Crazy Eights (Mau-Mau) Rules
Mau-Mau is the German cousin of Crazy Eights: match the top card by suit or rank and be the first to get rid of your cards. This page explains the classic German rules, where the jack picks the suit, and the best-known house rules, American Crazy Eights included.
The rules in five points
- Everyone gets 5 cards from a 32-card deck; one card lies face up in the middle, the rest form the draw pile.
- On your turn, lay a card that matches the top card: same suit or same rank.
- If you cannot or do not want to lay a card, draw one; if it fits, you may play it right away.
- Special cards: a 7 makes the next player draw two, an 8 skips them, a jack wishes for a suit, an ace gives you another turn.
- Say “Mau” when you are down to one card and “Mau-Mau” with your last. The first player with no cards left wins.
Play with friends: Felt Club puts President, Mau-Mau and Thirty-One on your phone: at the same table over Wi-Fi, online or against bots. No ads, no tracking.
The full rules
At a glance
- Players
- 2 to 5
- Cards
- 32 cards, 7 to ace
- Hand
- 5 cards each
- If nothing fits
- Draw one card. If it fits, you may play it at once. You may also draw when you could play.
- Calls
- “Mau” when you are down to one card, “Mau-Mau” with the last one. Forgetting costs 2 penalty cards.
- Last card
- Must not be a special card (7, 8, jack, ace).
Goal of the game
The first player to lay down all their cards wins the round. Holding high cards does not matter; what counts is getting rid of your cards cleverly.
Setting up
The classic German game uses a 32-card deck, 7 to ace in four suits. Everyone gets 5 cards face down. The next card goes face up in the middle as the starting card. The rest form the face-down draw pile.
In Felt Club the starting card is always an ordinary card, so no special card takes effect before the first turn. The player who starts changes from round to round.
Playing
Play goes clockwise. On your turn, lay a card that matches the top card in the middle: same suit (heart on heart) or same rank (queen on queen).
If you cannot play, draw a card from the pile. If it fits, you may lay it at once; otherwise the next player is up. Under the classic rules you may also draw when you could play, for example to keep a special card for later.
When the draw pile runs out, the discard pile except its top card is shuffled and becomes the new draw pile.
Special cards
These cards have an effect under the classic rules. All other cards are ordinary.
| Card | What it does |
|---|---|
| Seven | The next player draws 2 cards, and that ends their turn. If they hold a card of the same rank, they can lay it on top, and the player after them draws 4. |
| Eight | The next player is skipped. |
| Jack | You wish for a suit; the next player must lay that suit or draw. Goes on any card except another wish card. |
| Ace | You take another turn straight away. |
Special cards in detail
- Seven: the next player draws two cards, and that ends their turn. If they have a seven themselves, they lay it on top, and the player after them draws four; after three sevens it is six, and so on.
- Eight: the next player misses one turn. They draw nothing; they just do not get to play.
- Jack: it goes on any card except another jack. Whoever lays it wishes for a suit, and the next player must lay that suit or draw.
- Ace: whoever lays an ace takes another turn straight away and lays another matching card or draws.
Mau and Mau-Mau
When you lay your second-to-last card, say “Mau”. When you lay your last card, say “Mau-Mau”. If you forget and somebody notices before the next move, you draw two penalty cards. If it was the “Mau-Mau” you forgot, the round goes on with your penalty cards.
In Felt Club you call “Mau” with a tap as you lay the card, and the others can call out a missed call.
End and scoring
The round ends as soon as somebody lays their last card. That last card must not be a special card: you cannot go out on a 7, an 8, a jack or an ace. If only a special card is left in your hand, you have to draw.
If you play several rounds, the cards left in the other players’ hands count as penalty points: jack 20, ace 11, king, queen and ten 10 each, the other cards their number. The lowest total at the end wins.
“At a glance” and the table come straight from the app’s standard rules (template MM-001).
Other ways to play
Almost every table has its own house rules. These variants come with Felt Club as templates:
Crazy Eights MM-002
The American game with 52 cards: only the 8 is special, it goes on anything and wishes for a suit, and if you cannot play you draw until a card fits.
Ocho loco MM-003
The Spanish way with 52 cards and 7 in hand: the 8 wishes for a suit and goes on anything, and the 2 makes the next player draw two and can be stacked.
Huit américain MM-004
The French way with 52 cards and 7 in hand: the 8 wishes, the ace skips, the 10 plays again, the 2 makes the next player draw two and the jack reverses the direction.
Easy for kids MM-005
For children: the 7 makes the next player draw just one card, the 8 skips, the jack wishes and goes on anything, equal ranks may be laid together, and there are no calls and no penalties.
In the app you pick the template before the game. Under “Edit rules” you can change any rule, save it and share it with your table.
Try it
What can you lay?
The queen of hearts is on top. Which of your cards may you lay?
Tap an answer.
Answers
- Right. king of hearts: same suit, heart on heart.
- Right. queen of spades: same rank, queen on queen.
- Wrong. nine of diamonds: neither a heart nor a queen.
- Right. jack of clubs: The jack goes on any card except a jack.
- Wrong. seven of spades: A special card has to match too: the seven goes only on spades or on a seven.
After a jack
The player before you laid the jack of clubs and wished for hearts. What may you lay now?
Tap an answer.
Answers
- Right. eight of hearts: Hearts were wished for, and the eight also skips the next player.
- Wrong. nine of clubs: Clubs no longer count; hearts were wished for.
- Wrong. jack of spades: A jack on a jack is not allowed under the classic rules.
- Right. ace of hearts: A heart matches the wish, and the ace gives you another turn.
- Wrong. king of diamonds: Diamonds were not wished for.
Questions and answers
Is Mau-Mau the same as Crazy Eights?
They are close relatives. Crazy Eights uses 52 cards and the 8 picks the suit. In Mau-Mau the jack picks the suit, and the 7, 8 and ace have effects of their own. Felt Club has both as templates.
Can you lay a jack on a jack?
Not under the classic rules: the jack goes on any card except another jack. Many tables allow it as a house rule, and you can switch it on in Felt Club.
Can you stack sevens?
Yes. Then the next player has to draw four cards, after three sevens six. Whoever has no seven draws the whole penalty at once, and that ends their turn.
Can you go out on a special card?
No. Under the classic rules your last card must not be a 7, an 8, a jack or an ace. If only a special card is left, you have to draw.
What happens if you forget to say “Mau”?
If somebody notices in time, before the next move, you draw two penalty cards. If you forgot “Mau-Mau”, you have not won yet: the round goes on with your penalty cards.
Do you have to play if you can?
Not under the classic rules. You may draw a card instead. If the drawn card fits, you may lay only that card; otherwise your turn is over.
Who goes first?
Usually the player to the dealer’s left, then play goes clockwise. In Felt Club the starting player changes from round to round.
What happens when the draw pile runs out?
The discard pile except its top card is shuffled and turned over. It becomes the new draw pile.
How many players can play?
Two or more. With 32 cards the classic rules take up to five players; with 52 cards, as in Crazy Eights, more can join.
More games
- President Card Game RulesBeat the cards or pass: the first to run out becomes President.
- Thirty-One (Schwimmen) RulesThree cards, one suit, as close to 31 as you can get.
- All rules at a glance