How do you set up an Old Maid game with a standard deck?

Take ONE queen out of a standard 52-card deck and set it aside, leaving 51 cards. Shuffle thoroughly. The dealer deals all 51 cards one at a time, clockwise, until every card is distributed — it is fine if some players end up with one more card than others. Each player picks up their hand and immediately discards every pair face down (with three of a kind, discard two and keep one; with four of a kind, discard two pairs). Keep your remaining cards hidden.

How many players can play Old Maid?

Old Maid works with 2 to 12 players. For groups larger than six, combine two decks and remove one queen from the combined pack. The game is recommended for ages 4 and up.

Why is one queen removed before dealing?

Removing one queen leaves 51 cards in the deck and guarantees that exactly one queen cannot be paired. Of the three remaining queens, two will eventually pair off and be discarded; the third — the lone queen — is the Old Maid . The player still holding that lone queen at the end of the game loses the round.

Why must you draw blind from a face-down fan?

When it is your turn to be offered cards, the player to your right holds their remaining hand in a face-down fan so you cannot see the card faces. You pick one card at random, then add it to your hand. This randomness is what makes the lone queen slowly migrate around the table — without blind draws, no one would ever choose to take it.

What happens if a player discards two cards that are not actually a pair?

If a player is found to have mistakenly discarded two cards that are NOT actually a pair (which leaves extra unpaired cards at the end of the game), that player automatically loses the round and becomes the Old Maid — even if they no longer hold the lone queen. This is why it is important to double-check ranks before dropping a pair face down.

Free Printable Old Maid Rules — How to Play

About Free Printable Old Maid Rules

Removing one queen leaves three in play. Two of them will eventually pair up and be discarded, and the third can never be matched, so it becomes the Old Maid. That guarantees exactly one unpaired card at the end.

By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026

Old Maid is a simple matching card game for 2 to 12 players, ages 4 and up, played with a standard 52-card deck with one queen taken out. Players pair off matching cards and draw blind from each other's hands, and everyone who empties their hand is safe; the one left holding the lone unpaired queen, the Old Maid, loses. A round usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, and the full printable rules sheet with diagrams is on this page.

How to play Old Maid

Prepare the deck: remove one queen from a standard 52-card deck and set it aside, leaving 51 cards. For more than six players, combine two decks and remove one queen from the combined pack.
Deal everything: shuffle, then deal all the cards one at a time clockwise. It is fine if some players get one more card than others.
Pair off: everyone looks at their hand and discards every pair face down. A pair is two cards of the same rank. With three of a kind, discard two and keep one; with four of a kind, discard two pairs.
Offer a face-down fan: the dealer fans their cards face down and offers them to the player on their left, who draws one card without seeing it.
Match and pass it on: if the drawn card makes a pair, discard the pair face down. Then fan your own hand face down and offer it to the next player on your left.
Drop out when empty: a player who gets rid of all their cards is safe and leaves the game. The others keep offering to the next active player on their left.
Find the Old Maid: play ends when every card is paired except the lone queen. Whoever holds it is the Old Maid and loses; everyone else wins.

Examples

Strategy tips

If you are holding the lone queen, try sliding it slightly higher or lower than the other cards in your fan. Some players will grab a card that sticks out.
Shuffle your hand under the table before each offer so other players can't track where the queen sits.
Keep a straight face when someone's fingers hover over the queen. Reactions give it away faster than anything else.
Count the queens that have been discarded. Once two queens are paired off, you know the third is the Old Maid wherever it is.
Check ranks carefully before laying a pair down. A wrong pair means you automatically lose.

Example: the first pair-off

With 4 players, 51 cards split into hands of 13, 13, 13 and 12. Sam is dealt three 7s, two Kings and a queen among his 13 cards. He discards one pair of 7s and the pair of Kings, keeps the third 7, and is left with 9 cards. He doesn't know yet whether his queen will find a partner or turn out to be the Old Maid.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you take one queen out of the deck?

Removing one queen leaves three in play. Two of them will eventually pair up and be discarded, and the third can never be matched, so it becomes the Old Maid. That guarantees exactly one unpaired card at the end.

Which queen do you remove for Old Maid?

Any one queen works for the standard game. In the Scabby Queen variant, the Queen of Clubs is removed and the Queen of Spades gets the nickname, and whoever holds an unpaired queen at the end loses.

What do you do with three or four of a kind?

Discard cards two at a time. With three of a kind, put down one pair and keep the third card; with four of a kind, put down both pairs.

Can you look at the cards you are drawing from?

No. The player offering their hand holds it as a face-down fan and you draw one card at random. Once it is in your hand you may look at it and pair it off if it matches.

What happens if someone puts down a pair that doesn't match?

If it turns out a player discarded two cards that are not the same rank, leaving extra unpaired cards at the end, that player automatically loses and becomes the Old Maid, even if they no longer hold the queen.

Can you play Old Maid with just 2 players?

Yes. Deal all 51 cards between the two of you (26 and 25), pair off, then take turns drawing one card blind from each other until only the lone queen is left.

Is there a version where holding the odd card wins?

Yes, Reverse Old Maid plays exactly the same way but the player left holding the odd card is the winner. In Black Peter, the European version, a black jack is removed instead of a queen and the odd black jack is the losing card.

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