👵
Easy Standard

Old Maid

Don't be left holding the unpaired Queen.

👥 2–6 players · Easy difficulty

Old Maid is a charming matching game for all ages. Remove one Queen so one "Old Maid" is left unpaired; discard all your pairs and pray your opponent doesn't foist the unmatchable Queen on you.

🎯 Objective

Avoid being the player holding the single unmatched Queen (the Old Maid) when all other cards have been paired.

🃏 Setup

  1. Remove one Queen from the deck (leaving one unpaired Queen — the "Old Maid").
  2. Deal all cards. Players immediately discard any pairs face-up.

▶ How to Play

  1. The player left of the dealer fans their hand face-down towards the next player.
  2. That player draws one card; if it pairs with any card in their hand, discard the pair. Then they fan their hand to the next player.
  3. Play continues clockwise.
  4. Players who discard all their cards are safe and out of the game.
  5. The player left holding the single Queen at the end is the Old Maid and loses.

📊 Scoring

One player is the loser (the Old Maid). All others win. Play multiple rounds; track who has been the Old Maid the most.