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Conquian: An Ancestor Or A Predecessor Of Present-day Rummy?

All you rummy masters out there, how good is your rummy knowledge? Do you believe that all those years of experience equipped you with all the details, tricks and skills in rummy? Because I’m sure you have never heard of Conquian rummy! Surprised much? Rummy doesn’t have variants only in India, but it has avatars the world over. Let me fill you in with all the minutiae of this western rummy. So where do I start?

Origins of Conquian rummy

Conquian rummy is famously called the rummy of the west. It originated in Latin America in the 1800s. The name has its origins in Spanish. It is a household favorite in Mexico and the nearby American States. And this game is said to be the origin of all the other Western rummy variants.

What are the cards used?
So, unlike our Indian rummy, this game comes with its own deck of 40 Spanish cards. For this, the 8’s, 9’s and 10’s are removed from the deck because originally it consists of a total of 52 cards. And just like our good old rummy it requires similar skills and strategies. Good memory and close attention for starters. It was initially designed to be a 2 player game. Along with this there are several other differences that set these two very similar yet distinct games apart.

How is the card arrangement done?

In this game, Ace is low and King is high. The sequence should happen in the form of A,2,3… Jack and 7 are considered to be in sequence due to the absence of 8,9 and 10. And when wagering money, each game is worth one bet. Each player will be dealt 10 cards in Conquian unlike 13 in Rummy. To win the game, you have to be the first to meld 11 cards together. You can do that by making 3 or 4 sets of the same suit as in regular rummy (for instance a set can be 3 of ♥ or ♠ or ♦).
Example: 6♣ 6♦ 6♠, 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ are valid similar to rummy. Whereas 4♣ 5♦ 7♠ cannot be a valid set.

How is the game played?

Both the players in a game are dealt 10 cards each. And the remaining stock becomes the draw pile that will be placed in the centre. It’s important to remember that there won’t be any card upturned from this pile at the start. Because the game begins with the non dealer drawing the top card. A player can either use it to meld their cards or discard it as per their game plan. The second player can either pick the discarded card or draw one from the stock pile and discard one from his hand for the game to continue.

The twist in this game is that one should place their melds face up on the table. And every time a player rejects the card left by the other player, that card must be turned face down to signify the discard pile as a waste pile. This waste pile is removed permanently and will not come up again. So if you run out of cards in the draw pile, the game will be declared a tie and you should start again. And the game ends when a player melds 11 cards exactly. Now you know how this Mexican 11 card game Conquian is different from our Indian 13 card game rummy.

Does this new game excite you? Get your hands on it today itself. It is definitely a thing of pride to have mastery over two very intense card games involving skills and strategy. There are many apps and websites where you can play this game online! You should definitely try this excellent 2-player card game often said to be the ancestor of all the modern rummy style games we play today.

For much stories on rummy keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram.

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