rest and use them as the new draw pile.
Is there a free online Crazy Eights?
Ours will be free to play, solo against the Locksmith's regulars or with friends on your phones. It opens soon: put your email in the box on this page and we will tell you the day it does.
Do the other players need an app?
No. It runs in the browser on any phone. Guests join with a code or a QR scan and the host's account is free.