Old Maid — rules card

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Old Maid 2 to 4 players · one standard 52-card deck, less the Queen of Clubs THE IDEA • Make pairs and get rid of all your cards. Whoever is left holding the odd queen at the end is the Old Maid, and loses. THE DEAL • Take one queen out of the deck. Shuffle and deal every card, one at a time, starting on the dealer's left. Some players get one card more; that is fine. • Everybody looks at their cards and puts down every pair: two cards of the same rank, any suits. A TURN • The dealer goes first: hold your cards fanned out, face down, for the player on your left, who takes one without looking. • If the card makes a pair, put the pair down. Then offer your hand to the next player on your left. • A player with no cards left is safe and takes no more part. If you take your last pair, the player on your left offers next. THE END • When every card is paired but one, the game is over. The player holding the last queen is the Old Maid. WORDS THIS GAME USES Pair — Two cards of the same rank, such as two 7s or two kings. Pairs go down as soon as you have them. Old Maid — The queen that can never be paired, because one queen was taken out. Also the player left holding her. Safe — A player with no cards left. They have won, and take no more part. Dealer — The player who deals, and offers first. WHERE THESE CAME FROM Pagat.com — Old Maid. A folk game with no authority. Pagat records the common form; households differ on which card is the odd one out. w.richardpringle.com/games/old-maid/ ▲ FOLD ▼ ▲ FOLD ▼ ▲ FOLD ▼ FOLD & TEAR