Black Peter – Rules
Play Black Peter against the computer
1. Overview
Schwarzer Peter (Black Peter) is the classic first card game for children. One card is removed from the pack so that exactly one card has no partner: Black Peter. In turn, everyone draws a concealed card from their neighbour and discards pairs. Whoever is finally left holding Black Peter loses.
| Other names | Black Peter; internationally related to Old Maid |
| Players | 2 to 8, best with 3 to 6 |
| Time | one round 5 to 10 minutes |
| Age | 4 and up |
| Difficulty | very easy |
2. Goal
Discard all your cards in pairs and don't be left holding Black Peter.
3. What you need
- 32-card Skat pack (7 to ace in four suits) – or a Black Peter set with picture cards.
- Nothing else. Traditionally the loser gets a soot mark on the cheek – today usually a tally mark on paper.
4. Setup
- Prepare the pack: Remove the jack of spades. The jack of clubs is Black Peter. So 31 cards are in play.
- Choose the dealer: The youngest deals first; after that the deal passes clockwise.
- Shuffle and deal: The dealer deals all 31 cards one at a time, face down, clockwise from the left. Some players then have one card more – that's fine.
- Discard pairs: Everyone picks out their pairs and lays them face up in the middle. With three of a kind, discard two and keep one.
- Start: The player to the dealer's left begins and draws from their left-hand neighbour.
[ Player 3 ]
[ Player 2 ] [ discarded pairs ] [ Player 4 ]
[ Player 1 ]
5. Card values
There is no ranking and no scoring by card. All that matters is which cards belong together:
| Cards | Pair? |
|---|---|
| Two cards of the same rank, any suit (e.g. 9 of hearts and 9 of spades) | yes |
| Jack of hearts and jack of diamonds | yes |
| Jack of clubs (Black Peter) | never – its partner, the jack of spades, was removed |
6. How to play
One turn – step by step
- Your left-hand neighbour fans out their cards face down in front of you.
- You draw one card without seeing it first.
- If it makes a pair with one of your cards, lay the pair face up.
- Otherwise put the card into your hand.
- Shuffle your hand briefly so nobody knows where Black Peter is.
- Then the next player clockwise draws from their left-hand neighbour.
Players without cards: Whoever has no cards left is out of danger. Their right-hand neighbour then draws from the next player who still has cards.
Not allowed: looking at your neighbour's cards, deliberately showing Black Peter, drawing more than one card. Acting and bluffing are part of the fun, though.
7. Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Black Peter | The card without a partner – in the Skat pack the jack of clubs |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank |
| Fanning | Holding your cards face down so your neighbour can draw one |
| Out | No cards left – you haven't lost |
| Tally mark | Noted for the loser of a round |
8. End of the round & scoring
The round ends when only one card is left – Black Peter. Whoever holds it has lost. Everyone else has won; there is no single winner and no tie.
There are no points, only tally marks:
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Left holding Black Peter | round lost, one tally mark |
| All cards discarded | round survived |
Game: The first player with 3 tally marks loses the game.
9. Special cases
What if players have different numbers of cards?
That's normal and evens out during play.
What if I don't draw a pair?
The card stays in your hand and your turn is still over.
What if my neighbour has only one card left?
Then you must draw exactly that card.
What if someone shows a card by accident?
They shuffle their hand again.
What if a wrong pair was discarded?
The cards go back into the hand.
Can two people play?
Yes. You simply take turns drawing from each other.
10. Variants & house rules
Standard in this description: Skat pack, jack of spades removed, jack of clubs as Black Peter, pairs of the same rank, drawing from the left-hand neighbour.
| Variant | What changes |
|---|---|
| Picture-card set | Special cards with animal pairs; a chimney sweep or a cat is Black Peter – ideal for small children. |
| 52-card pack (Old Maid) | One queen is removed; the leftover queen is the “Old Maid”. |
| Pairs of the same colour only | A pair needs the same rank and colour (red/black). |
| Reversed | Whoever ends up with Black Peter wins. |
| One round | Just one round, no tally marks. |
When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone, 32 cards and “until someone loses 3 times” are preset.
11. Example round
Starting position. Player 1 deals to Player 2, Player 3 and himself. After discarding pairs Player 2 has 2 cards left (8 of hearts, king of clubs), Player 3 1 card (jack of clubs = Black Peter), Player 1 2 cards (8 of spades, king of diamonds). Player 2 draws from Player 3, Player 3 from Player 1, Player 1 from Player 2.
- Player 2 draws the jack of clubs from Player 3 – Black Peter. Player 3 has no cards left and is out.
- Player 1 is next. He draws the 8 of hearts from Player 2 and discards it with his 8 of spades. Player 1 has only the king of diamonds left.
- Player 2 now draws from Player 1, because Player 3 is out. He gets the king of diamonds and discards it with his king of clubs. Player 1 is out.
- Player 2 is left holding Black Peter and loses the round. He gets a tally mark.
12. Common mistakes
- Pairing Black Peter with another jack. It has no partner because the jack of spades was removed.
- Not discarding pairs straight away. Lay every pair down at once to hold fewer cards.
- Not shuffling your hand after drawing. Otherwise everyone knows where Black Peter is.
- Drawing from the wrong neighbour. You always draw from your left-hand neighbour.
Tips for beginners: Keep a poker face when you hold Black Peter. Hold your cards evenly so none sticks out. And watch the others: whoever looks relieved may just have passed Black Peter on.
Origin & history
Black Peter is a traditional children’s game from the 19th century; the loser often gets a black dot painted on their face. In England it is called Old Maid (where a Queen is missing), in Japan Babanuki.