How to Play Old Maid
Old Maid is the simplest card game there is, which is why children learn it first. Nobody wins; somebody loses.
Setup
- Take one Queen out of the deck. 51 cards remain, so one Queen can never be paired.
- Deal all the cards out. Some players may have one more than others; that's fine.
- Everyone lays down their pairs: two cards of the same rank. Three of a kind lays down one pair and keeps one card.
Play
- On your turn, draw one card from the hand of the next player who still has cards. You can't see it; their hand is fanned face down.
- If it matches a card in your hand, lay the pair down.
- The player you drew from goes next.
- When your last card is gone, you're safe and sit out.
The end
When only one player has cards left, that card is the unpaired Queen: the Old Maid. That player loses the round.
Playing on kawu
- Play against 1 to 3 computer players.
- The hand you draw from is shuffled before every draw, so there's nothing to track: just pick a card.
- No undo: a draw is a draw.
Read the Old Maid tips, or try Go Fish, where remembering what others ask for actually helps.
Frequently asked questions
Which card is the Old Maid?
Whichever Queen is left without a partner. One Queen is removed before the deal, so three remain: two pair up and the third is the Old Maid.
Do pairs have to be the same colour?
Not on kawu: any two cards of the same rank make a pair. Some families play that pairs must match in colour, which makes the game longer.
Is there a winner?
Everyone who gets rid of their cards is safe. The game only has a loser: the player left holding the Old Maid.
Last updated 2026-10-20