How to Play

A Crazy-Eights-family shedding card game played with a standard 52-card deck in which 9s are wild cards. Match the top discard by rank or suit to play; first out scores 0 and others score penalties for remaining cards. First player to 100 cumulative points ends the match.

Nines is a folk Crazy-Eights-family shedding card game in which the rank 9 plays the wild role that the 8 plays in Crazy Eights or the Wild card plays in Uno. Each player is dealt a hand from a standard 52-card deck, and on each turn plays one card that matches the top of the discard pile by rank or by suit. A 9 may be played on any card regardless of suit or rank, and the player of a 9 declares the new active suit for the next player to match. If a player cannot play, they draw one card from the stock; if that card is playable they may play it immediately. First player to shed all their cards ends the round and scores 0; the other players score penalty points for cards still in hand. Match play usually runs to a cumulative 100 penalty points, with the lowest total at that point the overall winner.

Players

2 to 6 players, best with 3 to 5. Play proceeds clockwise starting with the player to the dealer's left. Deal rotates clockwise after each round. A single round typically lasts 3 to 7 minutes; a full 100-point-cutoff match runs 15 to 35 minutes.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card French-suited pack with jokers removed. All 9s (four of them) are wild cards; all other cards are ordinary.

Objective

For each round, be the first player to play every card from your hand (to 'go out'). For the match, accumulate the fewest penalty points from cards left in your hand at the end of rounds you do not win; first player to cross the 100-point threshold triggers the match end, and the lowest score at that moment wins.

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for dealer (lowest card deals); deal rotates clockwise after each round.
2. Shuffle the full 52-card pack. Deal face down to each player: 7 cards (for 2-4 players) or 5 cards (for 5-6 players).
3. Place the remaining cards face down in the centre as the stock pile. Turn over the top card of the stock face up next to it to start the discard pile.
4. If the first flipped card is a 9, the dealer declares the active suit themselves before the first player acts.
5. The player to the dealer's left plays first.

Gameplay

1. Legal plays: On your turn, play one card from your hand onto the discard pile that matches the top card by either rank or suit. For example, if the top card is the 7 of Hearts, you may play any Heart or any 7.7♥
2. Wild 9: A 9 of any suit may be played on top of any card regardless of match. When playing a 9, announce the new active suit for the next player. The suit you declare does not have to match the 9's own suit.
3. Cannot play: If you hold no legal card (including no 9s), draw one card from the stock. If that drawn card is playable you may (but are not required to) play it immediately; otherwise your turn ends.
4. Empty stock: If the stock runs out during a round, set aside the top discard card, shuffle the rest of the discard pile to form a new stock, and continue. If no cards remain to form a new stock, players simply skip their draw when unable to play.
5. Going out: The first player to play their last card ends the round. That player must play their final card legally (matching by rank, suit, or a 9 wild).

Scoring

1. Round winner (first to empty hand): 0 penalty points for the round.
2. Card penalty values for cards left in hand: number cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) = face value; Ace = 1 point; face cards (Jack, Queen, King) = 10 points each; 9 = 15 points (wild-card penalty).A♠K♠Q♠J♠
3. Round end: Each non-winner totals the penalty value of cards left in their hand and adds it to their running score.
4. Match end: When any player's cumulative score reaches or exceeds 100 points, the match ends. The player with the LOWEST cumulative score wins (not the player who crossed 100).
5. Optional: fixed-round matches: Instead of a 100-point cutoff, play a fixed number of rounds (5, 7, or 10); lowest cumulative score wins.

Winning

At match end (when any cumulative score crosses 100 or when the agreed round count is complete), the player with the lowest cumulative penalty total is the match winner. Ties are broken by a single-round playoff between the tied players.

Common Variations

• Draw until playable: Instead of drawing one card on an unplayable turn, draw cards continuously until you get a playable card; then you must play it. Makes the game faster but rougher.
• Skip and Reverse: Add Uno-style powers to other ranks. Common assignments: Jack skips the next player, Queen reverses direction, Ace forces the next player to draw 2.
• Double Nines: Use two decks (104 cards) for 5-6 players. Playing two 9s together lets you change the suit AND skip the next player.
• Hard Nines: A 9 penalty is increased to 25 points, making wild cards even more dangerous to hold.
• No-9-out: You may not play a 9 as your last card; you must end on a naturally matching card. Prevents cheap wild-card finishes.
• Stacking 9s: A player who is about to be the target of a 9's suit declaration may play their own 9 to cancel and redirect.

Tips and Strategy

• Hold onto one or two 9s for critical late-hand moments, but do not carry them to the round end: the 15-point penalty is the highest in the game.
• Watch which suits each opponent plays. If an opponent has skipped their turn or drawn when a specific suit was active, they are likely short in that suit.
• Dump high-value cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks at 10 each) early when you can; holding a face card at round end is a big penalty.
• When you do play a 9, declare the suit you hold most heavily (you want to play again next turn) rather than a suit you dislike.
• In longer matches (100-point cutoff), a conservative play style (small dumps, avoid big-stake risks) often wins because a single 30+ point round is very hard to recover from.
• Pay attention to card counts. A player with 1 or 2 cards left is one move from winning; play a suit they cannot match, or force them to draw with your 9.

Glossary

• Wild card (9): A card that may be played on any top card regardless of suit or rank; the player of a 9 declares the new active suit.
• Discard pile: The face-up pile of played cards; the top card determines what the next player must match.
• Stock: The face-down draw pile from which players pick cards when unable to play legally.
• Go out: Play your last card; ends the round.
• Active suit: The suit the next player must match, either by following suit on a normal card or by being declared by the player of a 9.
• Crazy Eights family: The broader category of shedding games (Crazy Eights, Uno, Mau Mau, Switch, Nines) that use a wild card and a match-by-rank-or-suit rule.9♠8♠