As a postscript to our survey of “Old Maid,” I’d like to add these alternate rules.  They’re tucked into a 1945 deck (a later edition of the one we posted here as #25, back on 9/18/08).  I assume somebody at the company bridled at the stigmatization of the Old Maid, and so decided to make her the most desirable card, rather than the least.

BACHELOR GIRL GAME

NOTE: Rules for playing the conventional Old Maid Game will be found on one of the cards in the deck.  The following rules are for another and more modern Old Maid Game, “Bachelor Girl,” to be played with the same cards.

Game may be played by two to eight players.  If 2-3 or 4 are playing, deal six cards to each player.  If 5-6-7 or 8 are playing, deal five to each.  After dealing, place the remainder of the deck face down in the center of the table.

The dealer plays first.  If two cards in your hand match, place them face up in front of you, then place another face up, and draw one from the deck.

The player at your left plays next and so on.  When it is your turn to play, if you haven’t a pair that match in your hand but others have laid down cards which match ones held in your hand, you take their cards and lay them with yours in front of you.  The Old Maid or Bachelor Girl card is wild and you may take another player’s card and match it with the Bachelor Girl if you have it in your hand.  Anyone may take Bachelor Girl by putting the other matching card down in its place.

If a player lays down a card and some one else has the matching card in front of them, the player first noticing the error may take both cards and add them to the cards already in front of them.

When a player lays down the last card in his hand he does not draw from the deck since in laying down the final card in his hand he has won the hand and all the other players give the winner the cards remaining in their hands.

To add your score you count five for each pair in front of you and one for each single card.  If the winner of the hand gets Bachelor Girl from one of the other players it adds ten points to his score.

The player getting 100 points first is the winner of the game.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)