The game originated in Mexico in the mid-1800s. Before the appearance of gin rummy, it was described as 'an excellent game for two players, quite different from any other in its principles and requiring very close attention and a good memory to play it well'. David Parlett describes it as an ancestor to all modern rummy games, and a kind of proto- gin rummy. 'Game of coon-can in store near Reserve, Louisiana', 1938 photo by Russell LeeĬonquian, Coon Can or Colonel (the two-handed version) is a rummy-style card game.