How to Play Cacheta
Description
Melds stay hidden in your hand until you knock. Nobody sees you coming.
Objective
Be the first to meld your entire hand and knock, before anyone else does.
Setup
A standard deck, dealt nine cards to each player. Turn one card up to start the discard pile.
The turned card sets the wild rank for the hand — that rank plays as a joker for everyone.
Rules
On your turn, draw one card from the stock or take the top of the discard pile, then discard one.
Build melds of three or more: sets of the same rank, or runs in a single suit. Wilds can substitute for any card.
You keep your melds hidden in hand rather than laying them down — nobody sees your progress until you knock.
Winning
Knock the moment your whole hand is melded. Everyone reveals, and unmelded cards count against their holder.
Play to an agreed score; a hand melded without using any wild card scores double.