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Conquian is a card game originally described as originating in the South West of the USA or from Mexico. It was first described in detail in R. F. Foster's Hoyle in 1897. According to David Parlett, it is ancestral to all modern rummy games.

The name is thought to either derive from the Spanish 'con quien' (with whom) or from the Chinese game Kon Khin and is sometimes called by the corruption 'Coon Can' (which was used in 'The Standard Hoyle' in 1887), or more commonly 'Cooncan'.

Contents 1 The Deck and The Deal 2 The Play 3 Winning 4 Variations 5 External links

Conquian is played by two players, with a deck of cards from which the 8,9,and 10s have been removed. Each player is dealt 10 cards and wins the game by melding a total of 11 cards. Cards may be melded by pairing (at least 3 or 4 of a kind) or by straight flush sequence (3 to 10 cards from the sequence A234567JQK) A23 is a valid sequence as is 67J, but QKA is not valid.

To begin play each player is dealt 10 cards. The dealer turns up the top card from the remainder of the deck to begin the discard pile. The non-dealer has the option to take the first card, but must use it immediately to make a meld. If he/she does not want the card, the dealer has the option to pick it up and use it in a meld. If neither player wants the first card, the non-dealer takes the first card from the draw pile. The player may use the card immediately in a meld or discard it, he/she may not place the card in her hand. If he/she melds with it, he/she must discard one card from his/her hand. The dealer may then choose her discard or draw a card from the pile.

Winning a hand entails melding 11 cards, so on the last play, the winning player must use the drawn card in his/her meld. Play may be extended over several hands by playing to a specified point total. Points still in the losing player's hand are awarded to the winner. Face value for cards 2-7, 10 points for JQK and 15 points for A.

The Jacks, Queens and Kings may be removed instead of 8s, 9s and 10s.

Each player may be dealt 9 cards and attempt to meld 10.

Three players can play this game with 8 cards being dealt and attempt to meld 9.

• David Parlett's 'History of Gin Rummy'