How to play a colour card game with a regular deck
Updated September 28, 2026
You don't need a special deck to play a colour-matching shedding game. A standard 52-card deck already has four 'colours' (the suits) and plenty of ranks to stand in for action cards. With one agreed mapping you can play the same game you know — this is essentially how Crazy Eights has been played for generations.
Below is a mapping that's easy to remember, followed by the deal, the turn and a few tips for making the game feel right. Agree on it before you start: every family's version is a little different.
The card mapping
- Suits = colours: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades are your four colours.
- Ace–7, 9 and 10 = number cards (ace counts as 1).
- 2 = Draw Two: the next player draws two and loses their turn.
- Jack = Skip: the next player misses their turn.
- Queen = Reverse: play changes direction (in a two-player game it acts as a skip).
- King = a plain card — or give it a house rule, such as 'play again'.
- 8 = Wild: play it on anything and name the next suit.
- Joker = Wild Draw Four: name the suit, and the next player draws four. Most decks have two; mark two spare cards if you want four.
Setting up
- 2–5 players: one deck plus jokers. 6 or more: shuffle two decks together.
- Deal 7 cards each (5 each with six or more players on one deck).
- Turn the top card face up. If it's an 8 or a joker, bury it and turn another.
Taking a turn
- Play a card that matches the top card's suit or rank, or play a wild.
- Can't play? Draw one card. If it fits you may play it; otherwise your turn ends.
- Say 'last card' when you're down to one — if someone catches you before the next player's turn, draw two.
- First to empty their hand wins the round.
Making it feel right
Want to try the rules before dealing? Prism Riot's Crazy Eights tables play the classic regular-deck rules — 8s wild, 2s draw two — in your browser, and the Battle tables play the full action-card version.
- A regular deck has only four of each rank, so action cards are rarer than in a colour deck. For more action, use two decks and deal 7.
- Stacking (answering a 2 with your own 2) works exactly as usual — decide before you start whether a joker can go on a 2.
- Score like the colour game if you want a longer match: numbers face value, 2s, jacks and queens 20, 8s and jokers 50. Our score calculator adds it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play UNO with regular cards?
You can play the same kind of game. Use the suits as colours, 2s as Draw Two, jacks as Skip, queens as Reverse, 8s as wild and jokers as Wild Draw Four.
How many regular decks do you need?
One deck (with jokers) for up to five players; two shuffled together for six or more, or when you want more action cards.
What is the regular-deck version called?
The best-known version is Crazy Eights. Mau-Mau and Switch are regional versions with their own action cards.
What do kings do?
Nothing special in this mapping — they're plain cards. Many families make them a 'play again' card; agree before you start.