Introduction
Craits, also known as Kreights or Crates is a shedding-type card game derived from Crazy Eights. It is played with a standard 52-card deck by 2-5 players. The goal is to get rid of all your cards before your opponents. The origins of the game appear to lie in Chicago and Boston.
What is Needed
- Standard 52-card deck of playing cards
- 2-5 players
- Pen and paper for keeping score
Goal
The goal of Craits is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. Points are assigned to cards left in opponents’ hands at the end of each round. The player with the lowest total score at the end of all rounds wins.
Dealing Phase
The first dealer is chosen randomly. Each player is dealt a certain number of cards based on the round number (8 cards for round 1, 7 for round 2, etc., down to 1 card and back up to 8).
The remaining cards are placed face down in a draw pile and the top card of the draw pile is turned face up to begin the discard pile.
Card Meanings
| Card | Meaning | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | Follow 2 sequence | 1 |
| 2 | Starts 2 sequence | 20 |
| 3 | Cancels card value | 3 |
| 4 | Skip next player | 15 |
| 5 | Others draw a card | 30 |
| 6 | Play again | 30 |
| 7 | Player 2 away draws | 20 |
| 8 | Wild, name suit | 50 |
| 9 | Wild, name color | 30 |
| 10 | Reverse order | 25 |
| J, Q, K | Follow suit | 10 |
Gameplay
The play goes clockwise. On your turn, play a card matching the suit or rank of the top discard or play a wild card (8 or 9).
If you can’t play, draw a card from the draw pile. If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard (except the top card) to make a new draw pile.
When down to one card, say “One card” before playing your second-to-last card. If forgotten, draw two extra cards.
The first player to get rid of their cards wins the hand. At the end of the game, players count points of leftover cards and the player with the lowest total points wins the overall game.
Ending a Hand
A hand ends when a player gets rid of their last card. If this happens during a 2 sequence, complete the sequence, then end.
The winner of the hand gets 0 points. The other players count their card values.
Craits Rules Summary
In short, the rules of the Craits card game are as below:
- Follow suit or rank if possible. Draw otherwise.
- Call “One card” before the second-to-last card.
- Play out 2 sequences fully.
- The player with the lowest total points wins the overall game.
Strategy Tips
Below you can find some useful Craits strategy tips to help you win the game:
- Save Aces and 2s to follow 2 sequences. This avoids drawing piles of cards.
- Hold onto 3s to cancel high-value cards like 8s and 5s at the end of hands.
- Play 5s and 7s strategically to force opponents to draw cards right before their turns.
- Call common suits when playing wild cards to give opponents more options to follow.
- In 2-player games, lead Aces in 2-sequences to force bigger draws. Be more conservative with more players.
Variations
- Fastest Game – Only play rounds 1-8.
- Single Card Courtesy – Call “One card” even on single-card hands.
- Play Through – Continue play if the draw pile runs out during the 2 sequence.
- All 3s Wild – Allow 3s to cancel 8s.
- Punitive Scoring – Change scoring values.
- Royal Flush – Remove face cards for 2-3 players.
- Limited Escalation – Cap pressure penalty increase.
