Macau, also spelled Makaua or Macaua, is a shedding-type card game from Hungary, with similar rules to Crazy Eights or Uno and uses a standard 52 card deck. The object of the game is to be the first player to remove all cards from one's hand. Macau involves tactical play where players manage their cards to maximize their hand's efficiency and strategically respond to opponents' moves. Bluffing is a core element, as players may choose to withhold playable cards to preserve them for later use.
The game belongs to the broader Crazy Eights family, which first appeared in the 1930s and shares fundamental shedding mechanics with games such as Mau-Mau (Germany), Pesten (Netherlands), and Switch (United Kingdom). The name Macau is distinct from the unrelated 18th-century banking card game Macao, a forerunner of baccarat.
When playing the game, the player that has one last card cannot end the game with a 2 or 3 while playing in two. If the player has 2 cards which are the same (e.g. 2 of spades and 2 of hearts), they call double Macau. However, if the other player holds a card that is also a 2 of diamonds, the first player has to pick up 6 cards from the deck. If played in a group, the player can end the game with a 2 and a 3. For example, if one player is holding the last card and the card is the 3 of spades, the next player must withdraw three cards unless they have a 2 to pass on to the next player, which will mean the next player must withdraw 5 cards from the deck.
Two or more players (up to 10) are dealt 5 cards each. For larger groups, additional decks may be added at the players' discretion â a single 52-card deck (twos through aces) is generally sufficient for two to four players. The deck is then cut and the cut card becomes the first card in the discard pile; if the revealed card is an action card, it is returned to the deck and the next card is revealed in its place. Players determine the order of play, which is usually clockwise. Play starts to the dealer's right.
The next card played must be of the same suit or the same value as the card on the top of the discard pile. For example, if a was on the top of the discard pile, the player can play a or a . Alternatively, an Ace or Joker can be played, as they are wild. If the player cannot play a card, they must draw from the deck. If a drawn card matches the top of the discard pile, it may be played immediately (the "first card saves" rule). When saving with such a card, a player may, depending on the variant, also play one or more additional matching cards from their hand alongside it.
Cards can be played in runs, meaning that cards of consecutive values in the same suit may be played in the same turn. These runs may be continued into different suits if cards of the same value are included. For example, , , , , , , would be valid. Multiple cards of the same value or suit may also be played together in a single turn, so long as the bottom card of the group matches the top of the discard pile. With a single deck (including two or three jokers), a player can theoretically play six or seven cards in one turn â for example, four queens plus two or three jokers.
If the draw pile is exhausted during the game, the discard pile â except for the top card â is shuffled and turned face-down to form a new draw pile. Only the card that was on top of the discard pile remains face-up.
When an action card is played, the player next in the sequence must complete the action or add to it to pass it on to the next player. When down to a single card, a player must say "Macau!". If an opponent calls "Macau!" before the player does, the player must draw 5 cards. The winner of the game is the first player to have no cards. In instances of more than 2 players, gameplay continues until only one player is left with cards â players finish in ranked order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). When ending the game a player may put down two, three or four cards of the same value on their final turn; in some variants the player must then say "Macau and after Macau!", while in others no announcement is required.
Non-action cards are therefore: fives, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, the , and the .
Multiple action cards can be played at once. For example, player 1 plays three 2s and the next player in the sequence must pick up 6 cards unless they have another 2. This is the same for 3s, 4s, and Kings.
Some variants include additional or modified rules, for example a "five on anything, anything on a five" rule replacing the standard Queen rule, or a special that can ignore an outstanding demand if it has already been fulfilled by a preceding player â thereby preventing another Jack or Ace from being played in response. In some versions certain rules apply conditionally â most commonly queens may function as non-action cards, and battle kings may lose their special power if the preceding card was a 2 or 3 that was successfully countered.
In Romania, the game is called Macao (or Macaua) and has variations by region. The rules below are common:
In some restricted versions, players cannot use a 3 on a 2 that does not match the color or suit. In less restricted versions, draw cards can be stacked regardless of color or suit.
This is a less common variation which typically does not use wild cards or jokers. Instead, Aces change the suit and 4s do not block. If there are 3 players, two 8s are sometimes removed from the pack and the other two become wild cards (7s).
In this version (also known as the London Variation), 2 players are dealt 7 cards each, while 3 or more players are dealt 5 cards each. The top card of the deck becomes the first card in the discard pile.
Special Cards:
Point system for series play (played to 500):
Players can agree on extra rules to adjust difficulty:
In Poland, the game is widely known as Makao and is recognized as a national variant of Crazy Eights, remaining a staple of informal play. It is frequently played with a full 52-card deck, but house rules often add complexity to the action cards. The rules differ by region and by the source from which players learned the game (such as the internet or books), though the core mechanics and objective remain consistent:
In some Polish regions, the rule "a five on anything, anything on a five" replaces the standard Queen rule. In others, the (Jack of Spades) has a special ability to ignore an outstanding demand for a value or suit, provided the demand has already been fulfilled by a previous player â thereby preventing another Jack or Ace from being played in response. In some versions certain rules apply conditionally; most commonly queens may act as non-action cards, and battle kings lose their special power if the preceding card was a 2 or 3 that was countered by the next player.
Prà ¡Ã (Czech and Slovak for it's raining) is a version of Macau that arose in the second half of the 20th century and is played in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is typically played by two to five players using a 32-card deck (sevens through aces) of the German pattern, or alternatively a standard French deck. The goal is to be the first player to shed all cards â when one player does so, the game ends immediately for all others (unlike the Polish version, in which play continues until a full ranking is established).
Each player receives 4 to 6 cards (depending on regional custom), and the top card of the remaining deck is turned face-up in the centre of the table as the starter card, onto which cards are subsequently discarded. Play proceeds clockwise, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. On each turn a player places exactly one card, matching either the rank or the suit of the top discard. If no playable card is held, the player draws one card from the stock. When the stock is exhausted, the discard pile (minus the top card) is reshuffled to form a new stock.
Action cards in Prà ¡ÃÂ:
Non-action cards (eights, nines, tens, jacks/unters, and kings) carry no special effect.
When a player goes out, they announce "Prà ¡ÃÂ!". The remaining players score penalty points for cards left in hand:
Mau-Mau is the version of Macau played in Austria and Germany. Rules are similar to the Czech Prà ¡Ã â the main differences are that Mau-Mau may be played with either a 32-card or a full 52-card deck, and the set of action cards is slightly broader. In addition to the cards used in Prà ¡ÃÂ, the eight reverses the direction of play: the next player to act is the one sitting to the right instead of the left. An eight may only be countered by another eight, which restores normal clockwise order. As in Prà ¡ÃÂ, the game ends immediately when one player sheds all cards and declares "Mau-Mau!". The winner scores points equal to the total remaining in opponents' hands:
101 (Russian: áÃÂþ þôøý, Sto odin), also called the Czech Fool (Russian: çõÃÂÃÂúøù ôÃÂÃÂðú, Tscheskij durak), is the Russian version of Macau. Like its Polish counterpart, it has many variants depending on the source of the rules or the region. It is played with a 36-card deck (sixes through aces), or optionally a full deck. The aim is to shed all cards; the player who accumulates 101 or more penalty points loses.
Each player receives five cards; the rest of the deck is placed to one side as the draw pile. The first game is begun by a randomly chosen player; subsequent games are started by the winner of the previous game, who places any chosen card face-up to start the discard pile. In turn, each player must match either the rank or the suit of the top discard, or draw the top card of the stock and â if it matches â play it immediately. If the drawn card does not match, the turn passes. When the stock is exhausted, the discard pile (minus the top card) is reshuffled. Special cards in 101:
When a player goes out, the remaining players count penalty points for cards still in hand:
The player who reaches 101 or more penalty points loses the game.
War is started when 2, 3, King of Spades (directed at the previous player), or King of Hearts is played, causing players to pick up cards. When a war starts, players can play any 2s and 3s as the suit and value are being ignored during the war. Players can also play King of Spades and King of Hearts regardless of suit as long as the card being played is a 2, 3, or one of the mentioned Kings. The Queen of Hearts can be played anytime during the war to stop it, causing the player who plays it to not pick up any cards. In this variation, players can often pick up as many as 20 cards (they all add up, e.g. 2+3+2+King of Spades+King of Hearts=17).
When King of Spades is played, the previous player must pick up 5 cards or play another action card (any 2, 3, King of Hearts, or King of Spades directed at a previous player). After the previous player responds, the game goes back to the player who played King of Spades.
2, 3, King of Spades, King of Hearts are war cards that cause players to pick up cards (2, 3, and 5 respectively).
If a Jack or Ace is played, the player can call for a non-action card value (Jack) or a suit (Ace). Any Jack may be placed on any Ace and vice versa, ignoring the previous request. The Queen may be placed on any non-action card regardless of suit or value.
If a 4 is played, the deception part starts. All players must miss a go unless they have a 4. Players who do not play a 4 do not draw from the deck. The chain continues until no one plays a 4, at which point the last player who played a 4 takes as many turns as there were 4s in the chain. All action cards during those turns apply to that player themselves. The deception is that a player may hide a 4 and play it after everyone else has passed, gaining extra turns.
A Joker replaces any card.
The more difficult version of Macau Wars (and any Macau variation) is played with open cards. All players' cards and the draw deck are visible. This is similar to Chess in that knowing all the cards forces players to think strategically about future moves. The open cards variation can take hours to finish.