🃏 Continental online free — with friends

Continental guide: rules, how to play and tips

What is it?

Continental is the quintessential Mexican rummy: seven rounds, each with a different contract of sets (tríos) and runs (escaleras) you must lay down before everyone else. It is played with two decks and jokers, and the lowest score wins. It is a long, strategic game, perfect for family gatherings where the game stretches on amid laughs and friendly complaints.

Setup

• Two standard decks with jokers are used, shuffled by the game.
• Two to eight people can play, each with their hand on their own phone.
• The draw pile and the discard pile sit in the middle.

Rules

1. The seven rounds and their contracts are: 2 sets; 1 set and 1 run; 2 runs; 3 sets; 2 sets and 1 run; 1 set and 2 runs; 3 runs.
2. A set (trío) is three cards of the same rank; a run (escalera) is four or more consecutive cards of the same suit.
3. On your turn draw from the stock or the discard pile. When you have the full contract you lay it down; after that you can lay off cards on melds already on the table. End your turn with a discard.
4. Jokers stand in for any card.
5. When someone runs out of cards the round ends and everyone else adds up their hand: 2–9 are worth 5, 10–K are 10, an Ace 15 and a Joker 50. The lowest total after seven rounds wins.

How to play on WePlay

1. Open weplay.zone in the browser on every phone. There is no app to install and no account to create.
2. If everyone is on the same Wi-Fi, they land at the same table automatically. Anyone far away or on cell data taps Invite and joins with the link, the QR code or the 4-letter code.
3. The host picks Continental and taps Start. Each phone shows only its own player’s information; the table is shared in real time.
4. For now Continental is played with other people: invite family or friends with the link.
5. Your hand appears on your phone sorted by suit and rank, with jokers set apart, so you can quickly see which sets and runs you hold.
6. Melds on the table appear on every phone, so you can see where your cards fit.

Tips and strategy

• Watch what others discard: it tells you what they don’t need and what they are collecting.
• Don’t pick up discards that give your plan away unless you really need them.
• Get rid of aces and jokers you won’t use: if someone goes out, they cost a lot of points.
• In run rounds, keep consecutive cards of the same suit even before they form a run.
• Laying down early lets you lay off on other melds and empty your hand faster.

FAQ about Continental