Konkan online — rules and how to play
Konkan (كونكن) is the Arab world’s favourite rummy — the Hand family game with a signature: every lay-down must contain a run. On Tonj you play Konkan online right in the browser: a two-seat duel with two decks, provably-fair deals, and five rounds to the lowest total.
Play Konkan free nowWhat is Konkan?
Konkan is a rummy race: draw from the stock or the fire pile, lay down melds, discard — and empty your hand before your rival. Sets and runs build on the table, jokers fill the gaps, and penalties pile up over five rounds.
Konkan on Tonj
Tonj runs Konkan as a two-player duel — the report’s solo mode — with provably-fair deals (the seed is published and revealed), automatic meld validation, and the exact Jawaker settlement table below.
How a match goes
Draw, meld, discard
Take the stock’s top card or the fire pile’s top card, lay down melds or build on any table meld, then discard one card to the fire pile.
Open with 51 points
Your first lay-down must total at least 51 card points (jokers count as the card they stand for). After that, meld and build freely.
Empty your hand, keep the lowest total
Going out scores you −30; the other side scores their hand’s pips — or +100 if they never melded. Five rounds, lowest total wins.
Konkan rules in detail
The deck and the deal
Two 52-card decks plus two jokers — 106 cards. Fourteen cards each; the dealer’s right opens by discarding one card to the fire pile.
The fire pile (كومة النار)
Taking the fire pile’s top card instead of drawing obliges you to lay down at least one meld this turn — the forced-meld rule. The fire pile is never reshuffled into the stock.
Sets, runs and jokers
A meld is three or more cards: a set (same rank, distinct suits) or a run (consecutive, same suit — the ace plays both low and high). Jokers are wild, one missing card each; a meld never holds two identical cards.
The Konkan signature: a run in every lay-down
Every lay-down must contain at least one run — a pure set can never be laid down. Sets only grow by building on melds already on the table.
Going out and the Hand finish
Empty your hand by a discard or a lay-down and the round ends. A Hand finish — emptying a never-melded hand in one turn’s lay-downs — doubles the round’s settlement.
Konkan settlement at a glance
| Going out | −30 to the player who goes out (−60 on a Hand finish) |
|---|---|
| Never melded | +100 penalty (+200 on a Hand finish) |
| Remaining cards | A 11 · J/Q/K 10 · pips face value · joker 15 |
| The match | Five rounds; penalties accumulate — the lowest total wins |
When the stock runs dry the round ends dead: no one went out, so no −30 — each seat scores as at settlement. An exact tie on totals is a draw.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Konkan card game?
Konkan is the Arab world’s rummy classic: two decks and jokers, draw-meld-discard turns, a 51-point first drop, a run in every lay-down, and five rounds to the lowest total.
Can I play Konkan online for free?
Yes — Tonj runs Konkan right in the browser: a two-seat duel against a live rival or a bot, with provably-fair deals you can verify yourself.
Why can’t I lay down sets only?
That’s the Konkan signature: every lay-down must contain at least one run. Sets grow later by building on the melds already on the table.
What is the 51-point first drop?
Your first lay-down must total at least 51 card points — jokers count as the card they stand for. After it, melding and building are unrestricted.
What is a Hand finish?
Emptying a never-melded hand in one turn’s lay-downs: the round’s settlement doubles — −60 to you instead of −30, +200 to a never-melded rival instead of +100.