How many players can play?

Two to six. Play against one to five computers, or open a table and send friends the invite link; the host can start with whoever has sat down and fill the empty seats with computers. Inside Discord, everyone in a voice channel shares one table. You can also pass one phone round between 2 and 6 people.

What happens when the stock runs out?

The pile is shuffled back into a new stock, all but its top card, and play goes on. In the rare case that every card is in the players' hands, a player who cannot play simply passes.

Is Crazy Eights free, and do I need to download anything?

It is free, with no download and no signup. It runs in any browser on phone or desktop, inside Telegram through @MatsuriGamesBot, and as a Discord Activity in a voice channel. The server deals the cards and each player's page sees only their own hand.

Crazy Eights

Match the suit or the rank, 8s are wild, first out wins

How to play

Crazy Eights on Matsuri is the classic shedding card game, free online for two to six players: match the suit or the rank of the top card, play an 8 to change the suit, and be the first to empty your hand. Play the computer, send friends an invite link to play in Telegram or any browser, open it in a Discord voice channel so everyone there shares one table, or pass one phone round. A game takes about five minutes.

Crazy Eights is the classic shedding card game, the family of Mau-Mau and Switch. A standard 52-card deck; seven cards each with two players, five each with three or more, and one card turned up to start the pile. On your turn play a card of the same suit or the same rank as the top card. An 8 goes on anything, and you name the suit that follows. A 2 makes the next player draw two and miss a turn, a Jack skips the next player, and an Ace turns the direction of play round. Can't play? Draw a card; if it fits you may play it at once. The first player to get rid of every card wins. Play the computer, two to six at a table, invite friends by link, play a voice channel's table in Discord, or pass one phone round.

Five cards each (seven with two players). On your turn play a card of the same suit or the same rank as the top of the pile. An 8 goes on anything: tap it, then pick the suit that follows.
A 2 makes the next player draw two and miss a turn, a Jack skips the next player, and an Ace turns the direction round. Nothing to play? Tap Draw or the stock: a card that fits may go at once, or tap Pass.
The first one to play their last card wins.

How to play Crazy Eights (rules for 2 to 6 players)

The game uses a standard 52-card deck. With two players everyone is dealt seven cards; with three to six players, five each. One card from the deck is turned face up to start the pile (it is never an 8 or an action card), and the rest of the deck is the stock. The deal decides who starts, and play goes round the table.

On your turn, play one card onto the pile that matches the top card's suit or its rank: a seven on a seven, a heart on a heart. An 8 is wild: it goes on anything, and you name the suit the next player must follow. Three more cards have an action. A 2 makes the next player draw two cards and miss their turn. A Jack skips the next player. An Ace turns the direction of play round; when only two are playing it works like a skip, so you play again.

If you cannot play, or would rather not, draw one card from the stock. If that card fits, you may play it straight away or keep it and pass; if it does not fit, your turn ends. When the stock runs out, the pile under its top card is shuffled into a new stock. The first player to play their last card wins the game.

Crazy Eights strategy and tips

Keep your 8s for when you are stuck. An 8 played while you still had another card that fit is an 8 you will miss later, when nothing else does.
Play the suit you hold the most of, and when you do play an 8, name that suit. Each turn that stays in your suit is a turn you do not have to draw.
Hold a card of the same rank in two suits when you can: it lets you switch the suit on your own turn without spending an 8.
Watch the card counts. When the next player is down to one or two cards, a 2 or a Jack can stop them from going out, and with three or more players an Ace can send the turn back to someone who holds many cards.
Remember who draws. A player who draws instead of playing has no card of the suit on the pile at that moment, so turning the pile back to that suit is likely to make them draw again.

Modes and difficulty

Play the computer: choose how many players are at the table, two to six, and computers fill the other seats. They play from what their own seat can see; the usual level tries out possible deals of the unseen cards before each move, and a newcomer's first two tables are gentler. Play friends: open a table and send the invite link; the host can start with whoever has sat down or fill the empty seats with computers. In Discord, start the Activity in a voice channel and everyone there joins the same table. Two to six people can also share one phone, with a cover between turns that hides each hand.

Playing Crazy Eights on Matsuri

The server shuffles and deals the cards and keeps every hand; each player's page receives only their own cards and the number of cards the others hold, and the server checks every move, so nobody can peek or cheat. The card faces are the hall's own, in a classic green card table look or a candy look with Mocha, the hall's host. The action cards are the traditional ones from the Mau-Mau and Switch family, kept to three so the rules fit in a minute.

A little history

Crazy Eights belongs to a large family of shedding games played across Europe and the Americas, among them Mau-Mau in Germany and Central Europe, Switch and Black Jack in Britain, and Ocho Loco in Latin America. The name Crazy Eights became common in the United States in the mid-20th century, and many later commercial card games grew out of the same simple idea: match the card on the pile and be first to get rid of your hand.

In the same series: Card and tile games at the table

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Games with friends

Update log

November 2, 2026 · Crazy Eights arrives: match the suit or the rank, 8s are wild, against one to five computers, with friends by link, at a Discord voice channel's table, or 2-6 people on one phone.

Questions

How do you play Crazy Eights?: Everyone gets five cards (seven with two players) and one card is turned up to start the pile. On your turn play a card of the same suit or the same rank as the top card; an 8 goes on anything and you name the suit that follows. If you can't play, draw a card, and play it at once if it fits. The first player to get rid of every card wins.
What do the special cards do?: An 8 is wild: play it on anything and choose the next suit. A 2 makes the next player draw two cards and miss their turn. A Jack skips the next player. An Ace turns the direction of play round; with only two players it works like a skip, so you play again.
How many players can play?: Two to six. Play against one to five computers, or open a table and send friends the invite link; the host can start with whoever has sat down and fill the empty seats with computers. Inside Discord, everyone in a voice channel shares one table. You can also pass one phone round between 2 and 6 people.
What happens when the stock runs out?: The pile is shuffled back into a new stock, all but its top card, and play goes on. In the rare case that every card is in the players' hands, a player who cannot play simply passes.
Is Crazy Eights free, and do I need to download anything?: It is free, with no download and no signup. It runs in any browser on phone or desktop, inside Telegram through @MatsuriGamesBot, and as a Discord Activity in a voice channel. The server deals the cards and each player's page sees only their own hand.

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