Crazy Eight Game Rules
Basic Crazy Eight Gameplay
Crazy Eight is a single game played with 2 or more players and is played in frames allowing all players to have an equal chance. Players alternate ends of the board between frames, each player using all eight pucks (red & blue). The game is played until one player scores some agreed upon number of points ( 3 points, 15 points, 30 points, etc.). Frames are continued until a winner is determined. Being the first to score the agreed upon points does not necessarily make that player the winner. Every player gets to finish that frame and the highest score that is equal to or greater than the agreed upon game point ( 3 points, 15 points, 30 points, etc.) is declared the winner.
If the player that scores equal to or greater than the agreed minimum required points has the hammer (the last player to play), then he/she is declared the winner. If the last player ties with a prior player, then another round must be played to determine the winner.
How To Play Crazy Eight
Take 4 pucks [of same color], group them together, and throw them with one hand. If all 4 pucks do not pass the long foul line and stay on the board, no points are scored for that round [and player gets a "Hickey" if your tournament includes a "Hickey Jar"], and next player is up on the opposite end of the board for their turn.
If all 4 weights of the same color group did pass the long foul line and stay on the board, then player shoots the remaining 4 weights [of opposite color] one at a time and attempts to knock off the 1st 4 weights and keep at least one of the last four weights of the opposite color on the board to score points (this is great practice for knock off, making combination shots to remove more than one of the 4 weights with one shot, and to be able to either stick a final shot or lag with the weights you have left after you've knocked off all 4 weights of the original color group).
If all of the first color group weights are knocked off and you still have at least one of the second color on the board and past the long foul line, this is your score; otherwise, no point is scored [and player gets a "Hickey" if your tournament includes a "Hickey Jar"]. In either case, the next player is up on the opposite end of the board for their turn.
Before a Player Can Score
- The first 4 pucks (same color) must be thrown simultaneously with one hand and all 4 pucks must stay on the board and be past the foul line.
- If all 4 pucks do not stay on the board, then the player gets no points for that round and the next player is up to play.
- If all 4 pucks do stay on the board past the foul line, then the player must shoot all 4 pucks (in four shots) of the opposite color and must knock off those first four pucks thrown past the foul line before any points can be scored for that frame.
- After all 4 original pucks are knocked off, the remaining pucks left on the table are scored.
For instance, if a player does not get all four of their first 4 pucks past the foul line, no points are scored; if a player does get all 4 pucks past the foul line on the first throw, but does not knock them off and keeps at least one of the final 4 pucks on the board, no points are scored; if a player gets all 4 first pucks past the foul line, knocks them all off and has at least one of the final 4 pucks left on the board, points are added and count.
Crazy Eight Scoring Rules
Scoring (e.g., 1-point, 2-points, 3-points, or 4-points) is similar to "knock off" with the exceptions noted above where first 4 weights of the same color must remain on the board and past the long foul line, and then they must all be knocked off with the remaining 4 weights of the opposite color while keeping one or more of these weights on the board.
A puck scores 1-point if it is located between the long foul line and the "2" line. Pucks completely across the "2" line count 2-points; pucks across the "3" line count 3-points, a weight hanging over the end of the board (a.k.a. hanger) counts 4-points, etc. To judge if a pucks is completely over a line it should be viewed from above (i.e., look down over the top of the puck, positioning your nose approximately to the center of the weight --do not lean over too far or you get an inaccurate view-- the entire puck must be over the line for it to count as the next higher point value--you should be able to see some wood between the line and the puck for it to count as the next higher point.)
If any portion of the puck is hanging over the end of the board (not the side) it is called a "hanger" and counts 4-points. Close calls can be checked by holding a puck so the top of a puck is along the back end of the board. The puck is then slid along the back end of the board. If it hits the hanger puck it is worth 4-points.
General Shuffleboard Rules
Before a player shoots, the player can dust the board if dry spots are showing Shooters must have one foot behind the playing surface while they are shooting. Hitting or shaking the table is never allowed.