What is Jacks skip?
With jacks skip switched on, a jack works as a skip card. You play it as usual, following suit or rank, and the player after you misses their turn: play passes to the player after them.
With two players, skipping your opponent means it is your turn again at once, so a jack lets you play a second card. A run of jacks can let you play several cards in a row, as long as each one follows the last.
If a jack is turned up as the first card of the discard pile, the player who would have started misses their turn and the next player starts. A jack that is your last card wins the hand at once.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Crazy Eights | Jacks skip |
|---|---|---|
| The jack | Standard Crazy EightsAn ordinary card: follow suit or rank. | Jacks skipThe next player misses their turn. |
| With two players | Standard Crazy EightsTurns alternate. | Jacks skipA jack gives you another turn straight away. |
| A jack as the first card | Standard Crazy EightsThe player after the dealer starts. | Jacks skipThat player misses their turn, and the one after them starts. |
| Other options | Standard Crazy EightsTwos draw two, the queen of spades drawing five, aces reverse, draw until playable and the points game can be chosen. | Jacks skipJacks skip works with all of them. After an ace has reversed play, a jack skips the next player in the new direction. A jack can't be played while a penalty from a two or the queen of spades is waiting. |
History
Skipping the next player is one of the classic powers in the shedding family. The basic rules of Crazy Eights give no card this power, so here it is a house rule, and groups pick different cards for it. In Mau Mau the eight usually skips, which Crazy Eights can't copy because its eights are wild; the jack is one of the cards Crazy Eights players use instead.