Buzz
Contrary to popular belief, Old Maid doesn’t need a specialized deck. Its origins, dating back around 150 years, suggest it was played with a standard deck minus one card. This classic children’s card game is easy to learn and quick to play. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Number of players: Ideal for two to eight participants, though three or more players make the game more engaging.
Objective: Avoid being the player stuck with the Old Maid card at the end.
Deck setup: Use a standard 52-card deck after removing one queen.
To play: Distribute all cards one by one to each player. Before the game begins, players reveal and set aside (face up) any pairs of the same rank. Only pairs are retired, not three of a kind. If a player has three cards of the same rank, they may only retire two, forming a pair. Next, the player to the dealer's left picks one card unseen from the player on their left. If this creates a pair, it is placed on the table, and the player continues by taking a card from the next player to the left. If no pair is made, the turn moves to the next player, who repeats the process. Eventually, all cards pair up except for one queen, and the player holding it becomes the Old Maid.
Tip: Once a pair of queens is set aside, only observing body language can hint at who might hold the remaining lone queen. However, identifying which specific card it is remains challenging.
Variations: Instead of removing a queen, randomly remove one unseen card from the deck. This way, only at the game's conclusion will players discover which card was the Old Maid. For a faster game, reduce the deck size by excluding cards of several ranks.
Publications International, Ltd.
Here's a quick reference for some of the card language used in this article.
Deal: The process of distributing cards to players; also refers to the period of play between one deal and the next.
Table: The playing area; also refers to placing a meld on the playing area.
For a full list of card terminology, click here.
