Know It All About the Basic Strategies to Win Crazy Eight

Are you a casino freak, and still confused regarding how to play crazy eights? It can be processed with a minimum of players and a maximum of players. The main objective is to get free from all the cards and put them in the discard pile. This game is known as Pesten, last one, UNO, Swedish rummy, spoons, and Mau-Mau. The game is being played with a deck of cards. You have to discard your cards before anyone else could, to be the winner. 

Basic game: crazy eights card game rules/crazy eight rules 

Five cards are allotted to each player; in case only two people are playing, then seven cards are allotted. All the other cards are kept facing down; the topmost card is held with face up to commence the discard pile.

The game moves in the clockwise direction. The player has to pick up the face-up card or any card from the pool. Let’s understand crazy eights tips and tricks:

• You can play any card which matches the suit or rank of the other card only when the top card of the discard pile is not 8.
• You have to place one card face up when the game starts. If in case you are unable to play, then you will be allowed to take the card out of the top of the pile until you get a chance to play.
• The eight cards can be played anytime; they are known as wild cards. If you are playing, then you have to specify a suit and not the number. 

The one who gets rid of the entire cards first if the winner. The players who still have cards have to give the penalty. There are 10 points for the king, queen, and jack — 50 points for eight. The face cards are allotted penalty as per their face value, e.g., 3 for three.

Even if the stockpile gets empty, the play will continue. You can pass your turn, or if you want, you cannot play. If all the other players pass their turn, then the game would get blocked. Once the game is stopped, the cards in the hand of the players decide their score. 

Variation 

• If the player cannot discard a card, then before passing his turn, he has to pick one card.
• The dealer is given the advantage of drawing the first discarded card. If the card is a special one, then the dealer will precede on a drawcard until an ordinary card appears. The last card is to be proclaimed if the player is left with one card. If the player falls to make his call, then four cards will be given to the player as the penalty.
• When the stockpile runs out, the top card from the pile should be removed, and the other cards should be reshuffled to make a new pile. In some variants, the player has to end on eight to win, while in some games, the player with minimum points is the winner. 

Some other known variants

• Reverse 

In case the queen or joker is played by the player, then the game will go in the reverse direction.

• Variants of eight 

If a player plays 8, then he can oblige other players. Though playing eight would cancel draw cards. In another variant after eight, the player has to play an additional card.