Looking for a fun family game or a card game you can play with the kids? What about Old Maid? Yes, you can play ‘Old Maid’ with a standard deck of cards, but you might also have a specially made pack of Old Maid picture cards.
Either is fine to use, the specially made picture cards make the game a bit easier to play with young children as matching the pictures can be easier than matching the numbers on regular cards. Alternatively, most people tend to have a deck of regular cards in their house which makes the game accessible to all.
What Is Old Maid?
Old Maid is a classic card game that is played with a standard deck of playing cards. (As mentioned above, it can also be played with specially designed picture cards made specifically for the game. Either way, the process and objectives of the game are the same.) The objective of the game is to avoid being the player left with the “Old Maid” card at the end.
How Do You Play Old Maid?
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to play Old Maid:
Players: 2 or more players
Setup:
Use a standard 52-card deck. Remove one of the queen cards (usually the Queen of Clubs) to create a deck with an odd number of cards.
Shuffle the deck thoroughly.
Deal all the cards to the players. It’s okay if some players have more cards than others.
Gameplay:
Players look at their cards and pair up any cards with matching ranks (e.g., two 2s, two Kings, etc.). If a player has more than one pair, they can choose to keep one pair and give away the rest.
Players place the pairs face-up in front of them.
The player to the dealer’s left goes first. They draw a card from the player to their right. If they find a pair in the drawn card and any card in their hand, they place the pair down.
If the card they picked doesn’t match any of the players cards they are holding, they add the new card to their holding collection.
The game continues clockwise.
Players take turns drawing cards from the player to their right and forming pairs if possible.
If a player runs out of cards, they are out of the game.
The game continues until all pairs have been formed and discarded.
The player left with the unmatchable card (the “Old Maid”) is the loser.
Winning:
The goal of Old Maid is to avoid being the last player with the “Old Maid” card. The player who ends up with this card is considered the loser of the game.
Variations:
Old Maid can have various rule variations, such as using multiple decks of cards to accommodate more players or adding additional cards to make the matching process more challenging. Some variations also involve creative card exchanges, where players offer their cards to each other and try to form pairs.
One of our family favourite variations is to remove a random card without any players knowing which card it is. That way players don’t know if they have the potential ‘Old Maid’ card in their hand until the very end.
FAQ’s About Old Maid
How Many Cards In Old Maid?
Old Maid is traditionally played with a standard deck of 52 cards, minus 1 card (often the Queen of Clubs), making it 51 cards.
Specially made packs of ‘Old Maid’ cards might have varying numbers of cards.
How Many Cards Do You Start With In Old Maid?
The number of cards dealt to each player when playing Old Maid will vary depending on how many players you have. But, the good news is, you don’t have to count! Simply deal out all of the cards in the deck. It doesn’t matter if some players have more or less than others so long as all of the cards have been dealt.
How Many People Can Play Old Maid?
Old Maid is a flexible card game that can be played with various numbers of players, making it suitable for small to medium-sized groups. The game can be played with 2 or more players. Here’s how the number of players can affect the gameplay:
2 Players: In a two-player game, the deck of 51 cards is still used. Each player is dealt a portion of the deck, and they take turns trying to form pairs and avoid being left with the Old Maid card.
More than 2 Players: When playing with more than 2 players, the same deck of 51 cards is used. The cards are distributed as evenly as possible among the players. Players take turns drawing cards from their neighbours to form pairs. The game continues until all pairs are formed, and the player left with the Old Maid card is the loser.
For larger groups, you can consider using multiple decks of cards to accommodate more players and make the game last longer. Keep in mind that with more players, the game can become more chaotic and the strategy of remembering which cards have been drawn can become more challenging.
Overall, Old Maid is a versatile game that can be adapted to suit the number of players you have, making it a great choice for various social gatherings and occasions.
Ultimately, Old Maid is a simple and fun card game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages. It’s a game of luck and memory, making it a great choice for casual gatherings or family game nights.
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