Old Maid

1874
(Uncredited)
BGG Geek Rating
4.7
based on 1,965 ratings
BGG Average Rating
3.7
community average
BGG Ranking
#29502
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Players
2-6
Weight
1.04/5.00
Playtime
5 min
Age
4+

⚙️ Game Mechanics

How this game works - core systems and player actions

Set Collection Hand Management Hot Potato

📂 Categories

Novel-based Card Game Children's Game Bluffing Sports Comic Book / Strip Novel-based Animals

🎨 Artists

Oliver Freudenreich (Uncredited) Manfred Fischer Wilhelm Busch Constanza Droop Kevin Hill (II) Dick Bruna Helge Jepsen Dagmar Launhardt Ludek Manásek Hans Meier-Freiberg Otto Pech Friedrich Petersen Carl Olof Petersén Marilia Poggiali Valeria Petrone Wolfgang de Haèn Werner Graichen Jim Davis Hans-Joachim Behrendt Peyo Anne Erler-Reichold Beatrice Braun-Fock Karl Fischer Alex Graham Vernon Grant Roger Hargreaves Thomas Goletz Annet Rudolph Ingeborg Scherer Jens Schumacher Anja Wrede Lisbeth Honigsmann Racey Helps Alex Portal Benjamin Rabier Heinz Rodewald Stefan Senninger Senta Stein Eric Sturtevant Herbert Zeise Liesel Lauterborn Hans Räde Janosch Willy Mayrl Walter Lantz Harri Parschau Ernst Stapelfeld Rolf Kauka Markus Wagner Robert Lips Eva-Maria Ott-Heidmann Ryan Noonan Klemens Franz

🏢 Publishers

Adolf Johnsons förlag AG Müller (AGMüller) Algazarra AMIGO Andrews & Blaine Anker Play Products Antwerpsche Hypotheekkas Arrco Playing Card Co. Arrow Games Ltd ASS Altenburger Spielkarten Bazoo Global Berliner Spielkarten Bielefelder Spielkarten Birkel Teigwaren GmbH Bizerba Brandstätter Group Built-Rite Cardinal Carlit Cartamundi Cathay Pacific CES Chad Valley Co Ltd. Cheatwell Games Chiefton Products Ltd. Chronicle Books Clifford Toys Clown Games Comas Copag Cards (Copag) Creative Child Games Dagobert danspil Diddl Spiele Die Spiegelburg Djeco Dr. Herbert Schulze Dr. Rolf Ottmüller Drechsler E. E. Fairchild Corporation ED-U-Cards Mfg Editoy Eldorado Ensslin & Laiblin Esslinger Verlag J. F. Schreiber GmbH F.X. Schmid Falcon Games (I) Fan Games Fisher Price Franz Schmidt Frito-Lay Fritz Schulz Jun Fundex Garant Schoenmode General Mills Golden Gramicus Granna Green Giant Company H. Reichardt HABA Hallmark Games Hamleys Hausser Haywire Group Heidmük-Verlag Henbrandt Limited Hensel's Drei Glocken Heraclio Fournier Hoffmann & Campe Holtz & Willemsen Homann Erzeugnisse Horizon Group USA Hoyle Products IKEA International Games Invicta Games Ivory Tower Publishing J. CH. Mellinger Verlag JA-RU Inc. Jeux FK Jeux Stella Jewish Educational Toys Jogojoy Jogojoy John Dickinson & Co Jos. Scholz Josef Hohlweg Wien Jumbo Kaysons Novelty Co. KiK Textilien und Non-Food GmbH King Cards King International Kärnan Lademann Forlagsaktieselskab LandesFeuerwehrVerband Bayern e.V. Magtoys McLoughlin Brothers Melissa & Doug MGA Entertainment Michael Stanfield Milton Bradley moses. Verlag GmbH Mudpuppy Mulder Music Games N.W. Damm & Søn (Damm) Nathan Nature Conservation Norisbank Novel Toy Company Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag Obchodni Tiskárny Oetinger Spiele Omnium-Waalwijk Oriental Trading Company Otto Maier Benelux B.V. Otto Maier Verlag Paletti Papita Parker Brothers Patch Products Paul Lamond Games Ltd Peaceable Kingdom Peliko Oy Pepys (Castell Brothers) Pestalozzi-Verlag Piatnik PlayMobil Interactive Porst-Spiel P:OS Handels GmbH Pressman Toy Corp. (Public Domain) Raeapteek Ravensburger Rewe Richard Hauenstein Roberts Brothers Games Rudolf Forkel KG Russell Manufacturing Company Salamander Schaper Schmidt Spiele School Zone Publishing Company Schwager & Steinlein Selecta Spel en Hobby (Self-Published) Shuffle Simba Toys Sondertyp-Zigaretten Sparkasse Spear's Games Spin Master Ltd. Super Impulse Søstrene Grene Tampereen Paperikonttori Oy Teepe Sportverlag The United States Playing Card Company ThinkFun Tietz und Pinthus Tower Press Toysmith Trefl University Games (Unknown) VEB Landesdruckerei Sachsen Vereinigte Kunstanstalten Senkeisen Verlag für Lehrmittel Pössneck Verlag Rudolf Forkel Volkswagen/Audi W. H. Cornelius Ltd. Waddingtons Waldman Walt Disney Productions (Disney) Walter Flechsig Warren Company Warren Paper Products Co. (Web published) Western Publishing Company Whitman WHSmith Wild Party Games Winning Moves International Ltd Zahnärztekammer Schleswig Holstein Zynga

📖 About This Game

Old Maid is a traditional children's game. You can buy a deck of cards designed for the game, but it can be easily played with a standard deck of cards: Throw away all but one of the queens from the deck. You won't use the "extra queens" during play. (You may also want to throw out all black cards or all red cards to speed up the game). Deal all the cards out to the players. Players put down any pairs they have, then keep the rest of their cards in their hand, hidden from their opponents. From here on, take turns; on your turn, draw a card from any other player. If you made a pair, then put it down. In the end, all cards except the "old maid" (the one queen left in the deck) will be down in pairs. Whoever holds that card loses! Everybody else wins! The best part of this game is seeing another player draw the old maid away from you. You're supposed to keep it a secret when this happens (because other players will avoid drawing from the victim if they know that they risk the old maid by doing so), but young children usually laugh or gloat when the old maid gets taken from them. Adults playing can make the victim feel better by trying to draw the maid away from them.