How many cards do you get in Chinchón?

Each player is dealt seven cards. The remaining cards form a face-down stock, and one card is turned face up to start the discard pile. On every turn you draw one card and discard one, always returning to seven cards at the end of your turn.

What is the deadwood limit to close in Chinchón?

Most rule sets let you close (knock) when your unmatched cards total 5 points or less. Stricter house rules require 3 points, and some demand zero deadwood. Pip cards count their face value, and in the 40-card deck the Jack is 8, Knight 9, and King 10.

What is a Chinchón hand?

A Chinchón is a single run of all seven cards in the same suit — for example, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 of cups. It is the best possible hand and usually wins the game instantly or scores a large bonus, and opponents cannot lay off any cards against it.

How do you win at Chinchón?

Chinchón is scored with penalty points. Play continues round after round until someone reaches 100 points (or 70 in shorter games) and is eliminated. The player with the lowest total score at that moment wins. Closing cleanly with zero deadwood earns a -10 bonus.

What is the difference between Chinchón and Gin Rummy?

Both are draw-and-discard rummy games where you build runs and sets and knock with low deadwood. Chinchón uses a 40 or 48-card Spanish deck, deals seven cards, and adds the unique all-in-one-suit Chinchón hand plus a multi-round elimination format to 100 points.

Can I play Chinchón online for free?

Yes. You can play Chinchón free in your browser on lovecardgames.com — no download and no signup. Practise against smart bots to learn the rules, then jump into multiplayer to play against real opponents.

How to Play Chinchón: Spanish 7-Card Rummy Explained

Chinchón is Spain's beloved rummy game — a fast, tactical draw-and-discard battle played with a Spanish deck and seven cards in hand. Your goal is to organise your cards into runs and sets, then "close" the round with as little leftover deadwood as possible. Score the fewest penalty points across the match and you win. It is easy to learn, deceptively deep, and hugely popular across Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay. This guide covers everything: the deck, the deal, melding, closing at deadwood 5 or under, scoring, the legendary all-in-one Chinchón, and a few strategy tips to sharpen your edge.

Chinchón is a member of the rummy family, closely related to Gin Rummy. If you have played any draw-and-discard game where you build runs and sets, you will feel at home immediately. The twist that gives Chinchón its name and its charm is the special seven-card hand that ends the game on the spot.

The deck and the deal

Chinchón uses a traditional Spanish deck of either 40 or 48 cards. The 40-card deck has ranks 1 through 7 plus the three picture cards — Jack (Sota), Knight (Caballo), and King (Rey). The 48-card version also includes the 8 and 9. There are four suits: coins (oros), cups (copas), swords (espadas), and clubs (bastos). If you only have a standard international 52-card pack, you can replicate the 48-card game by removing the four jokers, or the 40-card game by removing the 8s, 9s, and 10s.

The game is best with 2 to 4 players. Each player is dealt seven cards. The rest of the cards form a face-down stock pile in the centre, and the top card is flipped face up beside it to begin the discard pile.

The objective

You want to arrange your seven cards into valid combinations and minimise your "deadwood" — the unmatched cards left over. Chinchón is a points-against game: every penalty point you collect counts against you, and the player with the lowest total when the match ends wins.

Runs and sets: the building blocks

There are exactly two kinds of valid combination, and each must contain at least three cards:

Sets (grupos): three or four cards of the same rank but different suits — for example, three Kings, or three 5s.
Runs (escaleras): three or more consecutive cards of the same suit — for example, 4-5-6 of cups. Sequences follow the deck order; in a 40-card deck the run climbs 7-Jack-Knight-King because there are no 8s or 9s. The Ace (1) is low and links to the 2, not the King.

With only seven cards in hand, a tidy hand might be a four-card run plus a three-card set, or two three-card melds with one stray card you are trying to dump.

How a turn works

Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn you must:

Draw one card — either the unknown top card of the face-down stock, or the visible top card of the discard pile.
Discard one card face up onto the discard pile, ending your turn.

You never hold more than seven cards at the end of your turn. The skill lies in deciding which card improves your melds and which to throw away without feeding an opponent. If the stock runs out before anyone closes, the discard pile (except its top card) is reshuffled to form a fresh stock.

Closing the round

You may end the round by closing (also called knocking) — but only when your unmatched cards add up to a low enough total. The most common threshold is deadwood of 5 points or less, though some groups play "close at 3" or even require zero. To close, you draw as usual, then place your final discard face down on the pile and reveal your hand, showing your melds and your small deadwood.

Card values for deadwood are simple: pip cards count their number (an Ace is 1, a 5 is 5, and so on). In the 40-card deck the picture cards are valued Jack = 8, Knight = 9, King = 10. So a single leftover King is already 10 points — too much to close with.

Once you close, the other players reveal their hands. In many rule sets they may lay off extra unmatched cards onto the melds already on the table, trimming their own deadwood. Everyone then scores the value of the cards they could not meld.

Scoring and the Chinchón

Penalty points accumulate from round to round. Two special outcomes change the maths dramatically:

A clean close (zero deadwood): if you close with all seven cards melded and no leftover, you typically earn a bonus of -10 points, which is subtracted from your running total.
The Chinchón: if you form a single run of all seven cards in the same suit, you have made a Chinchón. This is the dream hand. It usually wins the entire game instantly, or scores a huge bonus such as -25 points, and no opponent can lay off cards against your melds.

The match continues round after round until a player's penalty total reaches or exceeds 100 points. That player (or players) is eliminated, and whoever has the lowest score at that moment is crowned the winner. Some tables play to 70 points instead, and some allow an eliminated player one "buy-back" to keep playing.

Strategy tips

Watch the discard pile. The cards opponents throw away tell you what they are not collecting — and what is safe to discard back.
Keep flexible cards. Middle cards like a 5 or 6 connect in more directions than an Ace or King, so they are better building blocks early.
Do not over-chase the Chinchón. A perfect seven-card run is glorious but rare; if you can close cleanly for -10, take the safe profit.
Close early when ahead. If your deadwood drops to 5 or under and opponents look loaded, knock immediately to stick them with their high cards.

If you enjoy Chinchón, you will likely love other rummy and Spanish-deck classics on our site: try Indian Rummy and Points Rummy for more meld-building, Bukharo (Buraco) for a partnership rummy twist, or the Spanish-deck trick-takers Briscola and Scopa. For more shedding-and-combination fun, Tien Len and Mahjong scratch a similar itch, while Spades and Hearts round out the classics.

Play now

Ready to build your first run? Play Chinchón free online — in your browser, against smart bots or real players in multiplayer, with no download and no signup required.