Take turns drawing a card from the next player's hand and put down pairs. Whoever is left holding the odd Queen loses.
Want to win more often? Read the Old Maid strategy guide →
How to play Old Maid
The goal is to get rid of all your cards. You play against two or three computer players: Ava, Ben and Cleo.
The deal
- One Queen is taken out of the deck, so one Queen can never be paired. That card is the Old Maid.
- All 51 cards are dealt out. Everyone puts down their pairs straight away.
Rules
- A pair is any two cards of the same rank, like two 7s. Suits don't matter.
- On your turn, pick one face-down card from the next player's hand. If it matches a card you hold, the pair goes down. If not, you keep it.
- Then the next player draws from the player after them, and so on round the table.
- When a player runs out of cards they're safe and out of the game.
- The last player holding a card has the Old Maid and loses. Everyone else wins.
Tips
- Count the Queens that have gone down. Once two are paired, the last one in play is the Old Maid.
- If a computer player takes a Queen from you, you know where the Old Maid is. Players shuffle after every draw, though, so you can't tell which card it is.
A little history
Old Maid is a nineteenth-century children's game. In Victorian Britain and America it was sold with special illustrated decks, full of comic characters to pair up and a single Old Maid card to avoid, long before families started playing it with an ordinary deck.
The same idea turns up all over the world. In Germany it's Schwarzer Peter (Black Peter), in France Pouilleux, played with an odd Jack, and in Japan Babanuki, played with a Joker. The card you mustn't be caught with changes, but the game is the same.
Old Maid FAQ
Which card is the Old Maid?
One Queen is taken out before the deal, so one of the three left can never be paired. Whoever ends up holding that Queen has the Old Maid.
How many players can play?
You against two or three computer players. Choose 3 or 4 players with the option button.
Is Old Maid all luck?
Mostly. You can't see which card you're drawing, so there's no sure way to avoid the Old Maid. But counting Queens tells you when it's still in play and who might hold it.
Who do I draw from?
The player on your left. Play goes clockwise round the table, so each player draws from the next one along.
What happens when a player runs out of cards?
They're safe and out of the game. Play carries on round the others until only the Old Maid is left.
Can I play with a Joker instead of a Queen?
Many families do, and in Japan the game is usually played that way. Here it's played with the classic odd Queen.
Ready for more? The Old Maid strategy guide → covers what to do in every phase of a game.