Old Maid online: Black Cat

Black Cat is Mezar Café's version of Old Maid (Papaz Kimde in Turkish): take turns drawing a face-down card from the player on your left and discard your pairs. Whoever is left holding the one card that matches nothing (our Black Cat) loses. It runs free in your browser for 2–8 players, with no download or account.

Last updated: 1 November 2026

Play Black Cat

Black Cat (Old Maid): the face-down hand you draw from, opponents and the player's hand

At a glance

Players	2–8 (8-player rooms are free)
Deck	49 cards: three Kings are removed from a 52-card deck, and the last King is the Black Cat
Deal	All cards are dealt; pairs in hand are discarded automatically
Game length	1, 3 or 5 rounds (3 by default)
Turn time	20, 30, 45 or 60 seconds (the host chooses)
Bots	Fill empty seats

How to play Old Maid

Three Kings are removed from the deck; the last King can't pair with anything, and that card is the Black Cat. All 49 cards are dealt.
Everyone discards cards of the same rank in pairs; the game does this automatically.
On your turn, draw a face-down card from the player on your left. The card you drew is shown to you first; if it pairs with a card in your hand, the pair is discarded.
It's then the turn of the player you drew from. Whoever empties their hand is safe for the round.
Whoever is left holding the Black Cat loses the round and gets a cat. After the chosen number of rounds, the fewest cats wins; the loser of each round starts the next one.

Tips

Watch the discarded pairs: knowing which ranks are still around helps you guess who holds the Black Cat.
When someone draws from you, you are shown which card left your hand; if it was the Black Cat, you now know where it is.
Losing one round isn't the end in a longer game: the winner is whoever has the fewest cats when the rounds are over.

How do the bots play?

Bots pick the card to draw at random, like a real player drawing from a face-down hand, and think for a second or two before every move. Old Maid is a game of luck and nerve, so the bot difficulty doesn't change the outcome.

Play Black Cat

Frequently asked

How do you play Old Maid?

Three Kings are removed and all cards are dealt. Everyone discards their pairs, then players take turns drawing a face-down card from the player on their left. Emptying your hand makes you safe; whoever is left with the last unmatched King (our Black Cat) loses.

Is Black Cat the same game as Old Maid?

Yes. The rules are those of classic Old Maid as played in Turkey (Papaz Kimde): three Kings are removed and the last King can't pair. We draw that card as a black cat.

How many players can play?

From 2 to 8, and 8-player rooms are free for everyone. Bots can fill empty seats.

How long is a game?

The host picks 1, 3 or 5 rounds. A four-player round takes a few minutes.

Does Old Maid have other names?

It's Papaz Kimde or Papaz Kaçtı in Turkish, Schwarzer Peter in German and Babanuki in Japanese.

Is it free?

Yes. You can play free as a guest without an account; card backs and table looks are cosmetic only.

More Mezar Café games: Bluff · Hortlak · Grave Pishti · Ludo · Mezarpoly