How to Play Mau-Mau: Rules of the Shedding Card Game
A 32-card pack, four power cards and one word you must not forget: that is Mau Mau, the classic German shedding game. You match the top card by suit or rank, slow everyone else down with the power cards, and announce “Mau” before you go out. Below are the full Mau Mau rules, including the deal, every special card, the calls, scoring, popular house rules and a few tips.
Key takeaways
- Mau-Mau is a German shedding game for two or more players, usually played with a 32-card pack (7 through Ace in four suits).
- Each player gets 5 or 6 cards, and on your turn you play one card that matches the suit or rank of the top card, or draw one.
- In the common rules, a 7 makes the next player draw two, an 8 skips them, a Jack is wild and names a suit, and an Ace must be followed by another card.
- You say “Mau” when you are down to one card, and “Mau-Mau” when you go out; forgetting costs you a penalty card.
- When the game is scored, players count the cards left in their hands, and the lowest total wins.
What is Mau-Mau?
Mau-Mau belongs to the same family as Crazy Eights and Switch. In all of them you shed cards by matching the last card played, and special cards change what happens next. Mau-Mau keeps the deck small and gives power to four ranks, so every hand is short and lively.
According to Wikipedia’s Mau-Mau article, the game appeared in Germany shortly after the Second World War, and its rules were first published in 1958. It is now played in many countries, under many local names and rules.
Don’t confuse it with Mao, where the rules are kept secret and newcomers learn them by being penalized. Mao is thought to descend from Mau-Mau, but the Mau Mau card game itself has open rules that everyone agrees on before the deal.
What you need
The standard Mau-Mau pack has 32 cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in each of the four suits. You can use a German-suited pack or a regular French-suited deck with the 2s through 6s taken out. With a big group of more than five players, two packs are shuffled together. You’ll also want pen and paper if you plan to keep score.
The deal
The dealer shuffles and deals 5 or 6 cards to each player, one at a time. The rest of the pack goes face down in the middle as the stock, and the top card is turned face up next to it to start the discard pile. Play begins with the player to the dealer’s left and goes clockwise.
Players also differ on what happens when the first upcard is a special card. A common approach is to treat it as if the dealer had just played it, so a 7 makes the first player draw two and an 8 skips them. Agree on this before you start.
How to play Mau Mau: a turn
On your turn you do one of two things:
- Play a card that matches the top card of the discard pile by suit or by rank. On a 9 of hearts you can play any heart or any other 9.
- Draw one card from the stock if you can’t play. If the card you drew fits, you may play it right away. If it doesn’t, you keep it and your turn is over.
Only one card goes down per turn, except after an Ace (see below). When the stock runs out, the discard pile is turned into a new stock: keep the top card in place, shuffle the rest, and play on.
The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round.
The special cards
The special cards are where the Mau Mau rules vary most. This is the most widely used set.
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| 7 | The next player must draw two cards. They can still play a card after drawing. |
| 8 | The next player misses their turn. |
| Jack | Wild. It can be played on any card, and the player who plays it names the suit the next player must follow. |
| Ace | You must play another card with it. If you can’t, you draw a card. An Ace can’t be your winning card. |
Stacking 7s and answering 8s
Many groups allow stacking: instead of drawing, the next player answers with a 7 of their own, and the penalty passes on and grows to four, then six, then eight cards.
An 8 in a two-player game means you play again. Some groups let the skipped player answer with another 8, which passes the skip along.
Jacks and Aces
After a Jack, the next player must play the wished suit or another Jack. A popular house rule forbids a Jack on a Jack, which stops two players bouncing wishes back and forth.
The card you play after an Ace must match the Ace’s suit or rank, or be a Jack. Because something must always follow it, an Ace can never win the round.
Saying “Mau” and “Mau-Mau”
The calls give the game its name. When you play your second-to-last card and are left holding one card, you must say “Mau,” even if that last card is an Ace. When you play your final card and go out, you say “Mau-Mau.” In the version described on Wikipedia, “Mau-Mau” is required when the winning card is a Jack, but many groups simply call it on every winning card.
If you forget and another player catches you, you take a penalty card. A player who goes out without the required call doesn’t win and takes the penalty instead, so the round carries on. Many groups agree that the chance to catch someone ends once the next player has made their move.
Mau-Mau scoring
For a longer game, keep score over several rounds. When a player goes out, everyone else adds up the cards left in their hand as penalty points, and after an agreed number of rounds the lowest total wins. A common extra rule is that going out with a Jack doubles all the points scored against the losing players.
Card values are not fixed and differ from table to table. One simple scheme counts the 7 through 10 at face value, Queens and Kings at 10, Aces at 11 and Jacks at 20, since a Jack is the most useful card to be stuck holding. Whatever you choose, agree on it before the first deal.
Popular variations
Nearly every region has its own twist:
- Neuner (Austria and Bavaria): a Joker is added, and the 9s are wild instead of the Jacks.
- Prší (Czech Republic): four cards each, stacking 7s, the Ace skips the next player, and the Queen (Ober) changes the suit.
- Pesten (Netherlands): a bigger deck with jokers, where 2s and jokers make players draw, Aces reverse the direction and Kings let you play again.
- Tschau Sepp (Switzerland): played with 36 cards.
At home, the usual switches are stacking 7s, answering an 8 with an 8, banning a Jack on a Jack, and dealing six cards instead of five.
Mau-Mau vs Crazy Eights
If you know Crazy Eights, you already know the core of Mau-Mau: match suit or rank and empty your hand first. Crazy Eights uses a full 52-card deck with the 8s wild. Mau-Mau uses 32 cards, makes the Jack wild, turns the 8 into a skip, gives 7s and Aces their own effects, and adds the “Mau” calls with a penalty for forgetting.
UNO is a commercial cousin of the same family, with draw-two, skip and wild cards printed on a custom deck.
Strategy tips
Keep a Jack for emergencies. A Jack fits on anything, so it is your way out when nothing else matches. When you do play it, wish for the suit you hold the most of.
Use 7s and 8s on the leader. If the next player is down to one or two cards, hit them with a 7 or an 8. With stacking on, keep a 7 back as defense.
Plan your Aces. Only play an Ace when you hold a card that can follow it. Otherwise you end up drawing instead of shedding.
Say it every time. Make “Mau” a habit when you reach two cards.
Play Mau-Mau online
Our free Mau-Mau game runs in your browser against one, two or three computer players with a 32-card pack. It follows the rules above, with Mau and Mau-Mau buttons you have to remember to press. The computer players usually catch you when you forget, and they slip up now and then too, so watch for the Catch button. The house rules above can be switched on the start screen.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you get in Mau Mau?
Usually five each, though six is also common. The rest of the 32-card pack becomes the stock, with one card turned up to start the discard pile.
What happens if you forget to say Mau?
If another player catches you, you draw a penalty card. Forgetting “Mau-Mau” on your winning card is worse: you don’t win, you take the penalty, and the round goes on.
Can you stack 7s in Mau-Mau?
Many groups allow it, but it is a variation rather than a fixed rule. With stacking, the next player can answer a 7 with another 7, and the draw grows by two cards each time until someone has to take them all.
Can you go out on an Ace?
No. An Ace must always be followed by another card, so if an Ace is your last card you play it and then have to draw. That is why you still say “Mau” when your final card is an Ace.
Is Mau-Mau the same as Crazy Eights?
They are close relatives, not the same game. Mau-Mau uses 32 cards, makes the Jack wild instead of the 8, adds powers for 7s, 8s and Aces, and requires the “Mau” calls.
Conclusion
Mau-Mau takes the simple match-and-shed idea of Crazy Eights and adds four power cards and a call you can’t forget. Learn what the 7, 8, Jack and Ace do, agree on your house rules, and you’re ready to deal. Between rounds, take a quick run at the Chrome Dino game on our homepage.
