How to Play Old Maid

Bridge: What card game has a history of being popular as a drinking game in bar halls, despite its calm title? Technically speaking, any card game could be played in a bar, but I'm talking about Old Maid.

Teaching Objective: To teach the group to play Old Maid, to get the group to play together, and to address any misunderstandings about the rules.

• Introduction - 1 minute
• Rules - 3 minutes
• Interactive Game-play - 5 minutes

Learning Objective: Students will be able to play Old Maid following all the rules of the game.

Pre-test: Ask if anyone knows how to play Old Maid.

Participatory Activity: Following the explanation of rules, students will engage in a round of Old Maid together. The rules are as follows:

1. One queen card is removed from a standard deck of 52 cards.
2. A dealer deals out all remaining 51 cards to all players, regardless of how many cards each player has.
3. After all cards have been dealt, all players discard pairs of cards (i.e. two "3" cards or two "J" cards) in the centre.
4. The dealer presents his/her cards face-down to the player on his/her left. The player selects one card and removes it from the dealer's hand. If the card completes a pair, discard the pair in the centre pile. If this card doesn't complete a pair, continue around the circle.
5. The game continues until one person holds the unpaired queen. The person holding this "Old Maid" is the loser and the game is over.

Post-test: Assess during game-play whether players made any mistakes. If game-play goes smoothly, then all players have learned the rules and can play Old Maid. Asking questions about clarity of rules during the game is a good way to assess understanding.

Summary: Old Maid is one of many card games that can be played by a group of people, whether you're drinking or not. While the game can be competitive, the best way to play it is to just have fun.