The games · Coolhand Cards

Crazy Eights

Match the top card by rank or suit, play an eight to change the suit, and be the first out. Every family plays it a little differently.

Players: 2 to 6
Family: Shedding Games
App: Coolhand Cards · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

Everyone is dealt a hand and the next card is turned over to start the pile. If it's an eight, whoever dealt names the suit. On your turn, play a card that matches the top card by rank or suit, or play an eight, which goes on anything and lets you name the suit to follow. Or draw a card instead, even if you had a play, and that ends your turn. A queen skips the next player, an ace reverses direction, and a two makes the next player draw two, unless they play another two on top. The first player out ends the hand. Everyone else scores the cards still in their hand: eight, fifty; face card, ten; ace, one; the rest their number. When someone's total reaches fifty times the number of players, the lowest score wins.

A good hand

At least one card in every suit, so you have an answer whatever suit gets called, plus two or three of one rank, so you can change the suit without spending an eight. Eights are your rescue cards, but each one still in your hand at the end costs fifty, so get them out before the hand closes. Don't rush, though. An eight played on turn two is one you won't have when someone changes the suit on you later.

The usual mistake

Getting caught with an eight at the end. It costs fifty, as much as a whole handful of ordinary cards. Others: naming a suit you can't follow yourself, so you draw next turn; forgetting you can answer a two with a two; and drawing when you had a card to play.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Crazy Eights goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.