Crazy Eights Rules: How to Play

A phone, tablet or computer with a browser. Each player uses their own device, and your hand shows on your own screen.

Two or more can play. Play with friends, or add bots to fill the other seats. More decks are shuffled in as the table grows.

Everyone is dealt a hand. One card is turned face up to start the pile, and the rest of the deck sits face down beside it.

On your turn you play one card onto the pile. It must match the top card by suit or by rank. On a seven of hearts you can play any heart or any seven.

Eights are wild. An eight goes on any card, and whoever plays it names the suit that comes next.

The first player to empty their hand wins.

How many cards you get, and how many decks are used, depends on how many seats are at the table.

• Two players: 7 cards each.
• Three or more players: 5 cards each.
• Up to five players: one standard deck of 52 cards, with no jokers.
• Six to ten players: two decks shuffled together. Every five players after that add one more deck.
• The cards are shuffled fresh for every game.
• The card turned up to start the pile is never an eight.

1. Host a room and share the room code or invite link, or play on your own with bots.
2. Add bots in the lobby if you want them.
3. Start the game. Everyone gathers on the game screen.
4. The setup screen lists who is playing and how many cards each player will get.
5. The host taps Deal. There are no settings to choose.
6. Everyone on the game screen at that moment gets a seat, in the order they joined the room. Bots get seats too.
7. The first seat plays first. Turns then go round the seats in the same order for the whole game.

1. When it is your turn, the banner over the table says so. Everyone else sees whose turn it is.
2. The cards in your hand that fit are lit and raised. The rest are dimmed.
3. Play one card that fits: the same suit as the top card, the same rank, or any eight.
4. If you played an eight, name the suit.
5. The turn passes to the next seat.

An eight goes on any card, whatever is on top. That includes another eight.

After you play an eight, four buttons appear: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. Tap one. You can name any suit, including the one already in play.

The next player must play a card of the suit you named, or an eight. The suit printed on the eight itself does not count. The named suit shows on the pile and in the banner until the next card is played.

If an eight is your last card, you win as soon as you play it. There is no suit to name.

No other card is special. There are no skips, reverses or draw-two cards.

If no card in your hand fits, the deck deals to you on its own, one card at a time, until a card fits. The banner says “Nothing fits: dealing to you”.

There is no limit on how many cards you can be dealt in one turn. The dealing stops at the first card that fits, and that card is then yours to play.

The number on the deck shows how many cards are left in it. When the last card is taken, the pile is shuffled and becomes the new deck. The top card of the pile stays where it is.

If the deck is empty and there is no pile to refill it from, a player with nothing that fits is passed over.

Each move has a 20 second clock. It starts again after every card you are dealt, and again when you have a suit to name.

The countdown appears in the banner for the last 6 seconds.

If the clock runs out on your turn, a card that fits is played for you, picked at random. An eight is played for you only when nothing else fits.

If the clock runs out while you are naming a suit, the suit you hold the most of is named for you.

A game is one hand. There are no points and no target score.

The first player to play their last card wins, and the game ends at once. The final count lists everyone by cards left, fewest first.

If the deck is empty and nobody at the table has a card that fits, the game ends there. The player with the fewest cards wins.

• Ties: if the table locks up and two or more players hold the fewest cards, they share the win. Players with the same number of cards left share the same place.
• You can only play on your turn, and only a card that fits.
• You cannot draw by choice. The deck deals to you only when nothing in your hand fits.
• You cannot pass by choice. A pass happens only when nothing fits and the deck is empty.
• You do not have to announce your last card.
• With two or more decks there is more than one of every card. A card can be played on its twin.
• Someone goes back to the lobby: their turns are skipped at once. Their cards stay in their hand and still count at the end. If they come back before the game ends, their turns come back too.
• Someone leaves after playing an eight but before naming a suit: the turn moves on, and the suit printed on the eight is the one to follow.
• Someone puts their phone down: their seat is held for two minutes. On their turn the banner shows that they are away, and a card is still played for them when the move clock runs out. After two minutes their turns are skipped until they come back.
• A late joiner: seats are set when the host deals. Anyone who arrives after the deal watches this game and gets a seat in the next one.
• The host leaves: if the host taps the ×, the game ends and everyone goes back to the lobby. If the host drops out of the room, the game cannot go on and everyone sees “The host left”. Deal again to play a new game.
• Play again: when the game is over, the host can tap Play again and deal a new game.

The host can add up to three bots in the lobby. Bots take seats like any player and take their turns in order.

A bot waits about a second before each move, so you can watch its turn.

A bot plays a card that fits, picked at random from the ones it holds. It keeps its eights until nothing else fits. When it plays an eight, it names the suit it holds the most of.

When nothing fits, the deck deals to a bot just as it does to you.

Crazy Eights needs two seats, so add one to three bots in the lobby, then deal.

With one bot you each get 7 cards. With two or three bots everyone gets 5.

Host a room and send the room code or invite link. Friends open it on their own phones, wherever they are.

Everyone sees the same pile, the same deck and how many cards each player holds. Your own cards show on your screen and nowhere else.

Open joinme.games/watch on a TV or laptop and enter the room code. The big screen shows every player with their cards face down, the deck and its count, the pile, the suit that was named and whose turn it is. At the end it shows the final count.

Nobody’s cards are shown on the TV. Players still play from their own phones. The TV only watches.

• Tap a card that fits to raise it, then tap the pile to play it.
• Double tap a card that fits to play it straight away.
• Or drag a card up onto the pile and let go.
• After an eight, tap spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs.
• If your hand is wider than the screen, swipe it sideways.
• Your cards stay in the order they reached you, with the newest at the end. There is no sort button.
• The question mark shows the instructions.
• The × leaves the game.

How do you play Crazy Eights?

Everyone is dealt a hand and one card is turned up. On your turn, play a card that matches the top card by suit or rank, or play an eight and name the suit. If nothing fits, the deck deals to you until a card does. The first player to empty their hand wins.

How many cards do you deal in Crazy Eights?

Seven cards each with two players, and five cards each with three or more. One more card is turned face up to start the pile, and it is never an eight.

Can you play Crazy Eights with two players?

Yes. Two players get 7 cards each and take turns. You can also play against one to three bots if you are on your own.

What does an eight do in Crazy Eights?

An eight is wild. It can be played on any card, and the player who plays it names the suit the next player has to follow. No other card has a special power.

What happens if you can’t play a card in Crazy Eights?

The deck deals to you, one card at a time, until you get a card that fits. There is no limit. If the deck is empty and cannot be refilled, your turn is passed.

How do you win Crazy Eights?

Be the first to play your last card. A game is one hand with no points. If the deck is empty and nobody can play, the player with the fewest cards wins, and a tie shares the win.