Egypt · Shedding · Every player for themselves
El-Shayeb: rules and how to play
الشايب
El-Shayeb is the Arab Old Maid, the card game every family knows: no bidding and no adding up, just pairs and nerves. One king has no partner. Pair up your cards, draw blind from your neighbour, and try not to be the last player left holding the Shayeb.
At a glance
- Players
- 3 to 6, each for themselves
- Deck
- 52 cards, three kings taken out
- Goal
- Don't be left holding the Shayeb
- A game
- Five rounds
01
How to play in one minute
- Take out the three kings other than the king of hearts. The king of hearts is now the Shayeb: it can never be paired.
- Deal the rest one card at a time. Everyone puts down their pairs (two cards of the same rank) straight away.
- On your turn, draw one hidden card from the nearest player on your left who still has cards.
- If it pairs with a card in your hand, the pair goes down. Empty your hand and you are safe.
- The last player holding cards has the Shayeb and takes a penalty point. After five rounds, the fewest points wins.
02
The rules
The deal
A standard 52-card deck. The Shayeb is the king of hearts: the other three kings are taken out, so 49 cards are dealt and it can never be paired. The cards are dealt one at a time, so some hands may have one card more. Everyone puts down their pairs straight away, and a player left with no cards is already safe.
Playing
The player after the dealer starts. On your turn, draw one hidden card from the nearest player on your left who still has cards. If it pairs with a card in your hand, the pair goes down. After every draw both hands, yours and the one you drew from, are mixed again. Then the turn moves on. Empty your hand and you are safe; safe players are skipped.
Scoring
The round ends when only one player still has cards. That player holds the Shayeb and takes one penalty point. The game lasts five rounds, and the dealer moves one seat after each. After the last round the player with the fewest points wins, and tied players share the win.
You hold the 7 of hearts and draw the 7 of clubs from your neighbour: the pair goes down, and you are one card closer to safety.
03
Tips from the table
- Drawing the Shayeb is not the end: it only counts against you if it is still in your hand when everyone else is safe.
- With shuffling after each draw on, a card's place in the hand tells you nothing. Switch it off and you can follow where the Shayeb sits.
- Hands shrink by two with every pair, so the player holding the most cards late in a round is the likeliest to have the Shayeb.
- Five short rounds make a game. One unlucky round is easy to make up.
Qahwa · قهوة
Play it in Qahwa
Switch the house rules before you deal:
- 3 to 6 players
- 3, 5 or 7 rounds
- The Shayeb: king of hearts or queen of spades
- Random Shayeb: a different card each round
- Shuffle both hands after each draw
Online, every computer player is labelled and the deal can be checked. How we keep it fair
04
Questions
What is the Shayeb?
Shayeb means old man, and in the game it is the one card that can never be paired: the king of hearts by default. Whoever is left holding it at the end of the round takes a penalty point.
Is El-Shayeb the same as Old Maid?
Yes, it is the Arab version of Old Maid. In Qahwa the Shayeb is the king of hearts, or the queen of spades if you prefer, or a random card each round.
How many players can play El-Shayeb?
From 3 to 6. Qahwa deals for 4 by default and also has a six-player table.
Play it free: El-Shayeb (Old Maid)
Qahwa is in testing and not on Google Play yet. Join the early players list and be first at the table.