Continental rummy as played in Spain: the seven contracts explained
Spain's favourite family game with two poker decks: seven rounds of growing contracts, the out-of-turn "buy" mechanic, jokers and scoring.
Continental is Spain's great family card game with the French deck: a contract rummy played over seven rounds, each demanding a harder combination of sets and runs, from two sets with six cards to laying down all twelve at once. Its signature is the "buy": when someone discards a card you need out of your turn, you may claim it — paying a penalty card from the stock — which turns every discard into a small auction. The family was born in 1930s America in the wake of the contract bridge craze; Spain adopted this branch, named it continental, and made it a household institution where every family plays slightly different rules.
Our full guide — contracts, buying etiquette, scoring and strategy — is in Spanish: Reglas del continental. You need two matching decks with jokers from our playing cards collection.
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