Crazy Eights
Card Game for Kids
This card game requires concentration, a good memory and strategic skills. Crazy eights card game is fun to play and it will be your child’s favorite soon.
Number of Players: 2 to 8 players
Age Range: 6 years and older
Materials: one standard deck of cards and with more than 5 players two decks of cards
How to Play:
- The goal of the game is to be the first to get rid of the cards.
- The cards are being shuffled and dealt out. Each player receives 7 cards and the rest of the cards are put in a pile at the center of the table face down. The players sort their cards by suit.
- Then the top card of the pile at the center is turned face up and the game starts.
- The player left of the dealer discards one card with the same suit or same value as the face up card at the center and put it on top of the card at the center. If he doesn’t have a card in the same suit or same value he is allowed to put an eight of any suit on top of it. And if he doesn’t have an eight either, he then takes one card from the face down pile at the center. If this card fits, he is allowed to put it on top of the face up card, if not, he has to take it in his hand and the next player on the left takes his turn.
- If a player puts down an eight, he then chooses a new suit. It doesn’t have to be the suit of the eight, he can choose any suit. Of course it is wise to chose a suit where you have lots of cards in. The following player then needs to continue in the new suit. Eights are like blank cards, you can always put down an eight, so keep them for as long as you can!
- The winner of the round is the one who gets rid of his cards first. He then scores points for the remaining cards in the hands of the other players. Face cards are 10 points, 8’s 50 points and face value for a spot card. The winner of the Crazy Eights card game is the one who reaches a specific amount of points. For two players it is 100pts, three players 150pts, four 200pts, five 250pts, six 300pts and for seven players 350pts.
Special Rules for Crazy Eights card game
- These special rules make Crazy Eights more interesting but also a little more complicated, so better for age 8 and up. Some cards get special functions:(but these cards have to match the active suit or value to be put down!)
- Ace : Turns the rotation of the game. So instead of the player on the left, now the player on the right goes.
- Jack: The next player has to skip his turn.
- Seven: The player who plays a seven can play another card which matches with the suit or value.
- Two: The next player takes two cards from the face down pile at the middle or can throw another two and the player after takes four or throws another two and the counting continues.
- Joker: Like the eight can be put down always. The next player has to take 5 cards from the pile and can choose a new suit to start with.(Put two jokers into the deck of cards)
- When a player has one card left in his hand he has to call out “Last Card”, before the next player puts down a card. If he forgets and somebody notices it, he has to take 5 cards from the pile.
- None of the players can put down one of the special cards noted above to finish his hand.