Welcome to the World of Commerce!

Did you know that Commerce, a popular card game, originated in France centuries ago? It’s fascinating how many modern games like Thirty-One and Stop the Bus have evolved from this classic. In Commerce, the ultimate goal is to win rounds and collect tokens. Keep in mind that the player with the most tokens at the end will emerge as the winner, so start collecting now!

Let’s Get Started – Setting Up!

First things first, I’ll give you three tokens to place in front of you. Once we have our tokens, it’s time to decide the seating arrangement and assign the first dealer. We usually determine this by drawing cards. The person who draws the highest card becomes the dealer for the first round and gets to pick their seat first. On the other hand, the person who draws the lowest card will choose their seat last. Ready to begin? Let’s jump right in!

So here’s how it goes: I’m the dealer, and I’ve got a deck of cards. First things first, I shuffle the deck. Then, the player to my right gets to cut the deck. After that, it’s time to deal.

Each player gets three cards, one at a time. I go around the group, dealing in a clockwise direction. Oh, and don’t forget, everyone’s cards should be face down. Once everyone has their cards, I reveal three more cards, face up, in the middle. This is what we call the widow.

Alrighty, with that out of the way, let’s get this game started!

GAMEPLAY

Now, it’s time for everyone to check out what’s in their hand. The player on my left goes first, and then we keep going clockwise. During your turn, you have a choice: you can trade up to three of your own cards with the cards in the widow, or you can pass and keep your hand as is.

If you trade all your cards in one turn, you can’t trade anymore for the rest of your hand. The goal is to have the best combination of cards in your hand. Once everyone has traded, the round ends.

The number of rounds of trading should match the number of players. At the end of each round, the dealer adds another card to the widow. The hand ends after the designated number of rounds, which is the same as the number of players. Then, we all show our hands and figure out who has the highest hand and wins!

When we play this game, we each start with some tokens. The goal is to collect as many tokens as possible by having the highest-ranking hand. If your hand is ranked lowest, you have to give one of your tokens to the player with the highest-ranking hand. If you run out of tokens, you’re out of the game. The game can continue until there’s only one player left or until a certain number of rounds have been played.

Types of Hands

Tricon – This is when you have three cards of the same rank. The higher the rank, the better the hand.

Sequence – This is when you have three cards in a row that are also of the same suit. The sequence with the higher-ranking cards is considered the better hand.

Flush – This is when you have three cards of the same suit. The higher the rank, the better the hand.

Pair – This is when you have two cards of the same rank. The higher the pair, the better the hand.

Point – This is when you have three random cards and you add up their points. The more points you have, the better the hand.

End of the Game

The game ends either after 15 rounds have been played or when there’s only one player left. At the end, all players count their tokens. The player with the most tokens wins!