Edition: Old Maid with a regular deck, where one queen is removed so a single queen is left without a partner. Last checked October 25, 2026
Old Maid Rules: How to Play Old Maid (and Danish Sorteper)
Old Maid is one of the best known kids' card games in the world. Everyone tries not to get stuck with the one card that can never make a pair. In Denmark the game is called Sorteper, which means Black Peter, and the odd card is a jack instead of a queen. You can play with a special Old Maid deck or a regular deck of cards.
- Players
- 2 to 6
- Age
- 4 and up
- Playing time
- 10 to 15 minutes
How to win: Get rid of all your cards by making pairs. Whoever is left holding the Old Maid loses.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Old Maid.
Which card is the Old Maid?
Usually the queen of spades.
With a regular deck, most Americans remove the queen of clubs, which leaves the queen of spades as the Old Maid. In Danish Sorteper you remove the jack of clubs, and the jack of spades becomes Sorteper.
Some remove a different queen, or use a joker as the Old Maid and leave all four queens in. It works just as well as long as everyone knows.
Do pairs have to be the same color?
Not in most American play.
In American Old Maid any two cards of the same rank make a pair. In Danish Sorteper a pair must be the same rank and the same color, red with red and black with black, which is why the odd jack can never be matched.
Some American families also require matching colors. Either way works, as long as one odd card is left at the end.
Can you shuffle your hand before the next player draws?
Yes.
You may shuffle the cards in your hand so the next player cannot tell where the Old Maid is.
Little kids can get help from an adult to hold their cards.
What you need
- A regular deck of cards, or a special Old Maid deck
Setup
- 1Take out the jokers.
- 2Remove one queen, usually the queen of clubs. The queen of spades is now the only black queen, can never be paired, and becomes the Old Maid. In Danish Sorteper you remove the jack of clubs instead, and the jack of spades becomes Sorteper.
- 3Shuffle and deal out all the cards. It does not matter if some players get one more card than others.
- 4Everyone looks at their cards and lays down any pairs they have. In Old Maid a pair is usually two cards of the same rank, like two 8s or two kings. In Sorteper a pair must also be the same color, like two red 8s.
How to play
- 1The first player fans out their cards face down toward the player on their left.
- 2The player on the left draws one card without looking.
- 3If that card makes a pair, the pair goes down on the table.
- 4That player then offers their cards to the next player, and play continues around the table.
- 5A player who runs out of cards is out and safe.
- 6In the end only one card is left: the Old Maid. Whoever holds it loses.
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Old Maid rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
Which card is the Old Maid in a regular deck?
Usually the queen of spades. Remove the queen of clubs before the game. Then one black queen is left with no partner.
What is the difference between Old Maid and Sorteper?
They are almost the same game. In Danish Sorteper the odd card is the jack of spades instead of a queen, and pairs must match in both rank and color.
Source: Common American and Danish family tradition and standard card game references. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.