Crazy eights online
Match the suit or rank, play an eight to change the suit, and be the first to empty your hand. Play the computer, or up to three friends on the same device. Every hand is counted out for you.
How to play crazy eights
Crazy eights is a game for two or more players with a standard 52-card deck. You want to get rid of your cards before anyone else does, and catch them holding plenty of points when you do.
- The deal. Two players get 7 cards each; three or four players get 5 each. The next card is turned up to start the pile, and the rest are the stock.
- Your turn. Play a card that matches the top card’s suit or rank.
- Eights are wild. You can play an eight at any time, and you name the suit the next player has to match.
- Drawing. If you can’t play, draw from the stock until you can. You can also draw when you could play, to hold on to a card.
- Going out. The first player to empty their hand wins the hand and scores the cards left in everyone else’s.
The full rules, with what happens when the stock runs out, are on the crazy eights rules page.
Crazy eights scoring at a glance
| Card left in a hand | Points |
|---|
| Any eight | 50 |
| King, queen, jack or ten | 10 |
| Nine down to two | Face value |
| Ace | 1 |
The game runs to 50 points per player: 100 with two players, 150 with three and 200 with four.
Questions
Is this crazy eights game free?
Yes. You can play crazy eights here free, in your browser, with nothing to download and no sign-up needed to start.
How many people can play?
Two to four. Play the computer with one, two or three opponents, or pick the same number of players on one device and pass it around; your cards are hidden between turns. Online games with friends by link are coming soon.
How good is the computer?
There are four levels. Beginner plays any card it can. Casual saves its eights and names the suit it holds most. Skilled also gets rid of big cards first and counts what has been played. Expert remembers who drew on which suit and plays each option through before it moves.
Can I make the cards bigger?
Yes. Use the Text size buttons (A, A+, A++, A+++) above the table: the cards grow with the text. Display settings also has a four-colour deck, high contrast and slower animations.
Why are there no skip or draw-two cards?
This is classic crazy eights, played with a plain deck where the eights are the only special cards. Plenty of families add their own rules for other cards, but we keep to the plain game.
What else is crazy eights called?
It goes by plenty of names, among them Eights, Swedish Rummy and Switch. Mau-Mau, played in Germany, is a close relative.
More card games
Looking for two-player games? See our list of the best card games for two players, or try cribbage.