How to Play

The British shedding card game where players discard cards matching by suit or rank, power cards (2s draw 2, Black Jacks draw 7, 8s skip, Aces reverse) disrupt opponents, and the first to empty their hand wins.

Switch is the British and Irish name for the shedding card game universally known elsewhere as Crazy Eights or (in proprietary form) UNO. Each player gets 7 cards, the top card of the stock is flipped face up to start the discard pile, and players take turns playing one card matching the top of the discard by suit or by rank. Players who cannot play must draw a card; if the drawn card is playable they may play it at once. A family of 'power cards' imposes penalties on the next player (draw two on 2s, skip on 8s, draw seven on Black Jacks) or change the flow of play (Aces reverse direction; Jokers act as choose-suit wild cards in variants that include them). The first player to empty their hand wins the round. Switch is played informally in millions of British households with a huge variety of local house-rule adjustments, which is part of its charm and a common source of table disputes.

Players

Two to seven players, each for themselves. Four to six gives the liveliest game because the power cards find more targets. Play proceeds clockwise by default; Aces reverse the direction. A single round lasts only a few minutes; matches are typically played to a fixed score threshold (cumulative penalty points across rounds) or for a set number of rounds.

Card Deck

• One standard 52-card deck for up to six players; a second deck (shuffled together) for seven or more.
• Card ranking is irrelevant during play; only matching and power-card effects matter.
• Penalty values at end of round: A = 15 (or 25 if Aces reverse), K = 10, Q = 10, J = 20 (Jacks are big-value power cards), 10-2 = face value. Some house rules give each Black Jack 50 points.
• Many households include one or two jokers as extra wild cards, but the classic game plays without them.

Objective

Be the first player to empty your hand. When a player goes out, the round ends; opponents score penalty points for cards remaining in their hands. Across multiple rounds, the player with the lowest cumulative score wins. Alternatively, some groups play each round as a standalone game.

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for first dealer (low card deals); deal rotates clockwise each round.
2. Shuffle thoroughly; the player to the dealer's right cuts.
3. Deal 7 cards face down to each player (5 cards if 5 or more players, or 4 cards if 7 or more).
4. Place the remaining cards face down as the stock (draw pile).
5. Flip the top card of the stock face up next to it to start the discard pile.
6. If the first face-up card is a power card (2, 8, Jack, Ace), its effect does NOT fire at the start of the round; house rules vary but most treat it as a neutral starter.

Turn and Card Matching

1. Play: On your turn, play one card from your hand face up onto the discard pile. The card must match the top of the discard pile by SUIT or by RANK. Example: if the top card is the 7 of hearts, you may play any heart or any 7.7♥
2. Draw if unable: If you cannot (or choose not to) play, draw one card from the stock. If that card is playable, you MAY play it immediately; otherwise your turn ends.
3. Empty stock: If the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) and turn it face down as the new stock.
4. Last card call: When you play a card that leaves you with exactly one card in hand, you must say 'Last card' (or 'Mao', 'Uno', or whatever phrase the house uses) aloud. Failure to announce before anyone else's next turn costs you a 2-card draw penalty.

Power Cards

• 2 (pick up two): The next player in turn order MUST draw 2 cards AND miss their turn, unless they can play another 2 themselves. Consecutive 2s stack: if two 2s are played in sequence, the next player draws 4; three 2s stack to 6; four 2s stack to 8. The first player in the chain who cannot (or will not) play a 2 pays the full accumulated draw.
• 8 (skip): The next player's turn is skipped. Only one 8 applies per play; some house rules allow stacking skips so two 8s skip two players, but the default is single-player skip.
• Jack - Black (Jack of Spades or Jack of Clubs) 'Pick up 7': The next player MUST draw 7 cards and miss their turn, unless they can counter with a Red Jack (Jack of Hearts or Jack of Diamonds), which cancels the penalty (no draw, and play continues to the next player normally). In some house rules Black Jacks also stack with each other for 14-card penalties before a Red Jack cancels.J♠J♣J♥J♦
• Red Jack (Jack of Hearts or Jack of Diamonds): Neutral card normally; only special when countering a Black Jack penalty. In Some variants, all Jacks are wild (see Variations).J♥J♦
• Ace: Reverses the direction of play (clockwise becomes anticlockwise or vice versa). In two-player games, Ace acts as a skip.A♠
• Power stacking: Different power cards do not combine (you cannot play a 2 onto an 8 to stack their effects). Only the same power card type stacks in a single chain.

Scoring a Round

• When one player empties their hand, the round ends. Any card held by the winner is zero; only cards in opponents' hands count.
• Count penalty points using the values above and record each loser's total.
• Start the next round with a new dealer (rotate clockwise).

Winning the Match

Play a fixed number of rounds or play until one player exceeds an agreed ceiling (commonly 100 penalty points = eliminated). In elimination play, the last player under the ceiling wins; in cumulative play, the player with the lowest total after the agreed number of rounds wins. Single-round play simply awards victory to the player who goes out.

Common Variations

• Wild Jack: Instead of Black Jacks being the pickup-7 card, all four Jacks are wild: the player declares any suit when playing a Jack, and the next player must match that suit. Black Jacks in this variant have no pickup effect.
• 4s (pick up four): Mirror the 2s but with four cards instead of two. Stackable with other 4s.
• King stop: Playing a King is your turn ender and the player to your left is skipped.
• Queens as reverse: Instead of Aces, Queens reverse the direction of play. Many UK houses use this variant.
• Joker as super-wild: Two jokers added to the deck; each acts as a choose-any-suit wild card.
• Mao / Mau: A Switch variant with strict 'rules you cannot say aloud', penalised by a draw. Often adopted by teenagers.
• Crazy Eights: In this North American cousin, 8s are the wild cards and the draw-2 mechanic sits on 2s; Black Jacks have no special effect. Otherwise the mechanics are identical.

Tips and Strategy

• Keep a Red Jack as an insurance card against Black Jack attacks; even a single Red Jack saves a 7-card draw.
• Stack 2s aggressively in longer-round play; chaining 2s dumps many cards at once onto one opponent.
• Reserve Aces (or Queens) to reverse the direction at a strategic moment, especially when the next player has only a few cards.
• If you hold many cards of one suit, play an off-suit rank-match to stay in a different suit so you keep your colour-locked cards playable.
• Do not forget to call 'Last card'. Most family games track the 2-card penalty strictly.
• In 2-player Switch, the power cards are far less effective because penalties bounce straight back; favour strict rank-or-suit matching over heavy power-card play.

Glossary

• Discard pile: The face-up pile of played cards. Only the top card matters for matching.
• Stock: The face-down pile of remaining cards from which players draw.
• Power card: A card with a special effect beyond simple matching (2, 8, Jack, Ace by default).
• Stacking: Playing a second (or more) power card of the same type to increase the cumulative effect on the next player.
• Last card call: The required 'Last card' announcement when you play a card leaving one in hand.
• Going out: Playing your final card; ends the round.
• Suit change: Using a wild Jack (in the Wild Jack variant) to declare a new suit that the next player must match.