Both are easy games for two to six players that children love, and both are about getting rid of or collecting matching cards. In Go Fish you ask for cards and collect sets of four. In Old Maid you draw blind and throw out pairs, and nobody wants the odd queen.
| Go Fish | Old Maid | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2 to 6 | 2 to 6 |
| Played with | 52 cards, no jokers | 51 cards: one queen removed |
| Type | Collecting sets | Collecting sets |
| Level | Easy | Easy |
| How long | Until all 13 books are made | About 10 minutes |
| The goal | Collect the most books: all four cards of one rank. | Get rid of all your cards in pairs, and don’t be the player left holding the odd queen. |
| How you win | When all 13 books have been made, the player with the most books wins. | Everyone except the player holding the odd queen at the end wins. |
Choose Go Fish if
- you want to ask for cards and collect sets of four, called books
- you like a game that ends when all 13 books are made
- you have a normal 52-card deck
Choose Old Maid if
- you want a game of pairs and a straight face
- you want a shorter game: about 10 minutes
- you will take one queen out of the deck first
