Want to learn a new card game? One that’s easy to learn to play? When I joined a local social club, the members were playing a game called “Crazy”, and now my group of friends get together most weekends to socialize and have some ‘Crazy’ fun.
Crazy is fast, fun and can be played with any number of people from 4 to 8. If you had to, you could even squeeze in 1 or 2 more.
You play it with 2 decks for 4 players, 3 decks for 5 or 6 players and 4 decks for more than 6. You also use 2 jokers per deck.
This game resembles Gin Rummy, but there are a few rules that differ.
To start the game, one of the players deals a card face up to each player. High card deals. In case of a tie, the players tied get another card until the tie is broken. The high card is the dealer, and deals 10 cards to each player.
The reason this is called ‘Crazy’, is that the cards can be dealt any way the dealer wishes…forward, backwards, any number at a time to any player, any way you want to until each player gets 10 cards. Each person counts their cards face down, and if there is a mis-deal to anyone, the dealer either takes back, or deals more cards until each player gets 10 cards.
The dealer then determines the wild card, by turning over, or cutting the cards. So, if a 5 of spades is selected, ALL fives are wild regardless of suit. Jokers are also wild. If a Joker is selected, only Jokers are wild.
The players pick up their cards and sort their hands. Runs must be a minimum of 3 cards, and must be the same suit. Sets must be a minimum of 3 cards, which must be all different suits. No sets or runs are played until the end of the hand.
The player to the left of the dealer draws off the deck. If the deck is split so it’s easier for the players at the ends of the table to reach, any player can draw a card of either stack when it’s their turn.
The player can either keep the drawn card and discard another card into the middle of the table, or can discard the drawn card. If a player discards a wild card by mistake, all the other players immediately stand up and give him/her a round of applause.
Cards cannot be picked up from the discard pile. They are now dead.
Play continues around the table. You do NOT have to wait until the player before you has drawn and discarded…you can draw a card ahead of time, so when it’s your turn to play, you will already know which card to discard. HOWEVER, don’t put the drawn card in your hand. Look at it, but leave it face down on the table in front of you. If you do put it in your hand, and a player ahead of you goes ‘Out’, you have to count all of the cards in your hand.
As soon as a player can lay down ALL 10 of his/her cards by making runs or sets, and still have a discard, the hand is over. All the other players then lay down whatever sets or runs that they have. The rest of the cards are then counted…10s and faces are worth 10, Aces are 1, and the rest are face value. Wild cards, including Jokers, are 0.
One player keeps score…players names across the top, and the scores beneath their names.
The game is to 100. When a player goes over 100, he/she can ‘Buy Back In’ at the next highest player’s score. The game ends when all the players go over 100 except one. That player is the winner.
We play for ‘units’. These ‘units’ can be matchsticks, tokens, chips or (I hope I don’t get in trouble by suggesting this) cash.
The game costs 3 ‘units’ to play. The first ‘Buy Back In’ is free, succeeding ones cost 2 ‘units’.
A running tally is calculated at the end of each game.
Whoever wins the first game, is the dealer for the next game.
A fun night with good friends… a few drinks… perhaps a snack… and a few games of Crazy.
Ah…life is good!
No comments:
Post a Comment