How to Play Old Maid

Old maid is a matching game for kids. Don't get stuck with the Old Maid!

Old Maid Game Rules

| Players: 2+ | Type: Matching | Supplies: 1 Deck |

Objective

The objective of old maid is to pair up the cards in your hand, and avoid being the last player holding the odd queen.

Deal

Remove 1 queen from the deck and place it out of the game. Deal one card at a time to each player until all cards are dealt. Some players may have one more card than others, this is ok.

Game Play

Players look at their card and place any pairs face down in front of them. After all the players have removed their pairs, the game play begins.

The player left of the dealer starts the game by drawing a card from the player to their right. If the card drawn creates a pair, the matching cards are laid down. If the card drawn does not create a pair, the card stays in the player's hand. Play continues clockwise, with players continuing to draw from the person counterclockwise (to their right.)

A player is safe from becoming the old maid when either the player pairs all the cards in their hand, or the player lays down a pair and only has one card left. The player's last card is then drawn by the next player leaving them without cards.

Loser

The player left with the odd queen loses the game.