How to Play Switch
Switch is a lively shedding game: everyone tries to get rid of their cards first, and the special cards let you make life harder for the player next to you. It is a close relative of Crazy Eights, and in Britain it goes by several names, including Black Jack and Two Four Jack. Nearly every family plays it a little differently, so this page explains the rules exactly as our free online Switch game plays them, and the variations page covers the common differences.
What You Need
- One ordinary deck of 52 cards, with the jokers taken out.
- Two to four players. Five or six can play with the same deck if you deal five cards each.
- Nothing to keep score with: you only need to remember who has won how many hands.
The Aim of the Game
Be the first player to play every card in your hand. Doing that wins the hand. Our game is won by the first player to win three hands, though you can choose a single hand or five hands in Settings.
Dealing
Shuffle and deal seven cards to each player, one at a time, face down. Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle: this is the stock. Turn its top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
If the card turned up is an Ace, it would be a free wild card for the first player, so push it back into the middle of the stock and turn the next card instead. Any other card, even a 2 or an 8, simply starts the pile as an ordinary card; its power only works when somebody plays it.
The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play starts off going clockwise: from you to the player on your left, then across the table, then to your right. The deal moves one seat along after each hand.
Taking a Turn
On your turn you play one card face up on the discard pile. It must match the top card in one of two ways:
- Same suit. A 4 of clubs can go on any club.
- Same number or picture. A 4 of clubs can go on any 4, whatever its suit.
Or you can play an Ace, which goes on anything (see below). You may only play one card a turn. You can play a matching card even when you have others that would fit; the choice is yours.
When you can't play
If no card in your hand fits, pick up the top card of the stock. If that card fits, you may play it straight away. If it doesn't, your turn is over and play passes on. You may not pick up a card when you hold one you could play.
When the stock runs out, keep the top card of the discard pile where it is, shuffle the rest of the pile and turn it face down as a new stock.
The Action Cards
This is where Switch earns its name. Five kinds of card do something when they are played. The table below is the short version; each one is explained after it.
| Card | What it does | How to answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (any suit) | Wild: goes on anything. You name the suit to follow. | Follow the named suit, or play another Ace. |
| 2 | The next player picks up two. | Play another 2: the next player picks up four. |
| 8 | The next player misses a turn. | Nothing; your turn is simply skipped. |
| Jack (red) | Play changes direction. | Nothing; play just goes the other way. |
| Jack of spades or clubs | The next player picks up five. | Play the other black Jack (next player picks up ten), or a red Jack to cancel it. |
Aces: wild
An Ace may be played on any card at any time. When you play it you name a suit, which does not have to be the Ace's own suit, and the next player must play a card of that suit or another Ace. Whatever the number on the card underneath, only the named suit counts now.
2s: pick up two
When you play a 2, the next player must pick up two cards from the stock, and that is their whole turn. But if they hold a 2 of their own they can play it instead, and then the player after them must pick up four. Another 2 makes it six, and the fourth 2 makes it eight. The player who finally can't (or won't) answer picks up the lot and misses their turn.
When cards are waiting for you, only a 2 can answer. You can't get out of it by playing an Ace or a card of the same suit.
8s: miss a turn
Play an 8 and the next player is skipped; the turn goes to the player after them. With only two players, that means you go again straight away.
Jacks: switch direction
A Jack turns the direction of play around. If play was going clockwise, it now goes counter-clockwise, and the player who just went before you is next. Another Jack turns it back. With two players a Jack works like an 8: you play again.
Black Jacks: pick up five
The Jack of spades and the Jack of clubs are the most feared cards in the deck. Played on you, a black Jack means picking up five cards and missing your turn, unless you can do something about it:
- The other black Jack passes it on, and the next player faces ten cards.
- A red Jack (hearts or diamonds) cancels the five completely. Because it is still a Jack, it also turns play around, so the turn goes straight back to the player who played the black Jack.
The black Jacks pick up five instead of reversing; only the red Jacks reverse. A 2 cannot answer a black Jack, and a black Jack cannot answer a 2.
Last Card
When you are down to one card, you say "Last card!" so everyone can see the danger and try to stop you. Many families are strict about it: forget to say it before you play your second-to-last card, and you pick up two as a penalty. Our game says it for you unless you switch on that house rule, in which case a Last Card! button appears whenever you hold two cards.
Going Out and Winning
The first player to play their last card wins the hand straight away. If that last card is an action card, its power does not matter; the hand is over. Then the cards are shuffled and the next hand is dealt.
In the unusual case where the stock and the discard pile are both used up and nobody can play, the hand is blocked. The player whose remaining cards are worth the least wins it (Aces 20, picture cards 10, the rest their number).
Our game is won by the first player to win three hands. Some families keep a running score instead; that and other ways of scoring are described on the variations page.
Worked Examples
Example 1: matching and an Ace
The 9 of hearts is on top. You hold the 3 of hearts, the 9 of clubs, the King of spades and the Ace of diamonds. You could play the 3 of hearts (same suit), the 9 of clubs (same number) or the Ace (wild). The King of spades does not fit. If most of your other cards are clubs, the 9 of clubs is a neat choice: it changes the suit to clubs without spending your Ace.
Example 2: passing on a 2
Four players, play going clockwise. East plays the 2 of spades, and you are next: the table says Pick up 2!. You hold the 2 of diamonds, so you play it and the table now says West: pick up 4!. West has no 2 and picks up four cards, which is their whole turn. North plays next as normal, matching your 2 of diamonds.
Example 3: black Jack, red Jack
Four players, play going clockwise. East plays the Jack of clubs on you: pick up 5! You hold the Jack of hearts and play it. The five cards are cancelled and, because a Jack reverses play, the direction turns counter-clockwise. The turn goes back to East, who must now match your Jack of hearts.
Example 4: missing a turn near the end
Play is going clockwise, so West plays right after you, and West is down to one card. You play the 8 of spades. West misses the turn, North plays next, and you have bought the table another round to stop West going out.
A Quick Summary
- Seven cards each; turn up a starter (never an Ace).
- Match the suit or the number, or play an Ace and name a suit.
- Can't play? Pick up one card; play it if it fits.
- 2: pick up two (another 2 passes it on). 8: miss a turn. Jack: change direction.
- Black Jack: pick up five (other black Jack passes it on, red Jack cancels).
- Say "Last card" with one card left. First to empty their hand wins.
That's all there is to it. The best way to learn is to play a few hands: the game marks the cards you can play, announces every action card in big words and has a Hint button for whenever you're unsure. When you are ready for more, read the Switch strategy guide.