How to play Old Maid

Old Maid is the classic family card game of pairs and luck. One queen is removed from the deck, so one queen can never be paired — whoever is left holding it at the end is the Old Maid.

The deal

The deck (minus one queen) is dealt out to all players. Everyone lays down any pairs of the same rank straight away.

Drawing

On your turn, pick one face-down card from the player on your left. If it matches a card in your hand, put the pair down; otherwise keep it.

Going out

Players who run out of cards are safe. Play continues until every pair is made and one player is left with the single unmatched queen.

Tips from the table

Opponents shuffle their hands after you draw, so there's no position to remember — it's pure luck.
If the Old Maid ends up in your hand, don't worry: the next player could pick it right back.
Watch the card counts: the player with the fewest cards is closest to being safe.

More free card games

Same table, no loading screens — pick your next hand.