The Old Maid

I'm sure you remember this game! Read the instructions and play with your family! Do you have cards at home? I hope yes!

Old Maid is a constant favorite with children and lots of fun for families playing cards together. Colorful decks made especially for the game are popular, but regardless of the playing cards used, the rules are the same.

This game only requires a standard deck of cards and 2 to 8 players. Players try to get rid of all the cards in their hand before their opponent does by drawing from their opponent’s hand and discarding pairs. The player left with the “Maid” loses.

The Pack

The standard 52-card pack is used, however, one of the four queens is removed, leaving a total of 51 cards.

Object of the Game

The goal is to form and discard pairs of cards, and not to be left with the odd card (a queen) at the end.

The Deal

Any player shuffles the pack and deals them around, one at a time to each player, until all the cards have been handed out. Players do not need to have an equal number of cards.

The Play

Each player removes all pairs from his hand face down. If a player has three-of-a-kind, they remove only two of those three cards. The dealer then offers their hand, spread out face down, to the player on the left, who draws one card from it.

This player discards any pair that may have been formed by the drawn card. The player then offers their own hand to the player on their left.

Play proceeds in this way until all cards have been paired except one - the odd queen, which cannot be paired - and the player who has that card is the Old Maid!

Change the game

See how the game changes if you decide the winner is the person left with the Old Maid. Call the Old Maid something more appealing like the superhero, the princess, the great king, the old king or the secret spy using a Joker.