How to play Old Maid: rules with interactive tutorial

Old Maid is a matching card game for 4 players. The goal is to form pairs and avoid being left with the unmatchable "Old Maid" card at the end. Like Go Fish, it's a casual game that's easy to learn. The Old Maid is created by removing a single Queen from the deck before play begins.

On your turn, you draw a random card from the hand of the player on your right. If this gives you a pair, you lay it down face up. The game continues until all possible pairs have been laid down. The one player left holding the Old Maid loses.

Below you'll find a complete explanation of the rules. Above, you can play an interactive tutorial to help you learn how to play Old Maid. Whichever way you choose, you'll get acquainted with the rules in no time.

Once you're ready, you can play Old Maid online for free at World of Card Games. You have the option to play against other people online or with friends. We recommend playing a couple of games against our bots before playing against other people, but that's up to you.

Don't be the Old Maid!

Old Maid at a glance

A simple matching game with one card nobody wants.

Objective

The objective is to form pairs of cards and not be the last player holding the Old Maid.

A "pair" is two cards of the same rank, such as two 7s or two Kings.

Deal

Old Maid is played by 4 players. Use a standard 52-card deck, but remove one Queen. This leaves 51 cards with three Queens. Any two Queens make a pair, so one Queen is always left over. That Queen is the Old Maid.

A random player deals all the cards face down, one by one, starting with the player on their left. The dealer gets one card fewer than the others, which is fine.

Before play begins, each player puts any pairs in their hand aside face down.

The dealer goes first: the player on the dealer's left draws from the dealer's hand.

Play

On your turn, you draw one card at random from the hand of the player on your right. Their cards are spread face down, so you can't see what you're picking.

If the drawn card makes a pair with one already in your hand, you lay that pair down face up. Otherwise, you keep it.

Then the player on your left draws from your hand, so play moves clockwise.

Once you have no cards left, you are safe and take no further part. Players with no cards are skipped. If your last card goes down on your own turn, the player on your left has nothing to draw from you. They skip their draw and offer their hand to the next player on their left, who draws from it.

This continues until all possible pairs are laid down.

Game end

The game ends when all pairs have been laid down. One card will remain unpaired. This is the Old Maid (the single Queen).

The player left holding the Old Maid loses.

All other players win, no matter how many pairs they laid down.

History

Old Maid is believed to have originated in Victorian England and quickly spread worldwide. It has many variations, but the goal of not being stuck with the odd card out has stayed the same.

The rules in practice

A pair is any two cards of the same rank. Say you hold the 7 of Clubs and you draw the 7 of Hearts from the hand offered to you. Suits and colors don't matter, so the two 7s go down face up right away. If you'd drawn the 8 of Hearts instead, you'd keep it and hope to pair it on a later turn.

The pairs you put aside before play starts can leave odd cards behind. If you're dealt three Kings, you put one pair aside and keep the third King in your hand. Keep calm about it. Every card except the odd Queen gets paired before the game ends, so sooner or later that King meets the fourth one.

The Old Maid moves around until the very last moment. Picture the endgame with three cards left. You hold the odd Queen and the 5 of Spades. The player drawing from you holds the 5 of Diamonds. If they pull the 5, they pair it and the game ends. The Queen in your hand then loses it for you. If they pull the Queen instead, the danger is theirs now. Nothing is decided until the final pair hits the table.

Strategy basics

Old Maid is mostly luck, but reading the game well tells you exactly how worried to be and keeps every turn interesting.

• Watch the pair counts. Every pair that goes down takes two more cards out of play, so you can see how close the end is.
• Watch hand sizes. A player with an empty hand is safe for good, which narrows down where the Old Maid can be.
• Notice who draws a card and lays nothing down. Late in the game that often reveals who holds the Old Maid.
• Drawing the Queen isn't a loss. She only counts at the very end and she can be drawn right back out of your hand.

Frequently asked questions

Do pairs have to match in suit or color?

No. A pair is simply two cards of the same rank, so the 9 of Clubs and the 9 of Hearts make a valid pair.

What happens if I'm dealt three of a kind?

You put one pair aside and keep the third card in your hand. It pairs up later in the game, whenever it meets the fourth card of that rank.

Do I draw a card or give one away on my turn?

On your turn, you draw. You take one random card from the face-down hand of the player on your right. You give a card away on the next turn, when the player on your left draws from your hand. Play moves clockwise around the table.

What happens when I run out of cards?

You're safe. A player with no cards can't be left holding the Old Maid. Play skips you from then on. If your last card goes down on your own turn, the player on your left has nothing to draw from you, so they skip their draw and offer their hand to the next player. Play carries on among the players who still hold cards until every pair is down.

Can the Old Maid change hands during the game?

Yes. It usually does. The odd Queen moves whenever someone draws it. Only the player holding it when the last pair is laid down loses.

Helpful links

Pagat.com Old Maid page
Bicycle Cards Old Maid rules