Uno grew out of Crazy Eights: Merle Robbins made the first Uno deck in Reading, Ohio, in 1971. The heart of both games is the same. Match the top card by suit (or colour) or by rank (or number), and be first to empty your hand. Uno adds a special deck full of cards that hurt the next player.
| Crazy Eights | Uno | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Any standard 52-card deck, no jokers | A special Uno deck: 108 cards in four colours (newer decks have 112) |
| Players | 2 to 5 | 2 to 10 |
| Deal | 5 cards each, 7 with two players | 7 cards each |
| Match by | Suit or rank | Colour or number (or symbol) |
| Wild cards | Every 8: play it on anything and name a suit | Wild and Wild Draw Four: name a colour; the Draw Four also makes the next player draw four |
| Action cards | None in the basic game | Skip, Reverse and Draw Two |
| Can’t play? | Draw until you can play | Draw one card; play it if you can |
| Last card | Say “last card”, or draw two | Say “Uno”, or draw two |
| Scoring | Winner scores the cards left in other hands: 8s 50, pictures and 10s 10 | Winner scores the cards left: number cards face value, action cards 20, wilds 50; first to 500 |
Choose Crazy Eights if
- you have a normal deck of cards and no Uno box
- you play with two to five people
- you want a calm, quick game for children or a mixed table
Choose Uno if
- you own an Uno deck
- your group is big: up to ten players
- you like more swings, revenge cards and noise
Play Uno-style with a normal deck
Many tables give a few ranks Uno-like powers. This version is often called Switch or Mau-Mau. A common set:
- Queen: the next player misses a turn (Skip).
- Ace: reverses the direction of play (Reverse).
- 2: the next player draws two, unless they play a 2 as well (Draw Two).
- 8: stays wild, like an Uno Wild card.
Agree the powers before you deal; house rules vary from table to table.
Crazy Eights needs only a standard deck. Ours: Bicycle Standard →
