Mao (card game)

Mao, also spelled Mau, is a card game of the shedding family, and its aim is to get rid of all the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules that tend to vary by venue. It belongs to a subset of the Stops family and is similar in structure to Uno or Crazy Eights. What sets it apart is that players are forbidden from explaining the rules, and new players are often told that the only rule they may be told is this one. Specifics are discovered through trial and error: a player who breaks a rule is penalized with an additional card from the deck, and the person giving the penalty must say what the incorrect action was without explaining the rule broken. Many variants exist. Beginners sometimes assume the dealer, called the Chairman, the Mao or the Grand Master, is making up inconsistent rules, but the rules of Mao are consistent within each game and can be followed correctly.