Old Maid Card Game
The classic Old Maid card game with a regular deck: discard your pairs, draw a hidden card from your neighbor each turn and hope you’re not left holding the Old Maid.
You play against 2 or 3 computer opponents. Whoever gets stuck with the Old Maid (the unmatched Queen) loses!
How to play Old Maid
Before the deal, one Queen is removed from the deck without anyone seeing it. That leaves one Queen with no match in the game: she’s the Old Maid. The 51 cards are dealt out to everyone, and each player discards any pairs they already have (two cards of the same rank, any suit).
On your turn, you draw a hidden card from the player on your left: just tap the face-down card you want. If it makes a pair with one of your cards, the pair is discarded right away. Then it’s the turn of the player who gave up the card, who does the same with their neighbor.
Anyone who runs out of cards is safe and sits out the rest of the round. The game goes on until only one card is left, the unmatched Queen: whoever ends up holding the Old Maid loses. The scoreboard shows how many times each player got stuck with her.
Frequently asked questions
Why take a Queen out of the deck?
You can buy special Old Maid decks with matching pairs of characters and a single Old Maid card that has no match. With a regular deck, the classic way to recreate that is to remove one Queen: the other three make one pair and the odd one out plays the Old Maid. That unmatched Queen is where the game gets its name.
Is there any strategy in Old Maid?
It’s almost entirely a game of luck, which is why it’s great for kids. The computer can’t see your cards either and picks blindly. The only tip is to keep track of who drew from whom: if the Old Maid left your hand, you know who has her.
Are there other versions?
Yes. Some people remove a Jack instead of a Queen, some only allow pairs of the same color (both red or both black), and some play with picture-card decks made for kids. In Germany the game is called Schwarzer Peter, and in France it’s Pouilleux.