Tommy's coon can (c) copyright 1992 by tommy's toys
P. O. Box 11261, denver, co 80211 usa. All rights reserved.
Catalog #tm-136-1a
Instructions:
As of 1992, pcs haven't penetrated all that far into black ethnic ghettos, so
We're bringing the card-playing fun they have in the ghetto to you! (also try
Tommy's tonk, catalog #tm-134).
History:
Coon can is said to have come from mexico, where it was originally called
Con quien, or "with whom?" in spanish. It is said to have been the granddaddy
Of all rummy games.
Players: two, you against the computer.
The deck:
In coon can, the 8s, 9s and 10s are removed, the jack of each suit being
Considered to follow the 7 (this is also known as the 40-card spanish deck).
The upcard pile: there is an upcard pile of face-up cards formed during play
From discards.
Melds: the object of each game is to form melds consisting of 3 or more cards
Of the same rank, or 3 or more cards of the same suit in sequence, just like
In any game of rummy.
(note: ace ranks low, king high, so a-2-3 is legal and q-k-a is not).
Betting:
Coon can is a betting game, each hand being played for a stake agreed-to
Beforehand. Since the computer acts as banker you start out by specifying
Your bet, $1 to $999. (if you want the same bet as last time, just hit the
<enter> key).
Your pot:
When you exit the program the computer will automatically save your pot on the
Disk and restore it when you play the game again; if you want to refresh your
Pot just delete the file cooncan.scr.
The deal:
Starting with dealer's opponent, cards are dealt one at a time until both
Players have 10 cards (that's half the deck dealt - ha ha).
The object of play:
Is to go coon can, that is, to meld all one's cards on the table before your
Opponent does.
Meld table:
Melds that are laid down on the table are kept separate for each player.
*to specify cards* when prompted, just type 1..9,a,b for cards #1...10,11.
Leader:
The first player (leader) is the opponent of the dealer. After that, play
Alternates. The initial (first hand) dealer is chosen randomly by the
Computer.
The crux of the game:
Coon can is a meld combo consisting of 11 cards; since only 10 are dealt
To start with, the 11th card is necessarily one plucked from the upcard pile
And laid down on the table immediately, combining with the remaining hand cards
And existing melds. This is what the strategy of the game revolves around.
Ten-card hole:
A hand & meldo combo that cannot go coon can yet is called a "hole". Since
There are only 10 cards of each suit in the deck, a coon can necessarily
Contains cards of at least 2 different suits. Therefore, if you end up with a
10-card hole of ace..king in a single suit, there is no way you can combine any
Upcard with your hole so as to go coon can, ever! Naturally then, the game
Is juiced-up with a rule permitting players to try to force each other into a
Ten-card hole by making an opponent meld a card when he doesn't want to.
Starting:
The leader plucks the top card from the deck and places it face up, starting
The upcard pile. He must then either use it in a meld combo, laying the meld
Face up on the table and discarding a different hand card to the upcard pile,
Or pass (thus retaining 10 cards in his hand or on the table). *no player may
Pickup the upcard and put it in his hand!*
Turns:
Thereafter, each player in turn must either take the upcard and use it in a
Meld (adding to a meld already on the table, or using hand cards), then discard
A hand card; or turn the upcard face down and pluck the next card from the deck,
Laying it face up on top of the upcard pile, and trying to play that. Note
That once turned face down on the upcard pile, cards are not in play anymore.
Hitting oneself:
A player in turn may hit (lay off) his hand cards on his own melds, and also
Lay down as many melds as he wants from his own hand. At any time (even during
The upcard play) the player may readjust his melds as desired as long as they
Stay legal (if you hit a<uto> when asked for your play, the computer will pick
Up the upcard and adjust
Your melds for you).
Hitting & forcing:
A player may hit one of the opponent's melds with a single card instead of
Discarding on the upcard pile: the opponent must then discard to the upcard
Pile from his hand in lieu of a turn because he now has too many cards.
Note: you shouldn't do this if the opponent has no cards in hand, because you
Make him go coon can!
Sleeping:
If a player sleeps a card (discards one he could have used to hit on his own
Melds), the opponent may force him to hit it instead (he then has to discard
Another card from his hand). This denies the usual escape from the ten-card
Hole.
Winner and next dealer (tabs):
The winner is the player who goes coon can first. If the entire deck is
Exhausted without either playing going coon can, then the game is a
"tab(leau)", the bet is carried to the next hand, and the opponent deals the
Next hand. If there is a coon can, the loser deals the next hand.
Replay hand option:
At the beginning of each hand, you have the option of replaying the last hand;
The deck is restored to what it was after the shuffle & cut during the last
Hand. Of course you can use this to gain an unfair advantage on the computer,
But this is a toy after all, and you are boss.
Function keys: these are hot keys, meaning they can be pressed at any time.
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f1 * sound effects toggle
f2 * demo mode toggle. In demo mode the computer plays both hands
while you watch.
f3 autosort mode toggle. In autosort mode the computer sorts
your hand for the lowest unmatched pv score.
f5 display these instructions
f6 replay deal option: lets you replay each deal if you want.
f7 quit the program
f10 (color monitors only) change the screen border color
*note: the legend for a toggle switch indicates the mode that will be entered
By pressing the key, which is the opposite of the mode in effect at the time.
Command line parameters:
s start up with sound off
m force mono display mode
c force color display mode
Example: >cooncan ms
Notes on strategy:
There are only 40 cards in the deck, and the initial deal uses half of them.
The advantage in concealing cards in the hand is that they can be melded as
Straights or tuples to get the best advantage, but after melded, they can only
Be changed if the melds stay melded. Since there is no way to improve the hand
From the deck, there are few other reasons for concealing melds in the hand.
If one has a long straight one would like to lay 2 melds on the table to get
Out of the danger of a 10-card hole, or sleep a card after laying only part of
The straight down.
The simplest case is when the opponent has a 9-card same-suit hole on the
Table such as ace...queen, and you hold the king: just hit him and you have
Him in a 10-card hole; if the king turns up and he tries to pass it, force
Him to take it (if you let the king by he will never let you forget it later,
Ha ha).
Of course his chances of using the odd card are based on its value, for
Example, if he has a 6 then when another 6 turns up he can take the 6 already
In the same-suit meld and make 6-6-6, then rearrange a..5 and 7..q to go coon
Can; but if he has a 3 there is no such luck.
Some hands simply can't make 2 different melds, no matter what upcards show up.
Others can make a quick meld, but the chance of the second meld is balanced
Against the need to keep growing the meld on the table towards a possible
You-know-what. Some hands can make 2 melds at once if a certain card is drawn,
And you have to decide if you can wait it out (for example, 2-3-4 hearts, 4-5
Clubs can meld at once with another 4, or you can wait for a 3 or 6 of clubs
For a double meld).
Let's say you have an 8-card same-suit hole in your hand. If at least 1 of
The odd cards overlaps a card in the 8-card run, you can draw a triplet to
Break out of the hole; if they form at least 2 out of 3 cards in a sequence,
You can get out that way; else your hand is doomed.
For example, if you hold:
ace spades, 2..q clubs, k hearts
The only possible meld with an upcard is with ace or king of clubs, leaving
You with a hopeless hand, so in general a long suit means bad hand, while a
Balanced hand (with respect to suits) means good hand.
But note that if you held 2, 5, 6, or q hearts instead of k hearts, you could
Go coon can when another one turns up, while, for instance, holding 4 hearts
Would lead to a residual hand of 2 hearts, 3 hearts, so you would have to wait
For the last 4 to turn up so you can make a quartet on the table, then
Rearrange the 2-3-4 hearts and the 4-4-4 to go coon can.
"with whom", then, will you risk the upcard? No wonder they gave it that
Name (ha ha).
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Did you like this toy?
Don't forget to try our gobs of other neat low-priced games and toys for the
Ibm pc and compatibles. We are waiting to send you our 5.25 inch (360kb) or
3.5 inch (720kb) demo disk, containing an electronic catalog plus other
Goodies, for only $2 shipping/handling to any u.s. Address, $3 outside u.s.
(u.s. Dollars only).
Have fun!
Tommy's toys, p.o. Box 11261, denver, co 80211 usa.
