Old Maid, A Classic Card Game
Old Maid, or Old Bachelor, has been around since the early 1800’s. Next to Go Fish, it’s probably one of the most popular card games for kids. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun for people of all ages either.
The premise of the game is to avoid being stuck with the unpaired card in the deck. Whether it’s the joker, a lone queen, or lone king. Conversely, you can play so that the person with the lone card is the winner. Similar to Go Fish, the idea is to match pairs until you’re out of cards. Unlike Go Fish, you draw from each others hands instead of asking. Either way it’s a very easy game to learn since there are few rules.
Best Way To Play Old Maid
All you need to play Old Maid is a regular deck of cards and 2 or more players. Simply add one Joker to the deck if it’s available. If a joker is not available then remove 3 queens leaving just 1 queen in the deck. The goal is to have a single odd card in the deck, whether it’s a king, queen, jack, or joker doesn’t matter.
Once the deck of cards is setup then deal out all the cards. It’s fine if a few players have an extra card. Then each player lays down every pair in their hand. After all the pairs are loid down, the person to the left of the dealer is the first to draw. They draw exactly one card from a player of their choosing.
If they draw a matching card then they lay down the pair. Either way their turn is over and the next person draws exactly one card from someone else. The game continues until the last pair is made and someone winds up with the single card.
As the game progresses, players are eliminated as they run out of cards. So it’s usually a good idea to draw from the person with the most cards. The rule where players only draw from the the person next to them sucks. By choosing a player to draw from everyone stays in the game longer.
Alternatively, you can play where pairs have to be the same color to lay down. For example, you’d need the ace of clubs and spades to say it down. Or the 8 of hearts and diamonds to lay it down. If you really want a long game require 4 of a kind to lay down.
In my experience, the 4 of a kind rule works better with 2 or 3 players. If you have 6 or more players getting a pair is hard enough. Just having a pair to lay down is the best rule.
Another way to play is to have the person holding the odd card be the winner. Depending on the people you play with some may not like being stuck with the Old Maid. So, switch it up so the goal is to get the odd card, not be stuck with it.
Having Fun with Old Maid
In my experience, this games is quite entertaining no matter how it’s played. Whether it’s a big reveal at the end or the stress during every card exchange. Everyone is bound to have fun, or anxiety. Since there’s plenty of both with Old Maid.
Just be sure to remember it’s only a game, don’t take it too seriously. I’ve found that’s the key to having fun. If the kids aren’t having fun switch it up so the winner is the one with the unpaired card. Playing this game has a lot of potential for drawing out the best, or in rare cases the worst, in people.
Whether it’s implied or not, having the odd card in the deck should be a secret. That is, whenever possible. It seems some people in my family aren’t capable of a poker face. Most times when the card changes hands everybody finds out about it. Which actually turns out to be as much fun as keeping it a secret.
Although, some cheeky kids are good actors and trick everyone. Fooling other players into thinking your hand is safe to draw from or not is another fun aspect of the game. The best games are where everyone is enjoying themselves.
Summary
For a beginner card game Old Maid requires a high level of emotional maturity. It teaches kids the difference between good losers and poor winners. Hopefully, you play with a good group. Our games of Old Maid are definitely more lively than Go Fish.
The whole point of this game is to understand each other better. So I would avoid playing with mean people. As long as you’re playing with great people, Train of Thought is a great game.
Old Maid, the classic ‘stress’ game brought to you by David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
