Deal each player a hand of seven cards, place one card faceup in the center of the table to start the “pile,” place the rest of the cards facedown to form the stock.
Players take turns playing one card from their hand onto the pile. They must play a card of either the same rank or suit as the top card of the pile, unless they have an eight. If an eight is played, that player can announce the new suit of the pile, and the next player must play a card of that suit or another 8. Aces reverse the direction of play (turns move to the right instead of the left, etc). Twos force the next player to draw two cards off the top of the stock before they play. If someone cannot play, they must draw one card from the top of the stock. If that card can be played, they may play it, otherwise play passes to the next player.
The round ends when one player is out of cards. This player has won the round. Each other player counts the points remaining in their hand. Eights are worth 50, royal cards are worth 10, and all other cards are worth their face value (aces are worth one). These points are given to the player who won the round.
Many variations are possible to the basic rules of crazy eights. Variations should be agreed upon at the beginning of the game, or players can agree to dealer's choice.