Controls

You play by matching the top card of the pile. Tap a card in your hand that shares the suit or rank of the top card, or click it with a mouse on a laptop, to play it. If you have no legal play, tap or click the draw pile.

The eights are what make the game interesting:

• Matching cards means playing a card of the same suit or the same rank as the one on top of the pile. That is your normal move each turn.
• Wild eights can be played at any time regardless of the top card. When you play an eight, you name the suit the next player must match, which makes eights powerful tools.

When you cannot play, you draw cards from the stock until you can, or pass if the rules call for it.

The first player to empty their hand wins. The computer makes fewer careless plays and holds its wild eights in reserve more consistently as your level rises.

Tips

• Save your eights for when you're stuck. Eights can be played anytime and change the suit, so holding them until you have no other move turns them into a reliable escape from being forced to draw.
• Shed your high cards early. If a round ends with cards in hand, high cards often count against you, and they can be harder to play late, so getting rid of them first is usually smart.
• Change the suit to your advantage. When you play an eight, name the suit you hold the most of, so you keep more playable cards and make it harder for your opponent to respond.
• Pay attention to what the opponent lacks. If the computer keeps drawing on a certain suit, it likely can't play it, so steering the pile toward that suit with an eight can force it to keep drawing.
• Don't hoard cards. The goal is to empty your hand, so play cards whenever you reasonably can rather than clinging to them, since a smaller hand gives you more flexibility.
• Track the suit you're weakest in. Knowing which suit you can barely play helps you avoid getting trapped, so plan to change away from it with an eight before your opponent locks you there.

Frequently asked questions