Panguingue or Pan is a shedding game for two to eight players, which is very similar to Rummy. But it is played with eight decks of Spanish Cadiz pattern cards, totaling 320 cards in the game.
The objective of Panguingue is to be the first player to reach the most points by completing and playing card combinations and being the first player to empty your hand.
The card game Panguingue is believed to originate in the Philippines and was popular in California and the Western United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially in San Francisco. However, its popularity has declined over time.
The Spanish Cadiz pattern consists of the four suits Swords, Cups, Coins, and Clubs. In a single deck, each of the suits features the following cards from weakest to strongest: the Ace or One, the numbers from Two to Seven, the Jack, the Cavalier, and the King.
You can also use eight standard French-suited Poker decks and remove any Jokers as well as the numbers from Eight to Ten. The Queen will replace the Cavalier.
After shuffling, each player is dealt 10 cards, and the remaining cards form a draw pile.
Then each player in counterclockwise direction decides whether they want to play or not. If all players decide against playing, the round ends without any scoring. If all but one player decides against playing, that player wins automatically. In any other case, the players who agreed to it start playing for points now.
Players take turns counterclockwise. Each turn starts with drawing a card from the face-down pile or the discard pile. After that, the players can play melds on the table and then discard one card to end their turn.
Points are earned by forming melds of the following types:
- Runs: three cards of the same suit in numerical order
- Ending with Ace or King: 1 point (2 points in Swords or Spades)
- Other runs: no points
- Sets: three cards of the same rank.
- Ranks Three, Five, and Seven of different suits: 1 point
- Ranks Three, Five, and Seven of the same suit: 2 points (4 points in Swords or Spades)
- Any other rank of the same suit: 1 point (2 points in Swords or Spades)
Melds of the same suit can also exceed three cards. Each additional card gives another point. Scoring for melds may vary depending on the specific rules being used in the game.
Play continues until one player has no cards left in their hand.
Finishing the round by being the first player to empty their hand awards two bonus points. The other players receive penalty points for their remaining cards. After that, the next person becomes the dealer and deals the cards for the next round.
You can continue playing more rounds until a player reaches a predetermined number of points or until you finish a predetermined number of rounds. The player with the highest total score wins.
If grouping cards into melds is your idea of fun, feel free to try our games at the Rummy Palace, Gin Rummy Palace, and Canasta Palace!
