How to Play Old Maid
Pair off your hand and don't be left holding the Queen of Spades.
Also known as Babanuki (Japan) · Black Peter (Germany) · Donkey
Learn Old Maid for 2–8 players: the 51-card deck, pairs by rank and color, blind draws and the point for holding the Queen. Work through five draws, then play in your browser.
Five draws, one Old Maid
You hold the 7♣, Q♦ and Q♠. You draw the 7♠: same rank, same color, so the pair is thrown out. Next you draw the Q♥, which pairs with your Q♦. The Q♠ can never pair, so you hope the player who draws from you takes her before the round ends.
| Card drawn | Result |
|---|---|
| 7♠, with the 7♣ in hand | Pair: both are thrown out |
| 7♥, with the 7♣ in hand | No pair: the colors differ, so the 7♥ stays |
| Q♥, with the Q♦ in hand | Pair: the red Queens are thrown out |
| Q♠ | No pair is possible: you now hold the Old Maid |
| Only the Q♠ left in play | Its holder takes 1 point; the lowest total after the last round wins |
Pairs need the same rank and color. A player whose hand empties is safe for the round, and a match runs 3 rounds unless you change it at setup (1 to 10).
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Avoid holding the Queen of Spades, the Old Maid, when every other card has been paired. Each time you are left with her you take a point, and after the last round (3 by default) the lowest total wins.
🃏 Old Maid Setup & Rules
- Take the Queen of Clubs out of a standard 52-card deck, leaving 51 cards. The Queen of Spades is now the Old Maid: nothing can pair with her.
- Two cards pair when they share a rank and a color: spades with clubs, hearts with diamonds.
- Deal every card, one at a time from the dealer's left, so some hands may hold one card more. Each player throws out all their pairs face up at once.
▶ How to Play Old Maid
- The player to the dealer's left draws first. On your turn the next player clockwise who still holds cards fans their hand face down, and you draw one card.
- If the card pairs with one in your hand, the pair is thrown out. If not, it joins your hand.
- The app shuffles the hand you draw from before every draw, so where the Old Maid sits tells you nothing.
- A player whose hand empties is safe and sits out the rest of the round. Play goes on until only the Old Maid is left.
- Whoever holds the Old Maid takes a point. The deal passes to the left and the next round begins.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Old Maid
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Old Maid, then pick 2 to 8 seats and fill the empty ones with AI players. Up to 5 seats can be AI, so 7 seats need at least 2 human players and 8 seats need 3.
- Set the rounds: 3 by default, from 1 to 10. Whoever is left holding the Old Maid least often over those rounds wins.
- The deck is a standard 52 without the Queen of Clubs, 51 cards in all. The Queen of Spades is the Old Maid.
- Every card is dealt, one at a time from the dealer's left, and each hand's pairs are thrown out face up for you.
Pairs by rank and color
- Two cards pair when they share a rank and a color: spades with clubs, hearts with diamonds.
- The 7♠ pairs with the 7♣ and the Q♥ with the Q♦, but the 7♠ does not pair with the 7♥.
- Nothing pairs with the Q♠: her black partner, the Queen of Clubs, is out of the deck.
- A hand can hold two cards of one rank that do not pair, such as the K♠ and the K♦, until the right partners turn up.
Drawing a card
- The player to the dealer's left draws first. On your turn the next player clockwise who still holds cards fans their hand face down.
- Tap any card to draw it. If it pairs with one of yours, the pair is thrown out for you; if not, it joins your hand.
- That hand is shuffled before every draw, so the position you pick carries no information, for you or for the app opponents.
- A player whose hand empties is safe and sits out the rest of the round; their tile grays out.
Losing the round, winning the match
- The round ends when only the Old Maid is left. Whoever holds her takes 1 point.
- The deal passes to the left for the next round, and every hand starts fresh.
- After the last round the lowest total wins the match. Equal lowest totals share the win.
- A round has no single winner: everyone who got rid of their cards simply escaped.
📊 Old Maid Scoring
The player left holding the Old Maid takes 1 point for the round; everyone else takes nothing. After the last round, 3 by default or 1 to 10 at setup, the lowest total wins the match, and equal lowest totals share it. The app pairs by rank and color, takes out the Queen of Clubs, and shuffles every hand before it is drawn from, so there are no tells to read.
❓ Old Maid — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Old Maid?
Old Maid is played with 2–8 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
Which Queen is the Old Maid in the app?
The Queen of Spades. The app takes the Queen of Clubs out of the 52-card deck, leaving 51 cards, so the Q♠ is the only card with no partner.
Do any two cards of the same rank make a pair?
No. In the app a pair must share rank and color: spades with clubs, hearts with diamonds. The 7♠ pairs with the 7♣ but not with the 7♥ or the 7♦.
How many players can play Old Maid?
2 to 8. App opponents can fill up to 5 seats, so a table of 7 needs at least 2 human players and a table of 8 needs 3.
How is an Old Maid match won?
Whoever holds the Old Maid at the end of a round takes 1 point. After the last round, 3 by default and anywhere from 1 to 10, the lowest total wins, and a tie for lowest shares the win.
