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Basic play

Five cards are dealt to each player (or seven in a two-player game). The remaining cards of the deck are placed face down at the center of the table as the stock pile. The top card is then turned face up to start the game as the first card in the discard pile.

Players discard by matching rank or suit with the top card of the discard pile, starting with the player left of the dealer. They can also play any 8 at any time, which allows them to declare the suit that the next player is to play; that player must then follow the named suit or play another 8. If a player is unable to play, that player draws cards from the stock pile until a play can be made, or until the stock pile is exhausted. If the player cannot play when the stock pile is exhausted, that player must pass the turn to the player on the left. A player may draw from the stock pile at any time, even when holding one or more playable cards.

As an example: Once 6♣ is played the next player:

• can play 6♦, 6♥ or 6♠
• can play any club
• can play any 8 (then must declare a suit)
• can draw from the stockpile and continue their turn

If the stock pile runs out, all played cards except for the top one are reshuffled to form a new stock.

The game ends as soon as one player has emptied their hand. That player collects a payment from each opponent equal to the point score of the cards remaining in that opponent's hand. 8s score 50, court cards 10 and all other cards face value. If the players run out of cards in the deck, the player with the lowest point score in their hand scores the difference between that hand and each opponent's hand.

Variations

Card game historian John McLeod describes Crazy Eights as "one of the easiest games to modify by adding variations", and many variant rules exist. Common rules applied to cards include:

• First player to reach specific number of points - The winner of the game is the first player to reach a specific number of points. For two players it is 100 points, three players 150, four 200, five 250, six 300 and for seven players 350.

• Maximum pickup Cards - the maximum number of cards a player must pick up is 5 if they cannot play a card

• Queens skip - Playing a Queen causes the next player to miss their turn.

• Aces reverse direction - Playing an Ace reverses the direction of play.

• Draw 2 - Playing a two forces the next player to draw two cards. Multiple twos "stack"; if a two is played in response to a two, the next player must draw four.