Rules of Chinchon

Chinchón is an exciting card game that belongs to the family of Rummy, Remigio and Canasta, popular for their dynamic of combining cards before your opponents. Below, we explain how to play Chinchón, its objectives, the structure of the game, and we will give you strategies to become a winner.

How to play Chinchón

Chinchón focuses on the players' ability to combine the cards in their hand effectively and quickly, showing them according to specific plays.

Aim of the game

The main objective is to combine all the cards in your hand into sets or straights and show them before your opponents.

Deck of cards

A Spanish deck of cards is used, either 40 or 48 cards, depending on the number of players.

Number of players

Chinchón is flexible, allowing from 2 to 4 players.

Order and value of the cards

The cards follow a descending order from King to Ace, which has the lowest value. The numbers have specific values, especially when playing with the 48-card deck.

Distribution of cards

The “hand”, or first player, is determined by drawing lots. Seven cards are dealt to each player, leaving the next card in the deck face up to start the discard pile.

Plays

Each player, using the cards in their hand, shall try to form a series of matching cards or straight flushes with sequential cards of the same suit.

Both sets of matching cards and straights, to be valid, must be made up of at least three cards. In straights, the ace can only tie with the two, three, etc. and the king with the knight, jack, etc. The Chinchón is the maximum play and consists of a combination of all seven cards in the hand.

Gameplay

The "hand" starts the game and can choose to take the card that has been left face up on the table or, if this does not suit them, the top card of the deck. They will then discard one of their cards, leaving it face up to their right, in case the next player is interested in taking it, thus ending their turn. The next player may choose to take either the card discarded by the "hand" player or the top card from the deck, and then discard it, and so on for each player in turn.

If, during the course of the game, a player makes the mistake of inadvertently drawing two cards when they have eight cards in their hand, or, on the contrary, of discarding without having drawn and so they only have six cards, in neither case can they close. They are limited to follow the course of the game in order to lose as few points as possible or not pay anything if they manage to complete their defective play. In the event that the pack of cards is used up without the game being closed, all discards shall be collected and, shuffling all cards, the game shall be continued in the order in which it was suspended.

A player may fold when he or she has one or more unmatched cards remaining in his or her hand with a total value of no more than 5 points. By folding, you expose all the combined cards on the table, while keeping the uncombined cards in your hand. When it’s their turn, the other players can place any of their uncombined cards on top of the combos laid out by the player who has folded, either in a three-of-a-kind or a straight, in ascending or descending order. When playing with two decks of cards, the straights are completed in turn from left to right and can only be played with a single card of each sequential value. The next player then lays out their combos, and the others add their remaining uncombined cards in the same way as above.

The game ends when a player manages to get rid of all but one of their cards, which they use to close the game by placing it on the discard pile face down.

Points

The game is played to a total of 70 or 100 points. Points are scored based on the uncombined cards in the player's hand at the end of each game.

Who wins?

The game ends when a player succeeds in revealing all but one of their combined cards, which is used to close the game. The last player to reach the point limit wins the game.

The player who lays out all their combos at once, the Chinchón, has a prize of 10 points and also the advantage that no other player can lay cards on top of their laid out combos.

Re-join

Players who are eliminated from the game are entitled to one or more re-entries, but must do so with the score of the player who had the highest score at the time, and by betting the stipulated amount that each player put in at the start of the game.

Strategies for winning Chinchón

• Watch your opponents' plays:This will help you to anticipate their movements and adjust your strategies.
• Manage your cards wisely:Don’t put pressure on yourself to make combos. Sometimes, it’s better to wait to make a meaningful play.
• Take care with the Chinchón: Combining all your cards in one solo play can be risky, but also very gratifying. Evaluate the risk and the opportunity before trying it.
• Make the most of the cards in the discard pile: These cards can be crucial for completing your combos.
• Example move:Imagine you have two jacks and a king in your hand, and you see a jack in the discard pile. You could wait to see if another jack or a king appears in the pile to combine them and close with a stronger hand.

Chinchón is not only a game of luck but also of cunning and strategy. With these rules and tips, you will be well-equipped to face your friends and family in this classic card game. Remember, practice makes perfect so, let’s play!