Editing Mao (card game) (section)

=== Variant rules ===
As might be expected in a game where the rules are unknown to many of the players, a wide variety of rulesets have developed.<ref name="tree">
{{cite web|title=The Rather Unofficial Mao Card Game Site |first=Jason |last=Holtzapple |url=http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Foothills/3087/mao/maotree.txt |access-date=2001-12-11 |format=TXT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010712084954/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Foothills/3087/mao/maotree.txt |archive-date=2001-07-12 |url-status=bot: unknown }} (offline, see )</ref>

The rules are typically changed between games, either at the beginning or with each successive game.  Many times, this is simply that the winner of the last game is allowed to construct their own rule.  This new rule is made known to the dealer or not, depending on the game, though in many varieties it is required for the dealer to know the rule in order to confirm its use and to enforce it. Often the winner of the last game is also made the new dealer.

In another variant, players abandon all normal rules and have each player make up a rule of their own at the very beginning of the game.<ref name="Dirksen">{{cite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/gerben47/mao.html| access-date=2004-10-23| title=Mao| first=Gerben| last=Dirksen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027082838/http://geocities.com/gerben47/mao.html| url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-10-27}}</ref> This variant is known as "Dutch Mao", or "The People's Democratic Dictatorship",<ref name="Graly 2003">{{cite web| url=http://www.pagat.com/invented/pdd.html| title=People's Democratic Dictatorship| first=Marcus| last=Graly| date=5 November 2003| access-date=2006-03-28}}</ref> and probably several other names. It has no restrictions on what cards to play (other than those made by the players) and can get very confusing when rules conflict.