Mau Mau Card Game Rules and Variations

Mau Mau card game rules for a 32-card pack

Mau Mau is a suit-and-rank matching game with many local rules. This page uses one 32-card pack for two to five players, dealing five cards each. Its jack, seven and eight powers follow the LITE Games developer preset. We use a single-round winner and explicitly choose the unresolved table conventions below.

This is a reproducible table version, not a claim that all German or international families play identically. If joining an existing group, ask about drawing, stacking and the last card before the deal. Mao adds a different secret-rule tradition; knowing one does not establish every rule of the other.

Prepare the 32-card pack

Keep sevens through aces in all four suits; remove twos through sixes and jokers from an ordinary 52-card deck. Deal five cards per person, put the remainder face down and reveal one starter beside it. Play clockwise, beginning left of the dealer.

For this table version, follow the LITE preset and treat the opening card as though the dealer played it: an opening seven affects the first player, an eight skips them, and the dealer names the suit if it is a jack. Some households instead ignore an opening action card; choose one convention before revealing it.

Match, draw and use the three special ranks

Normally play one card matching the top card’s suit or rank. For this table version, if you cannot play, draw one card and end the turn even if it fits. The developer page does not grant an immediate play after drawing; other table versions do. When the stock empties, keep the top discard visible and reshuffle the other discards.

For this table version, paying a seven’s accumulated draw ends your turn. Do not use a jack or eight to dodge that draw obligation. Other ranks have no special effects here.

See matching and stacking in practice

On a queen of clubs, you may play another club or any queen. A jack is also available because it is the wish card. If you play a jack and call hearts, the next ordinary play must be a heart. Another jack can replace that choice in this version.

Suppose the first player lays a seven, the next lays another seven and the third has none. That third player draws four and their turn ends. The following player then resumes ordinary matching on the last seven. A seven chain does not mean drawing until you find a playable card.

Call Mau and finish the round

Say “Mau” when your play leaves one card. The developer preset gives a two-card penalty for missing that announcement. The first player to empty their hand wins this single-round version. As an explicit table convention here, any rank may be the final card and the round ends immediately; pending draw or skip effects are not carried into a new round.

Many families also require “Mau Mau” on the last card, disallow a final jack, or count penalty points across rounds. Those are valid choices when agreed beforehand, but not automatic additions to the single-round rules above. The LITE app itself uses a points match; this guide does not present its card-value system.

A two-player example with an eight

Suppose you are playing a two-player round and hold the eight and queen of clubs. You can place your eight on a heart eight because the ranks match. Say “Mau” as that leaves you one card. The eight skips your only opponent, so you receive the next turn and can place your queen of clubs on the club eight. Under this page’s stated final-card convention, that empties your hand and ends the round.

The extra opportunity comes from the skip effect, not from a rule allowing two cards in one turn. If you had needed to draw instead, the chosen draw-one-and-stop convention would still apply. Keeping those two situations separate prevents an accidental free play.

Write down these choices before teaching

A short note avoids most disagreements: five cards each; opening effects active; draw one and stop; sevens stack; eights do not; jacks can follow jacks; call Mau at one; any final rank ends the round. If changing a rule, change the note before the next deal. Making the choice visible helps everyone interpret the same move consistently.

Rule references and corrections

This independent explanation uses the references below. Follow the instructions for the edition you own and agree on house rules before play.

• LITE Games: developer rules for its Mau-Mau preset
• Kartenspiel.org: traditional 32-card setup and regional choices
• Pagat: the Eights family and variable card effects

Found a mistake? Send a correction with the game name and source.

Keep exploring M card games

Compare all card games that start with M, or use the card game finder for your group.