How to play Conquián: rules of the Mexican card game

Conquián (also spelled Conquian) is the rummy game of Mexican cantinas and family tables, and the ancestor of gin rummy. Two players race to lay down every card in sets and runs, but you never draw a card into your hand: the card in the middle is either taken straight onto the table or let go.

• Players2
• Cards40-card Spanish deck (1–7, 10, 11, 12)
• Hand10 cards (8 or 9 for a quicker game)
• GoalBe first with eleven cards laid down

The deck and the deal

Conquián is played with the 40-card Spanish deck: 1 to 7, then 10, 11 and 12 in each of four suits (oros, copas, espadas and bastos). After the 7 comes the 10, so 6-7-10 is a run. Each player gets ten cards; the rest is the stock, face down in the middle.

A turn is two chances

On your turn there is a card face up in the centre - the one your opponent threw, or one turned from the stock. You may take it or reject it.

• Take it and it goes straight down onto the table with cards from your hand that make a set (three or four of one number) or a run (three or more in a row, same suit). You may lay down more cards from your hand, then you must throw one card into the middle, and it is your opponent's turn.
• Reject it and it dies face down. You turn a fresh card from the stock, which you may take - or pass, and your opponent gets the same choice.

A card you take never goes into your hand: taking always means laying down. Your melds on the table are not fixed; you may rearrange them freely as long as everything still forms proper sets and runs when your turn ends.

Forcing a card

If the centre card fits one of your melds on its own, it is not yours to refuse: your opponent may force you to take it, whether it helps you or wrecks your hand. Forcing is the sharpest weapon in Conquián: a card forced on you at the wrong moment can leave you with nothing to throw.

Winning

The first player with eleven cards on the table - all ten from the hand plus the one taken last - wins the hand. If the stock runs out first, the hand is a draw.

House options at Manita

• Hand size: 10 cards is the full game; 8 and 9 are the quicker deals Conquián is also played at.
• Card shark: one cheat a hand each - peek at the next card, or swap one of yours - at a table whose opener chooses it. A table found at random is always a plain one.

Questions

Is Conquián the same as gin rummy?

Gin rummy grew out of Conquián, but they play differently: in Conquián you never add the centre card to your hand, you must lay it down at once, and your opponent can force cards on you.

What deck is Conquián played with?

The 40-card Spanish deck. With a French deck, take out the 8s, 9s and 10s and the jacks, queens and kings count as 10, 11 and 12.

Can I play Conquián online?

Yes: Manita is free, with no account. Play anyone who is waiting, a friend with a four-letter code, or the computer at three levels.