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Table of Contents
How is hand knee and Foot scored?
Each player deducts the amount of points left in their hands including any unplayed knee and foot. All meld is counted by both teams even if they have not achieved their basic required canastas. Closed book canastas (toward your base) are NOT counted, but unclosed books are counted as part of the total point count.
What is the scoring for hand and Foot?
| Red Threes | 500 points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 points |
| Twos and Aces | 20 points |
| Eight through King | 10 points |
| Four through Seven | 5 points |
What are the rules for hand and Foot?
As you go on making melds, the number of cards in ‘Hand’ keep reducing, and you then eventually go on to the ‘Foot’. You need to announce that you are playing your ‘Foot’, and then continue playing. If you happen to lay out all other cards except one, then you can discard it. This marks the end of your turn.
How many decks do you need for 4 player hand and Foot?
It can be described as a simpler, easier version of Canasta for beginners. Hand and Foot uses about 5 or 6 decks of standard playing cards and is played with 2-6 players. The objective of Hand and Foot is to be the first to get rid of all of your cards and for your team to have the most points.
How much is a red 3 worth in hand and Foot?
RED AND BLACK THREES
If you are caught with a red three in your hand or foot at the end of a round, your team will be charged minus 300 points per red three against your total score.
Hand and Foot
Hand and Foot is a North American game related to Canasta.
Each player is dealt two sets of cards, one used as a “hand” and one used as a “foot”. There are numerous game variants and no “standard” rules. You can play either as individuals or as teams. The most common version of the game is played with four players in partnerships; It can also be played by six people in two teams of three, or by any number of individuals.
The following rules apply to our “favourite” way of playing with four people, two teams of two:
Decks: You need four full decks of 52 cards, including the jokers – one deck per player.
You need four full decks of 52 cards, including the jokers – one deck per player. Deal: You can choose between two options for dealing, but whichever method is chosen should be used consistently throughout the game.
BEGIN
1. First select the partnership offers. After all the cards have been sufficiently shuffled, one partner takes half the cards and deals 11 face down cards to each player, these cards are your hand stack. The second partner takes the other half of the cards and deals 11 cards face down to each player, these cards become your foot pile. Subsequent deals rotate left to spread the deal.
2. Choose which player goes first. After all the cards have been sufficiently shuffled, place all the cards in two face-down piles in the center of the table. The first player selects a random “stack” of cards from the supply, without actually counting, and tries to get as close as possible to the total of 22 cards*. The player counts his cards in two piles of 11 cards each, one for the hand pile and one for the foot pile. If you have selected too many or too few cards, substitute or draw additional cards from the center deck for a total of 22 cards, 11 in hand, 11 in foot. Rotate left to allow the remaining players to choose their “stacks”.
*If a player initially draws exactly 22 cards from the middle deck, they receive 300 bonus points.
3. After each round of play is complete, the round transitions to the left for dealing.
Aim of the game: The aim is to get rid of cards from your hand (11 cards) and then from your foot (11 cards) by merging them
The goal is to get rid of cards from your hand (11 cards) and then from your foot (11 cards) by reporting them. What is a MELD? A deck of three to seven ranked cards dealt face up on the table. A meld cannot have less than three cards. Entries belong to a partnership and not to an individual player. After a meld is started, either partner may play additional cards to both partners’ melds until there are seven cards, it then becomes a “closed stack”. A meld may not contain more than seven cards. When you complete a stack, you can start another meld of the same rank. You can meld cards of any rank from A, K, Q, … down to 4. Deuces or 2s and jokers are wild and can be used in melds as long as there are at least twice as many real cards with the rank of the meld as wild. Red and black threes cannot be used in melds. A meld can contain a maximum of two jokers. Wild cards cannot be reported alone. A meld of seven cards is complete and is called a deck. There are two types of melds 1. A clean (natural) meld has no wild cards and can become a red stack. 2. A Dirty (Wild) Meld has jokers and can become a Black Pile. While melds are laid out face up for all to see, completed decks are stacked and the card placed on top indicates the type – a red card for a red deck, a black card for a black deck. Cards of equal value can be placed on finished piles. Wild cards cannot be stacked.
A deck of three to seven ranked cards dealt face up on the table.
THE GAME
1. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form a “stock”.
2. Players’ “foot” cards are laid out face down and set aside – players are not allowed to look at them until they have played all the cards in their hands.
3. Each player takes their “hand” and play begins with the player to the left of the one who “dealed” the hand.
4. Spin to play clockwise around the table until someone runs out.
5. Each turn, a player:
Draw the top two cards from the supply**
Has the ability to meld some cards, provided the round minimum can be reached, or add cards to his partner’s meld
Discards a card from the discard pile to end his turn
**Instead of drawing two cards from the deck, you can take the top five cards from the discard pile. If the deck contains fewer than five cards, you may take the entire deck, but you may never take more than five cards from the discard pile at a time. To pick up from the discard pile, you must:
You must hold two cards of the same rank as the top card
You must report those three cards (the two you hold and discard the top one) immediately, along with any other cards you wish to play
5. After picking it up from the discard pile, complete your turn by discarding a card as usual.
ROUND:
A game consists of four rounds. Each round has a minimum report requirement that increases with each round.
You must discard cards whose individual denominations add up to at least the minimum requirement before your team is “in play”. To do this, you can file several messages at the same time. When you pick the stack, you can meld additional cards from your hand along with the top discard and the two matching cards to help you reach the minimum count, including wild cards. However, you cannot count any of the other six cards you pick up towards the minimum.
Round 1, card points must total at least 50 to start the game
Round 2, card points total must be at least 90 to start game
Round 3, card points must total at least 120 to start the game
Round 4, card points must be at least 150 to start the game
LIFT FEET
If you’ve been able to play all of the cards in your hand, either by melding or discarding them, take your foot and play from there.
If you’re able to get rid of all of the cards in your hand without discarding them, you can continue playing into your leg during that hand. If you have to discard the last card to get in your foot, you must hold your game until it is your turn at the table.
RED AND BLACK THREESOME
Red and black threes are exceptional cards and have no real use. Red threes are unwanted cards, and if you find yourself holding a red three, you should discard it as soon as possible. If you are caught with a red three in hand or foot at the end of a round, your team will be penalized with 300 points per red three towards your total score. Black threes have no use other than preventing the next player from picking them up from the discard pile when you discard them. If you still have black threes in your hand or foot at the end of a round, 5 points are counted against your team’s total. There is no way to get rid of a black three other than to discard them one at a time.
THE END OF THE GAME
The game ends when one of the partners “runs out”. To date, your partnership must:
Completed at least two red piles and two black piles. Your partner must have picked up their foot and played at least part of a round from it. You must ask your partner for permission to go out. If your partner agrees, you must meld all your remaining cards, or meld all but one of your remaining cards and discard your last card. If your partner says no, you can’t go out.
You don’t have to discard to go out, all possible cards can be fused to end the game. Scoring You receive two scores per hand. You get points for the combined face value of all the cards you meld AND for each deck. If your team didn’t go out, you’ll be caught with cards in hand or foot, and you’ll lose points for the cards left over at the end of the game. The round ends when the first team gets rid of all the cards in their hand and foot by reporting/booking or discarding them. card values
Joker = 50 points (wild card)
Twos = 20 points (wild card)
Aces = 20 points
Eight to King (8-K) = 10 points
Four through seven (4-7) = 5 points King (8-K) = 10 points
Red three = minus 300 points
Black three = minus 5 points
stack values
Red heap = 500 points
Black stack = 300 points
The player who goes out gets 100 bonus points
5/500 – Black threes are -5 points, Red threes are -500 points
Find out more about this and other games at pagat.com
Can you play 3 Foot hand and knee?
Also known as ‘Triple play’, the game is a variation on the more traditionally played ‘Canasta’ but designed to be more complicated. The card game requires a large group of participants and even more cards to begin playing. Hand, Knee, and Foot include more math and strategic thinking than conventional card games.
Hand and Foot
Also known as “Triple Play”, the game is a variation of the traditionally played “Canasta” but made more complicated.
The card game requires a large group of participants and even more cards to start playing. Hand, Knee, and Foot involve more math and strategic thinking than traditional card games.
The card game uses a specific scoring system and the concept of melds, but we’ll cover all of those details and more in this article.
What is a hand, knee and foot card game?
Similar to a card game called Canasta, the main difference is the number of cards players need to start playing.
Required number of players: 4 pairs, so about 8 players.
Who can play it: All ages but can be difficult to understand for younger players. Requires patience.
Difficulty: Hard, the scoring is more complicated than most other card games.
Main Objective: Score more points than the other teams in four hands. Score points by forming melds of 3-7 cards.
Why We Love It: Deceptively complicated, if you happen to have multiple decks lying around, this is the perfect game for you. As it is played with a partner, it can also show which pair is the best card player among your peers.
What do I need to play the Hand, Knee, and Foot Card Game?
Once you’ve gathered enough players, all you have to do is play a massive amount of cards.
The game requires approximately 324 cards, which equals approximately 6 decks. If you haven’t accumulated these yet, consider this inexpensive bulk buy from Brybelly.
Make sure you also have a pen and paper or an app on your phone to keep the score correct.
How to set up your hand, knee and foot play
Assemble the 6 decks needed to play and make sure they include all 12 jokers as well. These are also used in the head, knees and feet.
Decide on your pairs either mutually or pull names out of a hat. Partners don’t sit next to each other, but face to face, so moves alternate between pairs as play goes around the circle.
Shuffle all the cards used and deal 15 cards to each player.
Next, make sure each player has both a knee and foot stack. These are dealt face down to each player and consist of 13 cards in the knee pile and 11 in the foot pile.
At this stage, allow the players to look at the 15 cards dealt but do not touch the knee and foot stacks just yet.
Place any remaining cards not dealt to the players in the middle of all participants. This is called a share.
Turn the card on top of the stock face up, and place it next to the stock. This becomes the face up card and is the first card in the discard pile.
If the upcard is either a 2, a red 3, 5, 7, or a wild card, bury it back in the stock and choose the next card on top of the stock.
Hand, knee and foot rules and gameplay
With all of this set up, you’re almost ready to begin.
You need to understand how scoring works. First we will cover the gameplay.
Start the game
All players first look at their 15 cards.
Players holding a red 3 place it face up on the table and draw a replacement card. One player from each pair takes care of collecting his team’s red 3’s and also of any melds formed.
The game begins with the player sitting to the left of the dealer.
How to play the hand, knee and foot card game
The gameplay consists of players taking turns spinning clockwise.
When it is a player’s turn, they can draw by either taking two cards from the supply or replacing two cards in their hand with two cards from the discard pile.
Players can only use the cards in the discard pile if they can demonstrate that the face-up card in the discard pile can form a meld.
Players cannot meld black 3s, so if the upcard is a black 3, players cannot choose from the discard pile.
If the up card is a joker, players can only draw from the discard pile if that player has two cards of the same rank. For example, if the discard pile has a 2, the player must have two 2s to draw from it.
After a player has finished drawing, he can attempt to form melds or add to existing melds that he or his partner have formed.
By forming melds, players score points to win the game. Reports can be very involved, so there is a dedicated information section below.
If a player begins his turn by drawing from the supply, he ends his turn by getting rid of a card from his hand.
If a player has picked up cards from the discard pile, he does not have to end his turn by discarding a card. The next player must also draw from the supply.
Players aim to form a Canasta, which is a seven-card meld, with their partner.
with her partner, which is a seven-card meld. Once a team has formed their first canasta, a player on that team who is next in line can pick up their knee stack. Your partner whose turn it is must also pick up their knee stack or they suffer a 1000 point penalty.
Players then pick up their foot stack and use it once they’ve used up their knee stack. This continues until the players can no longer form melds with the remaining cards.
Tally points are increased based on the quality of each team’s melds that players create. Sum up the value of each merged card.
Any cards remaining in each player’s hand are subtracted from their total.
Once each team has achieved a result, the cards are reshuffled and redistributed. The game repeats four times.
After all four rounds, declare the team with the highest total the winner.
form fusions
A meld is a group of cards consisting of 3-7 cards of the same rank in this deck.
Players draw when the game starts. Melds in Hand, Knee, and Foot come in two different flavors – Clean Meld or Dirty Meld.
A clean meld contains no wild cards, while a dirty meld contains wild cards.
Three to five card melds can contain only one joker, and six or seven card melds can contain up to two. If possible, players can also make a meld consisting only of wild cards.
Form melds with your cards and those of your partner.
Whether or not you can accept a meld depends on how many game rounds the players are playing. It requires a minimum score.
The first deal/round must be at least 50 points.
The second deal/round must be at least 90 points.
The third deal/round must be at least 120 points.
The fourth deal/round must be at least 150 points.
If you or your partner are adding to existing reports, the point requirement is not required.
Players cannot move cards between melds after they have been formed. Also, players cannot have two separate melds of the same rank unless a player forms a canasta.
Once players have formed a canasta, players may begin another meld of the same rank.
Variations of hand and foot rules
There are many popular variations on each rule in hand, knee, and foot play. Here are some of the most common:
The starting piles have different card counts (11 cards in the knee pile and 13 in the foot pile).
Red threes are worth 500 points. They can’t make a set of three, so they play against you.
Black threes are worth 5 points.
Two to eight players can play the game as individuals. They use as many decks as players plus one (e.g. three players use four decks).
Players can form melds from more than seven cards.
Keep score in hand, knee and foot
Certain cards also have different points and properties associated with them. Understanding them is important for gameplay.
Scoring and card ranks
Aces are worth 20 points.
K to 8s is worth 10 points.
7s to 4s are worth 5 points.
Jokers are wild and worth 50 points.
2’s are also “wild” and worth 20 points.
Red 3’s are a “bonus” card – place this in front of a player and replace it with a new card. They are also worth 100 points
Black threes are cards that cannot be “melted”.
Suits don’t matter for cards that aren’t 3s.
Wild Cards – Used in place of another card to form a meld.
“Essential Books”
Another aspect of hand, knee and foot scoring is the concept of base books.
This is what teams work towards throughout the game to get the most points at the end of each round.
These include…
A natural canasta out of 7 that scores 5000 points per canasta.
A natural canasta out of 5 that scores 3000 points per canasta.
A canasta with wild cards that score 2500 points per canasta.
Any natural canasta that scores 500 points per canasta.
All mixed canastas that score 300 points per canasta.
frequently asked Questions
What are the main differences between hand, knee and foot and its variant Canasta?
The way the scoring works is the main difference between the two games. In hand, knee and foot, scoring rewards more strategic plays and encourages teamwork.
A third deck is also added as the game’s name refers to each of the three decks that are in play. In comparison, Canasta only uses two decks and fewer cards overall.
Who created the game Hand, Knee, and Foot?
This version of Canasta was originally created by Sue Henberger in Sun City, Huntley in 2005.
She was a member of the town’s “Canasta Club” and started it because she wanted to challenge her club with a twist on the more traditional version of the game.
Alternative hand, knee and foot games
If you and your friends enjoy this more complex version of cards with melds, we might have another game that you would enjoy.
Conquian rules require players to form melds like hand, knee, and foot, and are best played with two players. Ideal if you don’t have the numbers required for hand, knee and foot.
If math games are your thing, then you might want to consider Qwixx as well. This game also rewards strategic planning throughout the game and helps improve your math skills.
What is a perfect deal in hand and Foot?
The dealing players after shuffling the deck try to cut off the exact number of cards needed to deal the hands or foots. In a 4 player game that would be 52 cards. If they cut off exactly 52 cards and the deal is perfect the team earns a bonus 100 points.
Hand and Foot
The partners sit opposite each other. Five decks of cards are used, including jokers.
Choose which partnership will be treated first. Shuffle the cards and a partner deals 4 decks of 13 cards, which are the player’s hands. The other partner deals 4 decks of 13 cards forming the player’s feet.
The remainder of the undealt cards are placed face down in the center to form the stock. The top card is revealed to form a discard pile next to the supply pile. If it is a red three or a wild card, it is buried and a new card is revealed.
The player’s feet are placed face down next to it and are not used until a player has played all of the cards in their hand. Players pick up their hands and play begins with the player to the left of the person who dealt the hands.
After the end of the game round, the deal rolls over to the left. A game consists of four deals.
The aim of the game (Melding)
The aim of the game is to get rid of the cards in your hand by merging them. A meld is a set of three to seven cards of the same rank dealt face up on the table. A meld may have no fewer than three cards and no more than seven cards (see below for alternative rules on the number of cards allowed). Reports belong to the partnership. Normally, incomplete melds are placed face up in columns in front of one of the team members while the other member collects the complete melds of seven cards, called canastas. Entries can be made from any rank from A, K Q down to 4. Threes have special uses and cannot be reported. Two and jokers are jokers. You can make a meld out of wild cards and indeed one is required to go out. Wild cards may also be placed in other melds as long as there are at least as many natural cards as wild cards in the meld at any given time. You may only have one meld in play at a time of any value (example: if you have a meld of 5 sevens and your partner has 3 sevens in their hand, they may not start a second meld with sevens until the first meld is complete, i.e they can add 2 sevens to complete the canasta, but keep the single seven in hand, or they can wait for the first meld to complete and then start a second.)
There are three types of canastas
A clean canasta has no jokers.
A dirty canasta contains at least one wild card.
A Wild Canasta consists entirely of wild cards.
When a meld contains seven cards, it is removed from the meld layout, squared into a pile, and placed face up in front of the other partner. If it’s a clean canasta put a red card on top, if it’s a dirty canasta put a black card on top and if it’s a wild canasta put a joker on top. This makes counting easier at the end.
You get points for completing canastas and lose points for cards you still have in your hand at the end of the game.
The game ends when someone runs out and gets rid of all the cards in their hand and foot (see “Picking up the foot” later in the rules) by melding or discarding them. Before you can go out, you must meet the following conditions.
You have completed two clean canastas.
You have completed two Dirty Canastas.
You have completed a Wild Canasta.
(Alternative rule – you can play that more than seven cards are allowed in a canasta and cards of the same rank can be added to full canastas, the restriction of no more jokers than natural cards still applies.)
(Alternative rule – you can play so that you can have more than one meld with a value at a time. This can come in handy when making one that becomes a clean canasta and one that becomes a dirty canasta.)
card values
Individual cards have the following values:
Joker 50 points
Twos and aces 20 points
Eight to King 10 points
Four to seven 5 points
Red threes 100 points
Black threes 5 points
(Alternative rule – Black threes can be played up to 100 points, as can red threes. This makes picking the stack more dangerous as you may have a pair and if someone runs out you can get caught with them.)
Minimum Requirements for Initial Reporting
Before you can meld for the first time in a round, you must have a minimum meld score. This is based on the chart below.
Round 1 50 points
Round 2 90 points
Round 3 120 points
Round 4 150 points
Example: You have 3 sixes and 4 fives. Sixes and fives are only worth 5 points each, so only 35 points, not enough to report. If you have 3 kings and 4 fives, the kings are 10 points each and the fives are 5 points each, for a total of 50 points, you could meld for the first round. If you had a wild and 2 fours, you could make a dirty meld. The joker is 50 points and the fours are 10 points for 60 points, you could meld if you only need 50 points. If you have 4 kings and 5 queens, that’s 90 points and you could meld in the first or second round. You can make any number of melds to get this total, but they must all come out of your hand at once.
The game
The player to the left of the person who dealt the hands begins, play then continues clockwise around the table until someone runs out. Immediately prior to their first turn, each player must place all red threes they hold face up on the table and draw an equal number of cards to replace them. These cards count at the end of the round but not for melding.
The piece then goes like this:
Take the top two cards from the supply pile or take the discard pile (see below).
Optionally create a new meld or add cards to a meld on the table.
Discard a card from your hand.
If you draw a red three, you immediately place it face up on the table and draw a replacement card.
Take Discard Pile – You can take the top seven cards of the discard pile instead of two cards from the deck, if there are fewer than seven cards, take the whole deck. You can only do this if you have at least two cards of the same rank in your hand (no wild cards). You must then play those three cards to a meld. If your team has not yet started melds, you must still meet the required score by using only the meld of the top card of the discard pile and cards in your hand. You cannot use other cards from the discard pile until you meet the requirements. If you can’t get the required points from it, you can’t pick up the discard pile.
You may not take the discard pile if it is frozen. Cards that prevent the discard pile from being taken are:
Black threesome
joker
Two
(Alternate rule – jokes and twos don’t freeze the stack, only black threes do.)
Example: When it is your turn, the top card of the discard pile is a seven. You have 2 sevens in your hand. You can pick up the top seven cards from the discard pile, but you must meld the 3 sevens. If you cannot meld the 3 sevens within the rules, you cannot pick up the discards. You can then go through your hand as usual after adding the other six cards to your hand.
(Alternative Rule – Instead of just picking up the top seven cards of the discard pile, you can pick up the entire discard pile. You must still meld with the top card and the two natural cards in your hand. This can be a fun twist and can add to a lot of points lead if you can grab the discard pile when it’s big.)
lift your foot
If you get rid of all the cards in your hand, you can pick up the cards in your foot. This can be done in two ways. First, when you play all but one of your cards and discard the last card in your hand, you pick up your foot and can play it when it’s your turn again. Second, when you play all your cards and have no more cards to discard, you can lift your foot and continue playing with your new cards.
Red and Black Threesomes
Red and black threes cannot be used in melds
Red threes are placed on the table and at the end of the round your team gets 100 extra points.
Black threes can prevent the discard pile from being taken. Any black threes still in your hand or foot when someone goes out are scored against you.
the end of the game
The game ends with one player going out by playing all of their cards onto meld piles and discarding their last card. You must have a discard card to go out. The round can also end if no player has gone out and the draw pile is empty.
(Alternate rule – your opponent must also have played at least one footed spin before you can walk out.)
(Alternate rule – you must get your partner’s permission before going out)
Points
At the end of a round you get
500 points for each clean canasta completed
300 points for each completed Dirty Canasta
1500 points for each completed Wild Canasta
100 points if your team is eliminated
100 points for every red three you played
minus
Add up the points remaining in your hand and/or foot according to the card values, only the person who went out has none.
Joker 50 points
Twos and aces 20 points
Eight to King 10 points
Four to seven 5 points
Red threes 100 points
Black threes 5 points
and subtract them from your score.
Play with a different number of players
Canasta can be played with a different number of players. With 4 or 6 players it is usually played in teams. Use a deck of cards plus one for the number of players.
Fun bonus points
As an optional fun bonus. The dealing players, after shuffling the deck, attempt to cut off the exact number of cards needed to deal hands or feet. In a 4-player game, that would be 52 cards. If they cut exactly 52 cards and the deal is perfect, the team gets a 100 point bonus.
Alternate rules recommended by Earl
You can have more than seven cards in a canasta and add to full canastas on the table.
When picking up the discard pile, you pick up the entire discard pile
Black threes are worth 100 points, not just 5
You can have more than one meld of any value on the table at one time.
How many cards do you deal for hand and Foot?
Deal the Hand and Foot decks, 11 cards in each.
With the pile of 22 cards that each player now has, they should deal them face-down into 2 piles of 11 cards. Still face-down, the player should then assign 1 of the decks as a ‘Hand’ deck and the other their ‘Foot’ deck.
Hand and Foot
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Hand and Foot is a fun card game where players try to get rid of all their cards first and get the most points in 4 rounds. To play Hand and Foot you need 5 standard decks of cards with the jokers included. Shuffle all the cards together and deal 11 cards to each player. These cards are called a “hand” and players should pick them up and look at them. Deal each player a second set of 11 cards. These cards are called “foot” and players must keep them face down until they have played all of the cards in their hand. Place the remaining cards in the center of the play area to form the stock pile. Turn the top card on the deck face up – if it’s a red 3, 2 or a joker, put it back in the deck and draw another card. The player to the left of the dealer begins. Players first try to get rid of all the cards in their hand and foot, and they do this by playing them in melds. Melds are any 3-7 cards of the same rank. Joker and 2’s are wild. When a player plays a meld, they also score points by adding up the point value for each card in the meld. Threes through 7s are worth 5 points, 8s through kings are worth 10 points, aces and 2s are worth 20 points, and jokers are worth 50 points. In each round of the game there is a minimum score that a meld must meet in order to be played on the table: 50 points in round 1, 90 points in round 2, 120 points in round 3 and 150 points in round 4 for example a player in Round 1 does not play a meld on the table unless the cards in that meld add up to at least 50 points. Melds containing only natural (non-wild) cards are called “clean” melds, and melds containing a mixture of natural and wild cards are called “dirty” melds. At the start of a turn, a player draws 2 cards from the supply pile. Then they can play any meld in their hand on the table, or they can play against another meld that has already been played. Each meld on the table is open to all players until it reaches 7 cards, at which point it becomes a “closed pile” and can no longer be played. Players get points for closing an alert. A closed, clean report, referred to as a “red book,” is worth 500 points. A closed dirty report, a so-called “black book”, is worth 300 points. Once a player has played all the cards in their hand, they pick up their foot and use those cards to move forward. Play continues clockwise around the table until one player runs out of cards first and the round ends. Everyone counts their points for that round, then the next round begins. Whoever has the highest number of points after 4 rounds wins the game! Read on to learn how to score in hand and foot!
Can you lay down 3s in hand and Foot?
Melds are formed with cards from A to 4. Threes, however, may not be melded in a normal way. Red Threes count for a player if it is laid down on the table with their melds, however, it counts against them if it is not.
Hand and Foot
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-7 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: Five 54-card decks (52 cards + 2 jokers)
RANK OF CARDS: A,K,Q,J,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2
GAME TYPE: Canasta/Rummy
AUDIENCE: adults
INTRODUCTION TO HAND AND FEET
The hand and foot card game is a game related to Canasta. In Hand and Foot, players are dealt two decks of cards: the hand that is played first and the foot that is played next.
This game has no standard rules and is also played with a large number of variations. The game generally has 4 players made up of 2 partnerships. However, this game can be played with any number of people. This game is also closely related to Pennies From Heaven.
The following instructions are best suited for a 4 player and partner game.
PLAYERS, CARDS & THE DEAL
Hand and Foot is typically played as a partner game, with partners sitting across from each other at the table. First select a pair to deal with. You have to shuffle the cards, then one person takes the deck. The dealer deals each player a deck of 13 cards and passes them clockwise until each player has a hand. Then the other partner does the same thing and deals the foot to each player. These two decks of cards must remain separate.
The remaining cards are then placed in the center of the table and form the supply. The top card is also revealed face up next to it and begins the discard pile. If the card happens to be a 3 or a Joker (Joker), it is buried in the supply and a new card is turned over.
“Foot” piles are to be placed around the deck and discard pile. The players then pick up their “hand”. The game begins with the “hand” dealer.
The deal goes to the left and the game consists of four deals in total.
AVOIDANCE
The object of Hand and Foot is to get rid of all your cards by merging them into melds like in any traditional rummy game. A meld is formed with 3 to 7 cards of the same rank. A seven-card meld is called a book or deck. Books are square as opposed to a fanned out message which is still in the process of being added. The card on top of the book indicates the type of meld (see below): red card for clean books, black card for dirty books, and a joker for wild books. While teams can have books of the same rank, a new meld cannot be started until the meld of the same rank is completed first. Typically, one partner has the complete melds in front of them in addition to the red threes, and the other the incomplete melds.
The cards are placed face up on the table in front of the player. In this variant of rummy, the melds also belong to the partners, as opposed to the individual player. This means that any player in a partnership can add to any of the melds they create, unless the meld has reached seven cards.
Scoring Messages
Players gain points for cards they meld and also lose points for cards they have in hand. The game ends as soon as a player has managed to completely play both his “hand” and his “foot”. This player is “out”. There are three conditions the player must meet before going out:
The partnership must have completed 2 dirty books, 2 clean books, and 1 wild book. A player in the partnership has picked up their “foot” and played at least a single round of it. (The one who hasn’t played their entire foot) You must get your partner’s permission to step out, meld the rest of your cards but one, and discard the last card. If your partner rejects you, don’t go out.
Red & Black Threesomes
Entries are formed with cards from A to 4. However, threes may not be meld in the normal manner.
Red threes count for a player if they are placed on the table with their melds, but they count against him if they are not. Red threes should be placed face up on the table immediately and a new card must be drawn from the supply. They can be found in your hand, drawn from the supply, found in the foot, or taken from the trash. If your opponents “run out” (get rid of all their cards) before you’ve grabbed your “foot” and there is a red three, that three counts against you.
Black threes can only be used to prevent the next player from taking out the discarded card after you have discarded it. Black threes remaining in your hand count for minus five points on your score. They cannot be played, only discarded.
Twos & Joker
Twos and jokers are jokers. Wild cards may be used to substitute for any card in a meld provided there are twice as many natural cards in the meld as there are wild cards. However, a meld can only consist of wild cards. This type of report is required before you “go out” and win a specific deal.
Types of Messages
There are no jokers in clean melds.
no wildcards are present. Dirty melds have at least a single joker and no more than one if the meld contains fewer than 6 cards.
have at least one wild card and no more than one if the meld has fewer than 6 cards. Wild melds only have wild cards.
HAND AND FOOT CARD VALUES
Below are the values of the cards in the game. These stats count for you (or your team) if they’re declared, and against you (or your team) if they’re not there at the end of the game.
Joker: 50 points each
2s & Aces: 20 points each
8-King: 10 points each
4-7: 5 points each
Black 3s: 5 points each
bonus points
Both teams can collect bonus points in addition to the card values. Red threes add 100 points to your score if they are on the table and 100 points to your score if they are in the hand.
Each clean book: 500 points
Each dirty book: 300 points
Wild Book: 1500 points
“Going out”: 100 points
Each Red 3: 100 points
merge minimum
Each deal sets a minimum requirement for the total point value of the cards that make up the first meld created in a partnership.
Deal 1: 50 points
Offer 2: 90 points
For deal 3: 120 points
Deal 4: 150 points
Red 3s and full book bonuses do not count.
HAND AND FOOT GAMEPLAY
Play begins with the player to the left of the “hand” dealer and proceeds clockwise. The game continues until someone “runs out”. Before it is your turn, red threes must be dealt face up on the table. The number of red threes placed on the table must be replaced by an equal number of cards drawn from the supply.
Alternately
A typical train consists of:
Drawing two cards forms the top of the stock pile. Meld Cards – Begin or add to a meld (your or your partners) Discard a single card face up on top of the discard pile.
Red threes drawn from the supply must be placed directly face up on the table and then a new card must be drawn from the supply pile.
You may not start new melds and meld cards on your turn, you must decide which action you want to perform
If you don’t want to draw two cards from the supply, you can draw seven cards from the discard pile. The entire deck can be collected if it contains fewer than seven cards. If you want to draw from the drop, these are the requirements:
The top card of the discard cannot be a (black) three. You must hold 2 cards of the same rank as the top card of the discard. (At least) three cards must be reported immediately: 2 of the same rank already in hand and the top one the discard
Complete the round by discarding a single card.
The first meld placed on the table must meet the minimum meld value requirement (this is the sum total of the values of the cards played). Multiple melds can be started to achieve this point requirement. If you pick from the discard pile, the three mandatory meld cards can count towards this condition, but the other 6 drawn cards do not count. Cards in the initial meld can be jokers.
Partners may not have two incomplete melds of the same rank. A book must be completed before a new meld of the same value can be started.
The foot’
After getting rid of all the cards in your “hand” you can pick up your “foot” and continue playing as usual. The foot can be picked up in two ways: All cards in the “hand” are fused, the foot is picked up and a single card from it is discarded OR all but one card of the “hand” is fused, the last card is discarded and the foot recorded.
In this version of Hand and Foot, there is no penalty for discarding a wild card to get to the foot.
PLAYING
The game ends when either:
A player goes out successfully, under the conditions discussed above OR
The supply pile is exhausted and the players do not want to draw from the discard pile.
If your partner doesn’t allow you to go out, you must have two cards left after melding: one to discard and one to continue playing.
At the end of the game, players score their books and melds, including applicable bonuses. The team with the most points after four deals wins.
INSTRUCTION VIDEO ON PLAYING HAND AND FEET CARD GAME
OTHER RESOURCES:
Did you know that your skills in this game can help in the card game Blackjack?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When can I lift my foot?
You may not raise your foot again until you have emptied all the cards in your hand.
What does a player need to go out?
To go out, a player needs 2 dirty books (aka a 7-card dirty meld), 2 clean books (aka a 7-card clean meld), and 1 wild book (aka a 7-card wild meld) . ). These must contain all 7 cards and be squared books. You must also empty your foot and have your partner’s permission to go out.
How do you win hand and foot?
Four rounds are played and the team with the highest score after all four rounds is the winner.
How many decks of cards are needed to play hand and foot?
You need five 52-card decks with 2 jokers per deck.
What is the difference between hand and Foot and canasta?
Hand and Foot Canasta
This version is a quad deck game that is played with a hand and a foot, unlike traditional canasta that just has a hand. Hand and Foot is a Canasta variant involving four to seven decks and is played by teams of two players (usually two teams, but it also works with three or four teams).
Hand and Foot
Canasta Origin Uruguay Type Suitable Players 2-4 Required Skills Tactics and Strategy Age Range 11+ Cards 108 Deck French Play Clockwise Card Rank (highest first) Red-3 Joker 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Black-3 Playing Time 60 min Random Medium Similar games Buraco • Biriba
Canasta (Spanish for “basket”) is a card game in the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 rum.[1][2][3][4][5] Although there are many variations for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two partnerships using two standard decks. Players attempt to meld seven cards of the same rank and “go out” by playing all of the cards in their hand. It is “the youngest card game to achieve classic status around the world.”
history [edit]
The game Canasta was created in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1939 by lawyer Segundo Sanchez Santos and his bridge partner, architect Alberto Serrato[7] to design a time-efficient game that was as addictive as bridge.[8] They tried different formulas before inviting Arturo Gomez Hartley and Ricardo Sanguinetti to test their game.[9]
After a positive reception of canasta at their local bridge club, the Jockey Club, the game quickly spread north through South America in myriad variations to Chile, Peru, Brazil and Argentina in the 1940s,[7] where its rules continued to be refined [ 10 ] It was introduced in 1949 by Josefina Artayeta de Viel (New York) in the United States, where it was then referred to as an Argentine rummy game by Ottilie H. Reilly in 1949 and by Michael Scully of Coronet magazine in 1953.[ 11] In 1949/51 the New York Regency Club[12] wrote the Official Canasta Laws, which were published by the National Canasta Laws Commissions of the USA and Argentina together with gaming experts from South America.[13]
Canasta quickly became popular in the United States in the 1950s[14] and many decks, decks and books were produced.[15] Interest in the game began to wane there in the 1960s, but the game still enjoys some popularity today as canasta leagues and clubs still exist in several parts of the United States.
Santos and Serrato never patented the rules of the game and thus never received royalties from the later canasta boom.
Classic Canasta Rules[edit]
Cards and Deal[ edit ]
The classic game is for four players in two partnerships. There are variations for two and three player games, where everyone plays alone, and also for a six player game in two partnerships of three. If partners are chosen, they must sit opposite each other. Canasta typically uses two complete 52-card decks (French deck) with two or three jokers per deck, making a total of 108 or 110 cards (the number of jokers depends on the type of French deck).
Card Features Card Value 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A Natural Melee Cards 2, Joker Wild Melee Cards Red 3 Bonus Points Black 3 Sure Discard (can be melded when going out)
The initial dealer is selected by a standard method, although in Canasta there is no privilege or benefit of being the dealer. The deal then rotates clockwise after each hand. The dealer shuffles the deck, the player to the dealer’s right cuts, and the dealer deals each player an 11-card hand. The remaining cards remain in a pile in the middle of the table. A card is taken from the top of the deck and turned face up to start the discard pile. If that card is a joker or a red three, another card is turned over and placed on top. This goes on until a natural card or black three is revealed.
If a player is dealt red threes, he must immediately place them face up in front of himself and draw an equal number of replacement cards.
play [edit]
The player to the left of the dealer has the first turn, and then play proceeds clockwise. A round begins either by drawing the first card from the supply into the player’s hand, or by picking up the entire discard pile. However, there are restrictions on when you can pick up the discard pile. (See Pick Up Discard Pile below). If the card drawn from the supply is a red three, the player must immediately place it on the table, as if melding, and draw another card.
The player can then make as many legal melds as he likes from the cards in his hand. A round ends when the player places a card from their hand on top of the discard pile. No player may “undo” a meld or a placed card or change their mind after drawing a card from the deck.
Messages and Canastas[ edit ]
Each player/team keeps separate melds of the different rows of cards. A player must never play on an opponent’s meld. A legal meld consists of at least three cards of the same rank, and there is no limit to how large it can become. Suits are irrelevant, except that black threes are treated differently than red threes. Wild cards can be used for any rank except threes. Threes may never be melded in normal play, although three or more black threes may be melded in the last round of a player going out.
A meld must consist of at least two natural cards and can never have more than three jokers. Examples: 5♥ 5♣ 2♥ and 9♥ 9♣ 2♥ 2♣ Jkr are valid melds. 5♥ 2♣ 2♥ is not a valid meld since it contains only one natural card. 9♥ 9♣ 9♦ 2♥ 2♣ 2♦ Jkr is not legal because it contains more than three jokers. A team/player cannot have two separate melds with the same rank. When multiple cards of the same rank are melded, they are automatically merged into the existing meld.
A canasta is a meld of at least seven cards, whether natural or shuffled. A natural canasta is one that consists only of cards of the same rank. A mixed canasta (or dirty canasta) consists of natural and wild cards. Once a canasta is assembled, the cards are squared and one of the natural cards that make it up is placed on top – a red one to indicate a natural canasta, or a black one to indicate a mixed canasta.
Initial messages [ edit ]
Each card has a specific value that determines both the score and the minimum score a player needs before making their first melds:
Point values for minimum card value 4, 5, 6, 7, 5, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10, 2, A 20, Joker 50
During each round, when a team first deals cards, the combined meld’s cards must meet a minimum meld requirement based on the values of each of the cards. At the start of a game, both teams have an initial meld requirement of 50 points. Credit towards the requirement must not include the value of cards that a player could potentially pick up from the discard pile, but must be based only on the cards in their hand and the top card discarded if they pick up the discard pile. If the combined value does not meet the minimum requirement, they cannot play the cards on the table nor pick up the discard pile. After the first hand, the minimum report requirement is based on a team’s score before the hand begins.
Team Score Minimum Initial Entry Negative 15 0-1495 50 1500-2995 90 3000 and up 120
Example: If a player/team has a score of 1,600 and has not yet made any melds in a hand, an initial meld of 7♣ 7♦ 7♥, Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ 2♦ cannot be made since there are only 65 Points scores points and the requirement is 90. A meld of 7♣ 7♦ 7♥, A♣ A♦ A♥ 2♦ would score 95 points and can be played. Note that both opening melds can be played if the team’s total is under 1500, and neither can be played if the team’s total is 3000 or higher. The minimum meld requirement for a team with a negative score is 15. Since all three cards are always worth at least 15 points, this effectively means that any meld is enough to discard the first meld(s). Once a teammate has dealt cards on the table, their partner can meld any cards permitted by law, meaning they don’t have to meet the minimum reporting requirements.
Discard pile[edit]
The discard pile should be kept square so that only the top card is visible. A player cannot look through the discard pile.
At the beginning of his turn, a player may pick up the entire discard pile instead of drawing a card from the supply. They may only pick up the discard pile if they can use the top card, either in an existing meld or by making a new meld along with at least two other cards from their hand (which may include wild cards). Only the top card is relevant for the player/team to pick up the rest of the discard pile. Additionally, if the player/team has not yet melded, they must complete the initial meld requirement by using the top card of the discard pile to pick up the pile. In this case, the top card points are included to satisfy the initial reporting requirement.
Discarding a wild card freezes the stack. The card should be placed at right angles to the deck so that it is still visible to indicate a frozen deck after more cards are discarded. A frozen stack may only be picked (not frozen) if a player can meld the top card with two natural cards of the same rank from the player’s hand.
If there is a joker or a black three on top of the discard pile, it cannot be picked up. Playing a black three does not freeze the stack; It only acts as a stop card, preventing the other player from picking up the stack. The card discarded after a black three allows the stack to be resumed (unless it is a wild card or another black three).
The discard pile is also frozen for a player/team that has not yet called in that hand, although it is not frozen for another player/team that has called in at the same time.
Going out and finishing a hand[edit]
A player may only go out with all the cards in his hand if that player/team has made at least one canasta. The player goes out by melding all of their cards and may discard a single last card if necessary. There is no need to discard a card when going out legally. If the player/team has not yet made canastas, players on that team may not make a play that would leave them with no cards at the end of their turn. If a player can legally go out but has three or more black threes in their hand, these can only be reported at that point. The hand ends immediately if a player goes out. Going out gives a bonus of 100 points.
If a player is considering going out, they can ask their partner for permission to go out. It is not necessary to ask the partner’s permission, but once done, the player must comply with the partner’s response. If the partner refuses permission, the player is not allowed to go out that round. If the partner answers “yes”, the player must go out that round.
If a player melds his entire hand in a round (including at least one canasta) without first melding, he receives an additional 100 points for going blind, equal to 200 points. To earn the bonus, a player must not add cards to their partner’s melds. It may go face down when picking up the discard pile. The corresponding initial message requirement must be satisfied.
A hand can also be ended by exhausting the supply. Play may continue without a supply as long as players are able to take the previous player’s discard and meld it. In such a situation, a player must take the discard if he is able to. Once a player cannot legally take the card, the hand ends. If a player draws a red three as the last card from the stock, this counts towards their score, but the hand ends immediately as there is no replacement card to be drawn. In this case, the player may neither meld nor fold after picking up the red three.
Rating [edit]
At the end of each hand, the score for each team is calculated as follows:
The total value of all cards melded by this player/team, including cards in canastas, minus the total value of all cards remaining in the player/team’s hands, plus any bonuses:
Card value Red 3 100 Black 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 5 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10 2, A 20 Joker 50 bonus points Bonus value For going out 100 For going out extra 100 (200 total for going out) For each mixed canasta 300 for each natural canasta 500 for every four red threes an additional 400 (total 800 for red threes)
If a player/team has collected red threes but has not yet made the first melds when their opponent goes out, then the red threes bonus value counts against them (it is subtracted from the score along with the remaining cards in their team) . Hands). If they collect all four red threes, 800 points will be deducted from their score.
A negative total score is possible. The game ends when a player’s/team’s total score reaches 5000. If both players/teams reach 5000 at the end of the hand, whoever has the higher score wins the game. The margin of victory is the difference in points.
Canasta for two or three players [ edit ]
Canasta can be played with fewer than four players with some variations in the rules. The main changes concern the number of cards dealt at the beginning of the hand and the fact that each person plays individually. In a three player game, each player is dealt 13 cards. In a two-player game, each player is dealt 15 cards, and each player draws two cards and discards one on each of their turns. When each player draws two cards, there is usually the additional requirement that a player must have made two canastas to go out.
The Canasta League of America[edit]
The CLA was formed in 2013 due to the growing popularity of Canasta. Using the rules of Modern American Canasta, the CLA has standardized the rules through its (currently) 9th Edition CLA Standard Rules and Instructions for Playing Modern Canasta. The Canasta League of America reports that it has endorsed Canasta Junction for online games played under the CLA Rules. Annual membership of the CLA is open to everyone. The standard rules book is available on their website.
US Canasta[ edit ]
This version of canasta is particularly popular in the United States and was the official tournament version used by the (possibly defunct) American Canasta Association. American Canasta is found in a few books. A notable exception is Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Card Games, where the author claims to have invented a game he calls International Canasta. Most elements of Modern American Canasta are found in Scarnes International Canasta, although there are some differences.
This may not be the best version for beginners due to its relative complexity and unforgiving scoring rules that give high penalties for many melds that would be acceptable and even good in other versions; “Classic” Canasta or Hand & Foot may serve this purpose better. (On the other hand, these versions can teach habits that become major encumbrances in American canasta). This version is only intended to be played by exactly four players in two two-person partnerships. Important differences between this version and the “classic” version are:
Set up and play[edit]
13 cards are dealt to each player. The discard pile itself begins with an open card from the draw pile.
The draw two card rule does not apply. A canasta is required to go out. Game is up to 5,000.
Second hand. A canasta is required to go out. Game is up to 5,000. The initial reporting requirements are the same – 50 for players with less than 1,500 points, 90 for players with 1,500 or more but less than 3,000, then 180 thereafter. Additionally, reporting a complete canasta is always considered to have met the initial reporting requirements, regardless of the Point values of the cards involved. (There is no other bonus for such a game).
The discard pile is not always frozen. Many groups do not allow taking the stack and making a team’s first meld in the same round; those that allow it require a player to first meld and then take the stack. (The latter was the “official” tournament rule). This can be done based on a pair of natural cards that have already been melded that round, or by producing such a pair from the player’s hand after the initial meld requirement has been met without it.
take the stack. (The latter was the “official” tournament rule). This can be done based on a pair of natural cards that have already been melded that round, or by producing such a pair from the hand of the player who completed the initial meld requirement without it. There are some restrictions on legal discards. Red threes cannot be discarded, nor can wild cards (unless the pack is frozen). When the discard pile is empty, aces and sevens cannot be discarded. However, it is possible (though very unlikely) for a player to have only wild cards, or only aces, sevens, and wild cards with an empty discard pile. In this case, a player may make such a discard (if possible, aces or sevens, wild cards only if there is no other option – definitely not a red three). However, an opponent may challenge the legality of such play, in which case a player must show the opponent their hand to verify that the play was in fact legal.
Red threes can be played at the table as red threes can in “classic” canasta. Unlike other Canasta versions, this is optional. As in other versions, a player who plays a three draws a replacement card.
Merging Rules[edit]
Melds that do not contain sevens or aces work as in “classic” canasta, except that such melds can contain at most two jokers instead of three.
Melding more than seven cards is strictly forbidden, as are duplicate meldings of the same rank by the same team. This has some strategic implications; For example, it is impossible to pick up the stack due to the strength of a pair of (say) jacks in a player’s hand when his team already has a meld of five jacks, naturally or otherwise.
A common exception is to allow melds of 8 or more cards when going out. Experienced players play a wild card on an existing canasta for victory.
Sequences (such as those described below that define Samba) are not legal messages and play no role in normal American Canasta play. The closest thing to a normally legal sequence is one of the special hands, described below.
Sevens melds must not contain wild cards. A canasta of sevens is worth 2,500 points instead of the usual 500. However, if the hand ends without either team completing that canasta, that team loses 2,500 points. Keeping three or more 7s in a player’s hand is almost as bad and carries a 1,500 deduction.
2,500 points. Keeping three or more 7s in a player’s hand is almost as bad and carries a 1,500 deduction. Aces are treated the same as sevens with one exception. If a team’s first meld contains aces, jokers can be added at this point. In this case, the aces are treated like any other combination and not like sevens. Otherwise, aces follow the same rules, including possible penalties, as sevens.
Merges consisting entirely of wild cards are legal, similar to the [clarification needed] Bolivia variant above. A canasta made up of wild cards is worth 3,000 points if it consists entirely of twos, 2,500 points if it contains all four jokers, or 2,000 points for any other combination. However, failing to complete a canasta after such a report is made will incur a penalty of 2,000 points.
Bolivia variant. A canasta made up of wild cards is worth 3,000 points if it consists entirely of twos, 2,500 points if it contains all four jokers, or 2,000 points for any other combination. However, failing to complete a canasta after such a report is made will incur a penalty of 2,000 points. It is legal to report certain specialty hands as a team’s first and only meld. These are exactly 14-card hands that a player can have after drawing their card on the turn. If a team plays a special hand, the game ends immediately; The team only gets the points for the special hand (there are no penalties for the cards in the other partner’s hand). This is also the only time a player is not allowed to discard a card; Also when going out, a player must otherwise have something to discard. There are significant differences in what special hands are allowed and how they are settled. Some of the most commonly accepted special hands include the following (these were legal in the tournament version): Straight – any card of any rank, including a three (the reason a player is allowed to keep threes in his hand), plus a joker. That’s worth 3,000. Pairs – seven pairs containing either no wilds (worth 2,500) or twos, sevens and aces (all three must be present – this combination is worth 2,000). Garbage – Two sets of four of a kind and two sets of three of a kind that contain no jokers or threes. For example, 4♣ 4♠ 4♥ 4♦ 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ 9♣ 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ Jkr Jkr Jkr would be considered a garbage hand. That’s worth 2,000.
as the first and only message from a team. These are exactly 14-card hands that a player can have after drawing their card on the turn. If a team plays a special hand, the game ends immediately; The team only gets the points for the special hand (there are no penalties for the cards in the other partner’s hand). This is also the only time a player is not allowed to discard a card; Also when going out, a player must otherwise have something to discard. There are significant differences in what special hands are allowed and how they are settled. Some of the most commonly accepted specialty hands include the following (these were legal in the tournament version):
Other scoring rules[ edit ]
Another variant of scoring threes is used. The score is 100 for a three of a particular suit, 300 for two, 500 for three, or 1,000 for four; red threes and black threes are counted separately. This is a penalty if the team has no canasta at the end of the hand (and for that purpose, threes in a player’s hand count as if they were on the table), is ignored entirely if a team has exactly one canasta, and a bonus if a team has two or more canastas.
If a team does not have complete canastas at the end of the game, any cards that have been fused will count against that team, in addition to the above penalties that may apply. A team with at least one canasta gets bonus points for these cards as usual.
samba [edit]
Samba is a variant of Canasta played with three decks, including jokers, for a total of 162 cards. 15 cards are dealt to each of four players and an additional card is dealt face up. Two cards are drawn in each round, so the pace is faster than traditional canasta. The game is up to 10,000 points instead of 5,000. Samba allows sequence melds of three or more (eg, 4, 5, and 6 of hearts or queen, king, and ace of spades). If a player is able to form a sequence of sevens (e.g. the 5 through J of diamonds) it is a samba and is worth 1,500 points. Instead of four red threes being worth 800 points, six red threes being worth 1,000 points. Two jokers is the maximum allowed for a meld. The minimum starting enrollment is 150 if a partnership has 7,000 or more.
Other “national” canastas[ edit ]
Bolivian Canasta[ edit ]
Bolivian Canasta is similar to Samba in that it uses three decks and sequence messages.[16] Game is up to 15,000. Wild Card Canastas (Bolivia) count 2,500. A side must have a Samba (called an Escalera in this game) and at least one other Canasta to go out. Red threes count positive only when two or more canastas have been fused. Black threes are minus 100 instead of minus 5 if they stay in the hand.
Brazilian canasta[edit]
Similar to Bolivia but only to 10,000. The minimum requirements for reporting are 150 from 5,000 to 7,000; a canasta from 7,000 to 8,000; 200 from 8,000 to 9,000; and a natural canasta from 9,000 upwards. Wild card canastas count as 2,000. Partnerships receive 1,000 for five red threes and 1,200 for all six. If a side has a run of five cards or fewer, they lose 1,000.
British Canasta[ edit ]
Similar to the original rules, but with the important addition “Acaba” (Spanish for “The End”). A player can say this at any time during their turn and immediately loses the round, giving the opposing player or team 1,500 points and gaining 0 points, ending the very boring phase where one player or team has complete control of the discard pile . When a player plays in teams, he can ask his teammate’s permission to say Acaba, just as he can ask before going out, and he is bound by the answer in the same way.[17] [18]
Chilean canasta[ edit ]
Allows both Sambas and Bolivia. Can be played with either three decks (162 cards) or four decks (216 cards).
Cuban Canasta[ edit ]
A two-deck variant at 7,500. Requires 150 for an initial report if a partnership is over 5,000. The deck is always frozen. Wild card canastas are worth between 2,000 and 4,000; depending on the number of twos. Threes are only scored if canastas are made; They count 100 for one, 300 for two, 500 for three and 1,000 for four. Black threes are removed from play when a discard pile is taken; A partnership that removes all four black threes in this way scores 100 points.
Italian canasta[ edit ]
Italian canasta is a variant of samba. The number of cards in the discard pile at the beginning of the game varies with the first card revealed. The discard pile is always frozen. Deuces may, but a partnership may not play deuces as jokers if deuces have been melded and a canasta is incomplete. Game is up to 15,000
Uruguayan canasta[ edit ]
It is just like the original Canasta in its original version.[19]
Boot Canasta[ edit ]
This variant comes from Slovakia. Since the definition of Canasta rules varied from player to player, there was a strong urge for uniform rules. This, in turn, was satisfied by the creation of Boat Canasta, which is really a mix of other well-known rules, but thoroughly tweaked. Currently, this variant of canasta is steadily gaining popularity mainly in Slovakia, but also in countries like France, Germany and England.
This version is a quad-deck game played with one hand and one foot, as opposed to traditional canasta, which only has one hand. Hand and Foot is a four to seven deck variant of Canasta and is played by teams of two players (usually two teams, but three or four teams work as well). The number of decks used is usually one more than the number of players, although this can vary. Due to the larger pool of cards available, it’s much easier to form canastas in Hand and Foot than in standard canasta, which changes strategy significantly. Some players find this version more comfortable for beginners. The variant was born in the 1970s; commercial decks for playing hand and foot have been available since 1987. Important rule changes for this variant include:
Each player is dealt two decks of 11 cards, referred to as “hand” and “foot.” The hand is picked up normally while the foot remains face down until the hand is exhausted.
A player who melds all cards from the original hand takes the foot as a new hand and continues playing. A player who exhausted the original hand by discarding picks up the foot as a new hand, but doesn’t play from it until the next round.
In each round, players draw two cards from the supply. Each player discards a card each turn.
The number of canastas required to go out are three red (natural or clean, i.e. no wild cards) and four black (mixed or dirty, i.e. with wild cards) canastas. If playing a single game (i.e. no partners), one red canasta and two black canasta are required.
Discarded cards can be picked up with a natural pair, but a player must take the top five cards from the discard pile.
Threes may not be fused; Since the only way to get rid of them is to discard them one at a time, the number of threes in a player’s hand represents a minimum number of moves before a player can potentially run out.
Black threes (in a player’s hand or foot) are worth five points, red threes are worth minus 300 points.
Initial messages [ edit ]
At the start of a game, both teams have an initial meld requirement of 50. The requirement increases in value in subsequent hands.
Hand Minimum starting meld 1st hand 50 2nd hand 90 3rd hand 120 4th hand 150
Rules for going out are: A player must have at least 3 red (no wild cards) and 4 black canastas. A player asks his partner for permission to go out.
The rating[edit]
At the end of each hand, the score for each team is calculated as follows:
The total value of all cards melded by this player/team, including cards in canastas, minus the total value of all cards remaining in the team’s hands, plus any bonuses:
Bonus Points Going Out 100 Any Mixed (Black Dirty) Canasta 300 Any Natural (Red Clean) Canasta 500
Point values are:
Point Values for Cards in Canasta Card Value 4, 5, 6, 7 5 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10 2 (Wild), A 20 Joker (Wild) 50
Various variations for Classic Canasta and other types[ edit ]
The discard pile is locked for canastas. Only non-canasta melds can be used to pick up the discard pile.
The number of wild cards in a meld must always be less than the number of natural cards.
Card points in canastas are counted as well as the canasta score.
Real jokers cannot be discarded and thus cannot be used to block the discard pile
The initial meld must be made before the discard pile can be taken, therefore the points of 2 natural cards plus the top discard do not add to the required score for the initial meld.
There is a special case where any player/team that manages to meld 7 canastas in a hand (natural or mixed) will automatically receive 5000 points and thus win the game.
A number of cards other than 11 may be dealt at the start of the game, with 13 and 15 being common choices. Some groups vary the number of cards drawn inversely with the number of players.
To make taking the discard pile more challenging, require that a natural pair be played on the same turn that the pile is taken.
A hidden canasta occurs when a canasta is reported directly from a player’s hand. Also usually when going out: Going out undercover, which gives an additional bonus of 100 points over the standard bonus of 100 points when going out.
occurs when a canasta is melded directly from a player’s hand. Usually going out too: which gives an additional 100 point bonus over the standard going out bonus of 100 points. One variant allows up to three wild cards to be reported in one meld, regardless of the number of natural cards reported.
When the supply runs out, consider flipping the discard pile and turning it into a new supply to prolong the game.
In popular culture[edit]
The phrase “as dead as Canasta” cites the transience of popular interest in the game in the United States.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield says of his fellow student Ackley: “‘Listen,’ I said, ‘you want to play a little canasta?’ He was a canasta fiend.” [citation required]
In the James Bond novel Goldfinger by Ian Fleming, Bond finds the titular villain Auric Goldfinger betraying Canasta with the help of a Confederate spying on the game from a hotel room balcony and radioing him with information.
David Bowie references this deck in his art rock song “Lady Grinning Soul”: She’ll drive a bug car and knock you down in cool canasta.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) star in some episodes of the classic US sitcom I Love Lucy (1951-1957) such as “Job Switching” et al. [citation required]
See also[edit]
References[ edit ]
Bibliography[edit]
What is the difference between canasta and hand and Foot?
Hand and Foot Canasta
This version is a quad deck game that is played with a hand and a foot, unlike traditional canasta that just has a hand. Hand and Foot is a Canasta variant involving four to seven decks and is played by teams of two players (usually two teams, but it also works with three or four teams).
Hand and Foot
Canasta Origin Uruguay Type Suitable Players 2-4 Required Skills Tactics and Strategy Age Range 11+ Cards 108 Deck French Play Clockwise Card Rank (highest first) Red-3 Joker 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Black-3 Playing Time 60 min Random Medium Similar games Buraco • Biriba
Canasta (Spanish for “basket”) is a card game in the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 rum.[1][2][3][4][5] Although there are many variations for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two partnerships using two standard decks. Players attempt to meld seven cards of the same rank and “go out” by playing all of the cards in their hand. It is “the youngest card game to achieve classic status around the world.”
history [edit]
The game Canasta was created in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1939 by lawyer Segundo Sanchez Santos and his bridge partner, architect Alberto Serrato[7] to design a time-efficient game that was as addictive as bridge.[8] They tried different formulas before inviting Arturo Gomez Hartley and Ricardo Sanguinetti to test their game.[9]
After a positive reception of canasta at their local bridge club, the Jockey Club, the game quickly spread north through South America in myriad variations to Chile, Peru, Brazil and Argentina in the 1940s,[7] where its rules continued to be refined [ 10 ] It was introduced in 1949 by Josefina Artayeta de Viel (New York) in the United States, where it was then referred to as an Argentine rummy game by Ottilie H. Reilly in 1949 and by Michael Scully of Coronet magazine in 1953.[ 11] In 1949/51 the New York Regency Club[12] wrote the Official Canasta Laws, which were published by the National Canasta Laws Commissions of the USA and Argentina together with gaming experts from South America.[13]
Canasta quickly became popular in the United States in the 1950s[14] and many decks, decks and books were produced.[15] Interest in the game began to wane there in the 1960s, but the game still enjoys some popularity today as canasta leagues and clubs still exist in several parts of the United States.
Santos and Serrato never patented the rules of the game and thus never received royalties from the later canasta boom.
Classic Canasta Rules[edit]
Cards and Deal[ edit ]
The classic game is for four players in two partnerships. There are variations for two and three player games, where everyone plays alone, and also for a six player game in two partnerships of three. If partners are chosen, they must sit opposite each other. Canasta typically uses two complete 52-card decks (French deck) with two or three jokers per deck, making a total of 108 or 110 cards (the number of jokers depends on the type of French deck).
Card Features Card Value 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A Natural Melee Cards 2, Joker Wild Melee Cards Red 3 Bonus Points Black 3 Sure Discard (can be melded when going out)
The initial dealer is selected by a standard method, although in Canasta there is no privilege or benefit of being the dealer. The deal then rotates clockwise after each hand. The dealer shuffles the deck, the player to the dealer’s right cuts, and the dealer deals each player an 11-card hand. The remaining cards remain in a pile in the middle of the table. A card is taken from the top of the deck and turned face up to start the discard pile. If that card is a joker or a red three, another card is turned over and placed on top. This goes on until a natural card or black three is revealed.
If a player is dealt red threes, he must immediately place them face up in front of himself and draw an equal number of replacement cards.
play [edit]
The player to the left of the dealer has the first turn, and then play proceeds clockwise. A round begins either by drawing the first card from the supply into the player’s hand, or by picking up the entire discard pile. However, there are restrictions on when you can pick up the discard pile. (See Pick Up Discard Pile below). If the card drawn from the supply is a red three, the player must immediately place it on the table, as if melding, and draw another card.
The player can then make as many legal melds as he likes from the cards in his hand. A round ends when the player places a card from their hand on top of the discard pile. No player may “undo” a meld or a placed card or change their mind after drawing a card from the deck.
Messages and Canastas[ edit ]
Each player/team keeps separate melds of the different rows of cards. A player must never play on an opponent’s meld. A legal meld consists of at least three cards of the same rank, and there is no limit to how large it can become. Suits are irrelevant, except that black threes are treated differently than red threes. Wild cards can be used for any rank except threes. Threes may never be melded in normal play, although three or more black threes may be melded in the last round of a player going out.
A meld must consist of at least two natural cards and can never have more than three jokers. Examples: 5♥ 5♣ 2♥ and 9♥ 9♣ 2♥ 2♣ Jkr are valid melds. 5♥ 2♣ 2♥ is not a valid meld since it contains only one natural card. 9♥ 9♣ 9♦ 2♥ 2♣ 2♦ Jkr is not legal because it contains more than three jokers. A team/player cannot have two separate melds with the same rank. When multiple cards of the same rank are melded, they are automatically merged into the existing meld.
A canasta is a meld of at least seven cards, whether natural or shuffled. A natural canasta is one that consists only of cards of the same rank. A mixed canasta (or dirty canasta) consists of natural and wild cards. Once a canasta is assembled, the cards are squared and one of the natural cards that make it up is placed on top – a red one to indicate a natural canasta, or a black one to indicate a mixed canasta.
Initial messages [ edit ]
Each card has a specific value that determines both the score and the minimum score a player needs before making their first melds:
Point values for minimum card value 4, 5, 6, 7, 5, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10, 2, A 20, Joker 50
During each round, when a team first deals cards, the combined meld’s cards must meet a minimum meld requirement based on the values of each of the cards. At the start of a game, both teams have an initial meld requirement of 50 points. Credit towards the requirement must not include the value of cards that a player could potentially pick up from the discard pile, but must be based only on the cards in their hand and the top card discarded if they pick up the discard pile. If the combined value does not meet the minimum requirement, they cannot play the cards on the table nor pick up the discard pile. After the first hand, the minimum report requirement is based on a team’s score before the hand begins.
Team Score Minimum Initial Entry Negative 15 0-1495 50 1500-2995 90 3000 and up 120
Example: If a player/team has a score of 1,600 and has not yet made any melds in a hand, an initial meld of 7♣ 7♦ 7♥, Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ 2♦ cannot be made since there are only 65 Points scores points and the requirement is 90. A meld of 7♣ 7♦ 7♥, A♣ A♦ A♥ 2♦ would score 95 points and can be played. Note that both opening melds can be played if the team’s total is under 1500, and neither can be played if the team’s total is 3000 or higher. The minimum meld requirement for a team with a negative score is 15. Since all three cards are always worth at least 15 points, this effectively means that any meld is enough to discard the first meld(s). Once a teammate has dealt cards on the table, their partner can meld any cards permitted by law, meaning they don’t have to meet the minimum reporting requirements.
Discard pile[edit]
The discard pile should be kept square so that only the top card is visible. A player cannot look through the discard pile.
At the beginning of his turn, a player may pick up the entire discard pile instead of drawing a card from the supply. They may only pick up the discard pile if they can use the top card, either in an existing meld or by making a new meld along with at least two other cards from their hand (which may include wild cards). Only the top card is relevant for the player/team to pick up the rest of the discard pile. Additionally, if the player/team has not yet melded, they must complete the initial meld requirement by using the top card of the discard pile to pick up the pile. In this case, the top card points are included to satisfy the initial reporting requirement.
Discarding a wild card freezes the stack. The card should be placed at right angles to the deck so that it is still visible to indicate a frozen deck after more cards are discarded. A frozen stack may only be picked (not frozen) if a player can meld the top card with two natural cards of the same rank from the player’s hand.
If there is a joker or a black three on top of the discard pile, it cannot be picked up. Playing a black three does not freeze the stack; It only acts as a stop card, preventing the other player from picking up the stack. The card discarded after a black three allows the stack to be resumed (unless it is a wild card or another black three).
The discard pile is also frozen for a player/team that has not yet called in that hand, although it is not frozen for another player/team that has called in at the same time.
Going out and finishing a hand[edit]
A player may only go out with all the cards in his hand if that player/team has made at least one canasta. The player goes out by melding all of their cards and may discard a single last card if necessary. There is no need to discard a card when going out legally. If the player/team has not yet made canastas, players on that team may not make a play that would leave them with no cards at the end of their turn. If a player can legally go out but has three or more black threes in their hand, these can only be reported at that point. The hand ends immediately if a player goes out. Going out gives a bonus of 100 points.
If a player is considering going out, they can ask their partner for permission to go out. It is not necessary to ask the partner’s permission, but once done, the player must comply with the partner’s response. If the partner refuses permission, the player is not allowed to go out that round. If the partner answers “yes”, the player must go out that round.
If a player melds his entire hand in a round (including at least one canasta) without first melding, he receives an additional 100 points for going blind, equal to 200 points. To earn the bonus, a player must not add cards to their partner’s melds. It may go face down when picking up the discard pile. The corresponding initial message requirement must be satisfied.
A hand can also be ended by exhausting the supply. Play may continue without a supply as long as players are able to take the previous player’s discard and meld it. In such a situation, a player must take the discard if he is able to. Once a player cannot legally take the card, the hand ends. If a player draws a red three as the last card from the stock, this counts towards their score, but the hand ends immediately as there is no replacement card to be drawn. In this case, the player may neither meld nor fold after picking up the red three.
Rating [edit]
At the end of each hand, the score for each team is calculated as follows:
The total value of all cards melded by this player/team, including cards in canastas, minus the total value of all cards remaining in the player/team’s hands, plus any bonuses:
Card value Red 3 100 Black 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 5 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10 2, A 20 Joker 50 bonus points Bonus value For going out 100 For going out extra 100 (200 total for going out) For each mixed canasta 300 for each natural canasta 500 for every four red threes an additional 400 (total 800 for red threes)
If a player/team has collected red threes but has not yet made the first melds when their opponent goes out, then the red threes bonus value counts against them (it is subtracted from the score along with the remaining cards in their team) . Hands). If they collect all four red threes, 800 points will be deducted from their score.
A negative total score is possible. The game ends when a player’s/team’s total score reaches 5000. If both players/teams reach 5000 at the end of the hand, whoever has the higher score wins the game. The margin of victory is the difference in points.
Canasta for two or three players [ edit ]
Canasta can be played with fewer than four players with some variations in the rules. The main changes concern the number of cards dealt at the beginning of the hand and the fact that each person plays individually. In a three player game, each player is dealt 13 cards. In a two-player game, each player is dealt 15 cards, and each player draws two cards and discards one on each of their turns. When each player draws two cards, there is usually the additional requirement that a player must have made two canastas to go out.
The Canasta League of America[edit]
The CLA was formed in 2013 due to the growing popularity of Canasta. Using the rules of Modern American Canasta, the CLA has standardized the rules through its (currently) 9th Edition CLA Standard Rules and Instructions for Playing Modern Canasta. The Canasta League of America reports that it has endorsed Canasta Junction for online games played under the CLA Rules. Annual membership of the CLA is open to everyone. The standard rules book is available on their website.
US Canasta[ edit ]
This version of canasta is particularly popular in the United States and was the official tournament version used by the (possibly defunct) American Canasta Association. American Canasta is found in a few books. A notable exception is Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Card Games, where the author claims to have invented a game he calls International Canasta. Most elements of Modern American Canasta are found in Scarnes International Canasta, although there are some differences.
This may not be the best version for beginners due to its relative complexity and unforgiving scoring rules that give high penalties for many melds that would be acceptable and even good in other versions; “Classic” Canasta or Hand & Foot may serve this purpose better. (On the other hand, these versions can teach habits that become major encumbrances in American canasta). This version is only intended to be played by exactly four players in two two-person partnerships. Important differences between this version and the “classic” version are:
Set up and play[edit]
13 cards are dealt to each player. The discard pile itself begins with an open card from the draw pile.
The draw two card rule does not apply. A canasta is required to go out. Game is up to 5,000.
Second hand. A canasta is required to go out. Game is up to 5,000. The initial reporting requirements are the same – 50 for players with less than 1,500 points, 90 for players with 1,500 or more but less than 3,000, then 180 thereafter. Additionally, reporting a complete canasta is always considered to have met the initial reporting requirements, regardless of the Point values of the cards involved. (There is no other bonus for such a game).
The discard pile is not always frozen. Many groups do not allow taking the stack and making a team’s first meld in the same round; those that allow it require a player to first meld and then take the stack. (The latter was the “official” tournament rule). This can be done based on a pair of natural cards that have already been melded that round, or by producing such a pair from the player’s hand after the initial meld requirement has been met without it.
take the stack. (The latter was the “official” tournament rule). This can be done based on a pair of natural cards that have already been melded that round, or by producing such a pair from the hand of the player who completed the initial meld requirement without it. There are some restrictions on legal discards. Red threes cannot be discarded, nor can wild cards (unless the pack is frozen). When the discard pile is empty, aces and sevens cannot be discarded. However, it is possible (though very unlikely) for a player to have only wild cards, or only aces, sevens, and wild cards with an empty discard pile. In this case, a player may make such a discard (if possible, aces or sevens, wild cards only if there is no other option – definitely not a red three). However, an opponent may challenge the legality of such play, in which case a player must show the opponent their hand to verify that the play was in fact legal.
Red threes can be played at the table as red threes can in “classic” canasta. Unlike other Canasta versions, this is optional. As in other versions, a player who plays a three draws a replacement card.
Merging Rules[edit]
Melds that do not contain sevens or aces work as in “classic” canasta, except that such melds can contain at most two jokers instead of three.
Melding more than seven cards is strictly forbidden, as are duplicate meldings of the same rank by the same team. This has some strategic implications; For example, it is impossible to pick up the stack due to the strength of a pair of (say) jacks in a player’s hand when his team already has a meld of five jacks, naturally or otherwise.
A common exception is to allow melds of 8 or more cards when going out. Experienced players play a wild card on an existing canasta for victory.
Sequences (such as those described below that define Samba) are not legal messages and play no role in normal American Canasta play. The closest thing to a normally legal sequence is one of the special hands, described below.
Sevens melds must not contain wild cards. A canasta of sevens is worth 2,500 points instead of the usual 500. However, if the hand ends without either team completing that canasta, that team loses 2,500 points. Keeping three or more 7s in a player’s hand is almost as bad and carries a 1,500 deduction.
2,500 points. Keeping three or more 7s in a player’s hand is almost as bad and carries a 1,500 deduction. Aces are treated the same as sevens with one exception. If a team’s first meld contains aces, jokers can be added at this point. In this case, the aces are treated like any other combination and not like sevens. Otherwise, aces follow the same rules, including possible penalties, as sevens.
Merges consisting entirely of wild cards are legal, similar to the [clarification needed] Bolivia variant above. A canasta made up of wild cards is worth 3,000 points if it consists entirely of twos, 2,500 points if it contains all four jokers, or 2,000 points for any other combination. However, failing to complete a canasta after such a report is made will incur a penalty of 2,000 points.
Bolivia variant. A canasta made up of wild cards is worth 3,000 points if it consists entirely of twos, 2,500 points if it contains all four jokers, or 2,000 points for any other combination. However, failing to complete a canasta after such a report is made will incur a penalty of 2,000 points. It is legal to report certain specialty hands as a team’s first and only meld. These are exactly 14-card hands that a player can have after drawing their card on the turn. If a team plays a special hand, the game ends immediately; The team only gets the points for the special hand (there are no penalties for the cards in the other partner’s hand). This is also the only time a player is not allowed to discard a card; Also when going out, a player must otherwise have something to discard. There are significant differences in what special hands are allowed and how they are settled. Some of the most commonly accepted special hands include the following (these were legal in the tournament version): Straight – any card of any rank, including a three (the reason a player is allowed to keep threes in his hand), plus a joker. That’s worth 3,000. Pairs – seven pairs containing either no wilds (worth 2,500) or twos, sevens and aces (all three must be present – this combination is worth 2,000). Garbage – Two sets of four of a kind and two sets of three of a kind that contain no jokers or threes. For example, 4♣ 4♠ 4♥ 4♦ 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ 9♣ 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ Jkr Jkr Jkr would be considered a garbage hand. That’s worth 2,000.
as the first and only message from a team. These are exactly 14-card hands that a player can have after drawing their card on the turn. If a team plays a special hand, the game ends immediately; The team only gets the points for the special hand (there are no penalties for the cards in the other partner’s hand). This is also the only time a player is not allowed to discard a card; Also when going out, a player must otherwise have something to discard. There are significant differences in what special hands are allowed and how they are settled. Some of the most commonly accepted specialty hands include the following (these were legal in the tournament version):
Other scoring rules[ edit ]
Another variant of scoring threes is used. The score is 100 for a three of a particular suit, 300 for two, 500 for three, or 1,000 for four; red threes and black threes are counted separately. This is a penalty if the team has no canasta at the end of the hand (and for that purpose, threes in a player’s hand count as if they were on the table), is ignored entirely if a team has exactly one canasta, and a bonus if a team has two or more canastas.
If a team does not have complete canastas at the end of the game, any cards that have been fused will count against that team, in addition to the above penalties that may apply. A team with at least one canasta gets bonus points for these cards as usual.
samba [edit]
Samba is a variant of Canasta played with three decks, including jokers, for a total of 162 cards. 15 cards are dealt to each of four players and an additional card is dealt face up. Two cards are drawn in each round, so the pace is faster than traditional canasta. The game is up to 10,000 points instead of 5,000. Samba allows sequence melds of three or more (eg, 4, 5, and 6 of hearts or queen, king, and ace of spades). If a player is able to form a sequence of sevens (e.g. the 5 through J of diamonds) it is a samba and is worth 1,500 points. Instead of four red threes being worth 800 points, six red threes being worth 1,000 points. Two jokers is the maximum allowed for a meld. The minimum starting enrollment is 150 if a partnership has 7,000 or more.
Other “national” canastas[ edit ]
Bolivian Canasta[ edit ]
Bolivian Canasta is similar to Samba in that it uses three decks and sequence messages.[16] Game is up to 15,000. Wild Card Canastas (Bolivia) count 2,500. A side must have a Samba (called an Escalera in this game) and at least one other Canasta to go out. Red threes count positive only when two or more canastas have been fused. Black threes are minus 100 instead of minus 5 if they stay in the hand.
Brazilian canasta[edit]
Similar to Bolivia but only to 10,000. The minimum requirements for reporting are 150 from 5,000 to 7,000; a canasta from 7,000 to 8,000; 200 from 8,000 to 9,000; and a natural canasta from 9,000 upwards. Wild card canastas count as 2,000. Partnerships receive 1,000 for five red threes and 1,200 for all six. If a side has a run of five cards or fewer, they lose 1,000.
British Canasta[ edit ]
Similar to the original rules, but with the important addition “Acaba” (Spanish for “The End”). A player can say this at any time during their turn and immediately loses the round, giving the opposing player or team 1,500 points and gaining 0 points, ending the very boring phase where one player or team has complete control of the discard pile . When a player plays in teams, he can ask his teammate’s permission to say Acaba, just as he can ask before going out, and he is bound by the answer in the same way.[17] [18]
Chilean canasta[ edit ]
Allows both Sambas and Bolivia. Can be played with either three decks (162 cards) or four decks (216 cards).
Cuban Canasta[ edit ]
A two-deck variant at 7,500. Requires 150 for an initial report if a partnership is over 5,000. The deck is always frozen. Wild card canastas are worth between 2,000 and 4,000; depending on the number of twos. Threes are only scored if canastas are made; They count 100 for one, 300 for two, 500 for three and 1,000 for four. Black threes are removed from play when a discard pile is taken; A partnership that removes all four black threes in this way scores 100 points.
Italian canasta[ edit ]
Italian canasta is a variant of samba. The number of cards in the discard pile at the beginning of the game varies with the first card revealed. The discard pile is always frozen. Deuces may, but a partnership may not play deuces as jokers if deuces have been melded and a canasta is incomplete. Game is up to 15,000
Uruguayan canasta[ edit ]
It is just like the original Canasta in its original version.[19]
Boot Canasta[ edit ]
This variant comes from Slovakia. Since the definition of Canasta rules varied from player to player, there was a strong urge for uniform rules. This, in turn, was satisfied by the creation of Boat Canasta, which is really a mix of other well-known rules, but thoroughly tweaked. Currently, this variant of canasta is steadily gaining popularity mainly in Slovakia, but also in countries like France, Germany and England.
This version is a quad-deck game played with one hand and one foot, as opposed to traditional canasta, which only has one hand. Hand and Foot is a four to seven deck variant of Canasta and is played by teams of two players (usually two teams, but three or four teams work as well). The number of decks used is usually one more than the number of players, although this can vary. Due to the larger pool of cards available, it’s much easier to form canastas in Hand and Foot than in standard canasta, which changes strategy significantly. Some players find this version more comfortable for beginners. The variant was born in the 1970s; commercial decks for playing hand and foot have been available since 1987. Important rule changes for this variant include:
Each player is dealt two decks of 11 cards, referred to as “hand” and “foot.” The hand is picked up normally while the foot remains face down until the hand is exhausted.
A player who melds all cards from the original hand takes the foot as a new hand and continues playing. A player who exhausted the original hand by discarding picks up the foot as a new hand, but doesn’t play from it until the next round.
In each round, players draw two cards from the supply. Each player discards a card each turn.
The number of canastas required to go out are three red (natural or clean, i.e. no wild cards) and four black (mixed or dirty, i.e. with wild cards) canastas. If playing a single game (i.e. no partners), one red canasta and two black canasta are required.
Discarded cards can be picked up with a natural pair, but a player must take the top five cards from the discard pile.
Threes may not be fused; Since the only way to get rid of them is to discard them one at a time, the number of threes in a player’s hand represents a minimum number of moves before a player can potentially run out.
Black threes (in a player’s hand or foot) are worth five points, red threes are worth minus 300 points.
Initial messages [ edit ]
At the start of a game, both teams have an initial meld requirement of 50. The requirement increases in value in subsequent hands.
Hand Minimum starting meld 1st hand 50 2nd hand 90 3rd hand 120 4th hand 150
Rules for going out are: A player must have at least 3 red (no wild cards) and 4 black canastas. A player asks his partner for permission to go out.
The rating[edit]
At the end of each hand, the score for each team is calculated as follows:
The total value of all cards melded by this player/team, including cards in canastas, minus the total value of all cards remaining in the team’s hands, plus any bonuses:
Bonus Points Going Out 100 Any Mixed (Black Dirty) Canasta 300 Any Natural (Red Clean) Canasta 500
Point values are:
Point Values for Cards in Canasta Card Value 4, 5, 6, 7 5 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K 10 2 (Wild), A 20 Joker (Wild) 50
Various variations for Classic Canasta and other types[ edit ]
The discard pile is locked for canastas. Only non-canasta melds can be used to pick up the discard pile.
The number of wild cards in a meld must always be less than the number of natural cards.
Card points in canastas are counted as well as the canasta score.
Real jokers cannot be discarded and thus cannot be used to block the discard pile
The initial meld must be made before the discard pile can be taken, therefore the points of 2 natural cards plus the top discard do not add to the required score for the initial meld.
There is a special case where any player/team that manages to meld 7 canastas in a hand (natural or mixed) will automatically receive 5000 points and thus win the game.
A number of cards other than 11 may be dealt at the start of the game, with 13 and 15 being common choices. Some groups vary the number of cards drawn inversely with the number of players.
To make taking the discard pile more challenging, require that a natural pair be played on the same turn that the pile is taken.
A hidden canasta occurs when a canasta is reported directly from a player’s hand. Also usually when going out: Going out undercover, which gives an additional bonus of 100 points over the standard bonus of 100 points when going out.
occurs when a canasta is melded directly from a player’s hand. Usually going out too: which gives an additional 100 point bonus over the standard going out bonus of 100 points. One variant allows up to three wild cards to be reported in one meld, regardless of the number of natural cards reported.
When the supply runs out, consider flipping the discard pile and turning it into a new supply to prolong the game.
In popular culture[edit]
The phrase “as dead as Canasta” cites the transience of popular interest in the game in the United States.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield says of his fellow student Ackley: “‘Listen,’ I said, ‘you want to play a little canasta?’ He was a canasta fiend.” [citation required]
In the James Bond novel Goldfinger by Ian Fleming, Bond finds the titular villain Auric Goldfinger betraying Canasta with the help of a Confederate spying on the game from a hotel room balcony and radioing him with information.
David Bowie references this deck in his art rock song “Lady Grinning Soul”: She’ll drive a bug car and knock you down in cool canasta.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) star in some episodes of the classic US sitcom I Love Lucy (1951-1957) such as “Job Switching” et al. [citation required]
See also[edit]
References[ edit ]
Bibliography[edit]
How do you play hand and Foot card game online?
Players start with a 13-card hand along with a face-down 13-card “foot” that is only used once the hand is emptied. Points are distributed on a per-team-basis, so players must work together to build valuable melds and try to block their opponents from picking up cards they need.
Hand and Foot
Check out our Rummy infographic
Before the first turn, each player must place all of the red threes they hold face-up on their meld square, and then draw an equal number of cards from the supply. These are not counted as melds, but do affect the score at the end of a hand.
Each round, players begin by either drawing the top two cards from the deck or taking the top seven cards from the discard pile.
If a player chooses to take the discarded cards, he must meet these requirements: The top card of the discard pile cannot be a black three. Two cards in that player’s hand must be of the same rank as the top card in the discard pile. The player must be able to immediately merge these two cards with the third in the deck.
When drawing from the supply or meeting the above discard requirements, players can create or add melds in their team’s space. When a player empties their hand by melding, they immediately take their foot and continue creating/adding melds.
Melds are sets of three to seven cards of the same rank (suit doesn’t matter). Before playing the first meld of a round, teams must meet the minimum score: Round 1: 50 points
Round 2: 90 points
Round 3: 120 points
Round 4: 150 points
Cards are valued according to the following point values: Joker: 50 points each
Aces and 2: 20 points each
8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King: 10 points each
4, 5, 6, 7: 5 points each
Black 3: 5 points each
Twos and jokers are wild. They can be used to represent any card in a meld provided the meld has at least twice as many non-wild cards as wild cards. (In practice, this means that only six or seven card melds can have two jokers.) A meld can also consist entirely of wild cards.
When a meld reaches its maximum of seven cards, place it in the Completed melds container. These are called stakes. If the stack is clean, make sure there is a red card on top. If it’s dirty, show a black card, and if it’s wild, show a two or a joker. Clean message: all cards of the same rank without wilds.
Dirty Meld: A meld involving one or two joker cards.
Wild meld: A meld consisting only of wild cards.
How many cards are dealt in hand and Foot?
Deal the Hand and Foot decks, 11 cards in each.
With the pile of 22 cards that each player now has, they should deal them face-down into 2 piles of 11 cards. Still face-down, the player should then assign 1 of the decks as a ‘Hand’ deck and the other their ‘Foot’ deck.
Hand and Foot
X
Hand and Foot is a fun card game where players try to get rid of all their cards first and get the most points in 4 rounds. To play Hand and Foot you need 5 standard decks of cards with the jokers included. Shuffle all the cards together and deal 11 cards to each player. These cards are called a “hand” and players should pick them up and look at them. Deal each player a second set of 11 cards. These cards are called “foot” and players must keep them face down until they have played all of the cards in their hand. Place the remaining cards in the center of the play area to form the stock pile. Turn the top card on the deck face up – if it’s a red 3, 2 or a joker, put it back in the deck and draw another card. The player to the left of the dealer begins. Players first try to get rid of all the cards in their hand and foot, and they do this by playing them in melds. Melds are any 3-7 cards of the same rank. Joker and 2’s are wild. When a player plays a meld, they also score points by adding up the point value for each card in the meld. Threes through 7s are worth 5 points, 8s through kings are worth 10 points, aces and 2s are worth 20 points, and jokers are worth 50 points. In each round of the game there is a minimum score that a meld must meet in order to be played on the table: 50 points in round 1, 90 points in round 2, 120 points in round 3 and 150 points in round 4 for example a player in Round 1 does not play a meld on the table unless the cards in that meld add up to at least 50 points. Melds containing only natural (non-wild) cards are called “clean” melds, and melds containing a mixture of natural and wild cards are called “dirty” melds. At the start of a turn, a player draws 2 cards from the supply pile. Then they can play any meld in their hand on the table, or they can play against another meld that has already been played. Each meld on the table is open to all players until it reaches 7 cards, at which point it becomes a “closed pile” and can no longer be played. Players get points for closing an alert. A closed, clean report, referred to as a “red book,” is worth 500 points. A closed dirty report, a so-called “black book”, is worth 300 points. Once a player has played all the cards in their hand, they pick up their foot and use those cards to move forward. Play continues clockwise around the table until one player runs out of cards first and the round ends. Everyone counts their points for that round, then the next round begins. Whoever has the highest number of points after 4 rounds wins the game! Read on to learn how to score in hand and foot!
How To Play Hand and Foot
See some more details on the topic hand knee foot score sheet here:
Hand, Knee, & Foot Score Sheet – 4 players (2 teams of 2)
Total for Hand. Total for Previous Hand. Total. WH. Hand, Knee, & Foot Score Sheet. WE. Hand 1. THEY. &. 4 players (2 teams of 2)-6 decks. Knee 13 cards.
Source: www.mcvstoneridge.com
Date Published: 8/17/2022
View: 101
Hand, knee and foot scoresheet – Our Wander Years
Trying something I have never tried before – attaching a PDF. This is the scoresheet we use for playing Hand, Knee and Foot.
Source: www.ourwanderyears.com
Date Published: 12/19/2021
View: 3042
Hand, Knee, and Foot Game Rules and Scoring – Ultimate Guide
The object of the card game is to earn more points than the other teams (of opposing players) within four hands. You can score points by …
Source: www.groupersgame.com
Date Published: 7/6/2022
View: 7449
HAND AND FOOT Score Sheet – NET
GOCC – HAND AND FOOT Score Sheet. Wild: Jokers & 2s. Players Names: Perfect Cut – 100 pts. Going Out – 300 pts. Clean Books – 500 ea X ___ =.
Source: devlegalsimpli.blob.core.windows.net
Date Published: 5/13/2021
View: 8122
SCORE SHEET
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Hand and Foot
hand and foot
Canasta gear from amazon.com.
Bicycle Canasta Playing Cards
Piatnik Canasta Cards Two or more sets of 108-card canasta
Cards are needed for hand and
Foot games that require larger decks.
A range of card slots is also available.
introduction
Hand and Foot is a North American game related to Canasta in which each player is dealt two decks of cards – the hand that is played first and foot, which is played when the hand is depleted. There are numerous variations of this game and no standard rules. The most common version is for four players in partnership and this is described first; these rules were contributed by Bill Whitnack. A number of variations are then given – I would like to thank Barbara Bain, Dave Petrie, Brian Brouillette and Steve Simpson for providing information on these.
Although most people say hand and foot is best played by four people in partnerships, it can also be played by six people in two teams of three, or by any number of people playing as individuals.
Partnership hand and foot for four players
(based on a post by Bill Whitnack)
Player, Cards, Deal
The partners sit opposite each other. Five decks of cards are used, including two jokers per deck (270 cards total).
Choose which partnership will be treated first. After the cards have been thoroughly shuffled, one partner takes a portion of the deck, deals four face-down decks of 13 cards, and passes them clockwise around the table until each player has a deck – the hand. Meanwhile, the dealer’s partner takes another part of the deck and deals another four piles of 13 cards each, also passing them clockwise until each player has a second pile – the foot.
The remainder of the undealt cards are placed in a face-down pile in the center of the table to form a stock. The top card of the deck is revealed and placed next to it to start a discard pile. If this is a red three or a joker card (two or joker), it is buried in the supply and a new card is revealed.
Players’ “foot” piles are placed face down around the supply and discard piles – players are not allowed to look at them until they have played all of the cards in their hands. Each player picks up their “hand” stack and play begins with the player to the left of whoever dealt the hands.
After the end of the game, the round goes to the left for dealing. A complete game consists of four deals.
The aim of the game: reports
The goal is to get rid of cards from your hand and then your foot by merging them. A meld is a set of three to seven ranked cards dealt face up on the table. A meld cannot have fewer than three cards or more than seven. Entries belong to a partnership, not an individual player. After a meld of three or more cards has begun, each player in the partnership may add more cards, up to a total of seven. You can meld cards of any rank from A, K, Q, … down to 4. Threes have special uses and cannot be reported in the normal way. Twos and jokers are “wild cards” and can be used as substitutes in melds as long as there are at least twice as many real cards of the meld’s value as wild cards. A meld of 3, 4 or 5 cards can contain at most one wild card and a meld of 6 or 7 can contain at most two. You can also make a meld consisting entirely of wild cards – twos and jokers. In fact, you must make such a report in order to go out and win the deal. There are three types of notifications:
A clean meld has no jokers
has no wild cards a dirty meld has one or two wild cards (but no more than one unless there are at least 6 cards in the meld)
has one or two jokers (but no more than one unless there are at least 6 cards in the meld), a wild meld consists entirely of wild cards.
A meld of seven cards is complete and is called a deck. As melds are fanned out, complete stacks are squared and the cards placed on top indicate the type – a red card for a clean stack, a black card for a dirty stack, and a joker for a wild stack (or a two). if it does not contain a joker). Normally, the full seven-card decks are kept in front of one member of a partnership (along with red threes), while the other partner keeps the incomplete three- to six-card melds.
You gain points for cards you meld and lose points for any cards remaining in your hand at the end of the game. The game ends when someone gets rid of all the cards in their “hand” and “foot” by melding or discarding them; This is referred to as “going out”. To be allowed to go out, you must meet all of the following conditions:
Your partnership must have completed at least two dirty decks, two clean decks, and one wild deck (each exactly seven cards); Your partner must have picked up their “foot” and played at least part of a round from it; You must get the partner’s permission to go out. If partner agrees, you must meld all your remaining cards, or meld all but one of your remaining cards and discard your last card. If the partner says no, you are not allowed to go out that round.
See also the end of the piece section.
card values
Individual cards have the following values. They count for you if you’ve reported them, but against you if they remain in your hand or foot at the end of the game:
Joker ………. 50 points each Twos & Aces ………. 20 points each Eight to King ………. 10 points each Four to Seven . ……… 5 points each Black Threes ………. 5 points each
bonus points
There are also the following bonus points. Both teams score points for any complete decks they have formed, in addition to points for the cards within the deck. Only the team that goes out gets the going out bonus, of course. The red threes score plus 100 points when placed face up on the table with your melds, but minus 100 points when they are not (e.g. it is scored minus 100 points).
Each complete “clean” 7-card deck ………. 500 points each complete “dirty” 7-card deck ………. 300 points each complete “wild” 7-card deck Cards Cards ………. 1500 points For going out ………. 100 points Any red three ………. 100 points
Minimum Requirements for Initial Reporting
Each deal has a minimum requirement for the total value of the cards that make up the first meld made by each partnership.
Round 1 ………. 50 points Round 2 ………. 90 points Round 3 ………. 120 points Round 4 …… …. 150 points
Red threes do not count towards this minimum; Also, the bonus for a deck of seven doesn’t apply, so for example, seven sixes only count for 35 points and aren’t enough for an initial meld.
The game
The player to the left of the person who dealt the “hands” then starts the game, and the game round goes clockwise around the table until someone runs out. Immediately prior to their first turn, each player must place all red threes they hold face up on the table and draw an equal number of cards from the supply pile to replace them. Then they proceed to draw cards for their first turn. A round usually consists of:
take the top two cards from stock; optionally report some cards or add them to your partnership’s reports; Discarding a card to the top of the discard pile.
If you draw a red three from stock, you should immediately place it face up on the table with your melds and draw a new card from stock to replace it.
Instead of drawing two cards from the deck, you can take the top seven cards from the discard pile. If the deck contains fewer than seven cards, you may take the entire deck, but you may never take more than seven cards from the deck at once. To pick up from the discard pile, you must meet all of the following conditions:
the top card of the discard pile cannot be a three; You must hold two cards of the same rank as this top card; You must immediately meld those three cards (the two you hold and the top one you discard), possibly along with other cards you hold.
After picking from the discard pile and melding, end your turn by discarding a card as usual.
If your side hasn’t already melded (discarding red threes doesn’t count as a meld), when you first meld you must discard cards whose individual values add up to at least the minimum meld requirement. You can file multiple notifications at once to achieve this if you wish. When you pick the deck, you can meld extra cards from your hand along with the top discard and the two that match to reach your minimum count, and some of those extra cards could be wild. However, you cannot count any of the other 6 cards you pick up from the discard pile towards this minimum.
Example: It is the first round (at least 50 points). The player on your right discards a nine, and in your hand you hold two nines and a two. You can use your two nines to take the top 7 cards of the discard pile and make a dirty meld of three nines and a two for 50 points. You wouldn’t be allowed to do this if the two were buried in the discard pile instead of holding them in your hand.
A meld cannot contain more than seven cards, and a partnership cannot have two incomplete melds of the same rank, but completing a deck allows you to start another meld of the same rank. So if you have an incomplete meld of five or six cards on the table, you cannot discard a card of that rank unless you have enough cards of that rank to complete the first seven-card deck and make a new meld with three cards of the same rank. These cards must all be in your possession and the top card of the deck – again, you may not use any other cards you draw from the discard pile to meet the requirement.
Example: The top card of the discard pile is an eight, and there is another eight buried three cards deep. You have two eights and a two in your hand and a meld of five eights on the table. You are not allowed to pick up from the discard pile because once your deck of eight is complete, you only have two cards left to begin your new eight’s meld (the down eight cannot be picked until you have made a legal meld). . If you have three eights and a two in your hand, you can use the top eight from the discard pile and one of your eights to complete your stack of eights and start a new meld with two eights and a two. You could then pick up the next 6 cards from the discard pile and add the buried eight to your new meld as well.
Discarding a black three blocks the next player from picking up from the discard pile.
You can discard a wild card (although this is uncommon in practice). In this case, the next player could only pick up the stack with two matching wild cards (two deuces to cancel a deuce, or two jokers to cancel a joker).
When you get rid of all the cards in your “hand,” pick up your “foot” and play from there. There are two slightly different ways this can be done. If you manage to meld all the cards from your “hand”, you can immediately pick up your “foot” and continue your turn, discarding one card from it at the end. Alternatively, if you meld all but one card from your “hand” and then discard that last card, you can pick up your “foot” and start doing it at the start of your next turn.
The red and black threesome
Red and black threes cannot be used in melds.
Red threes count for players when they are placed on the table with their melds, and against when not. Whenever you discover that you have a red three in your hand, you should immediately place it face up on the table with your melds and draw a replacement card from the supply. This can happen because you find it in your hand, or pick it up with your foot, or draw it from the supply. If your opponents “run out” before you’ve picked up your “foot” cards, any red threes in your “foot” will count against you, along with all other cards in it.
Black threes have no use other than preventing the next player from picking them up from the discard pile when you discard them. Any black three left over at the end counts 5 points against you. There is no other way to get rid of them than to put them one by one on the discard pile.
end of the piece
The game ends when either
A player goes out after asking for permission and obtaining it by melding all of his remaining foot cards, or by melding all but one card and discarding the last card, or
when the supply is exhausted and a player wants to draw from it.
As previously explained, you cannot step out until your team has completed the required stacks (two dirty, two clean, and one wild) and your partner has picked up their foot and played at least part of a round of it. If you have not met these conditions, or if you have met them but your partner refuses to go out, you must not leave without cards. This means that when playing from your foot, you must keep at least two cards in hand after meld – one to discard and at least one to keep in hand for play to continue.
If the supply is exhausted, the game ends as soon as someone wants to draw from the supply and there are not enough cards there. Both sides score for the melds laid down, minus the points for the cards remaining in their hands and feet, and neither gets the bonus for going out. It may be possible to continue for a few rounds without a stick as long as each player is able and willing to take the previous player’s discard and meld, but as soon as someone wants to hit and can’t, the hand is over.
Tactics tips
(Contributed by Bill Whitnack)
As with most card games, what works best is learned from experience; Different players use different types of strategies. It’s important to monitor your partner’s discards and reports, and to cooperate with what your partner is trying to do. If you get in the foot before your partner, you should avoid completing melds as this can make it difficult for your partner to get in his/her foot. There are two exceptions to this:
If the opponent has very few cards left, it may be wise to complete as many melds as possible to collect the bonuses for them when the opponent “runs out”; It is generally worthwhile to complete the “joker” stack as quickly as possible because of the high point value.
If possible, and if the cards are working for you, try melding with a higher “card count” (e.g., aces).
Try to have a few pairs in your hand of the ranks that you think your opponent might discard so you might be able to pick them up from the discard pile. This is especially useful while waiting for your partner to step into his/her foot. Often, however, you cannot take the discard pile because you are blocked by a black three discarded by your right opponent.
Try not to “burn” more wilds than you have to (by making dirty melds) unless you have a good grip on the wild meld or you need to dirty a meld to get in your foot. It’s a good idea to only pick up one joker at a time for this purpose and hope to collect a few more jokers in your foot. Wild cards are often the key to completing melds and “going out”, although sometimes you find yourself having too many of them.
variations
Wild card or red three has appeared
If the card revealed at the beginning of the discard pile happens to be a joker or a red three, it may be left lying by agreement, where it can be drawn along with the cards placed upon it by the first player to take the discard pile.
Other player numbers
Any number of people between two and six can play, using one more deck of cards than there are players. Four or six can play as partners; if there are two, three or five, everyone must play for themselves. The game for four players in partnerships is said to be best.
Saskatchewan hand and foot
This variant was contributed by Dave Petrie.
The main differences from the version described above are as follows:
Each player is dealt 11 cards in hand and 13 in foot.
Complete melds of seven cards are called canastas.
In melds (other than wild melds), you must have more normal cards than wild cards—that is, there can be up to three wild cards in a dirty canasta, and up to two wild cards in a five- or six-card dirty meld.
Entries are not limited to seven cards; You can add other cards of the same rank to a canasta.
The initial meld requirements are as above, except that on the fourth turn you need a hidden canasta (i.e. a full meld of seven cards collected in your hand without using the discard pile).
When you pick up the discard pile, you take the whole, not just the top seven cards.
To “go out” you need at least one clean canasta, one dirty canasta, and one wild canasta.
This version has a lot in common with Pennies from Heaven and has therefore been moved to this page.
Steve Simpson’s hand and foot rules
This is a no partner version of Hand and Foot and was the first form of the game to be featured on this site. The rules below are more or less a copy of Steve Simpson’s Hand and Foot page, last seen at http://people.ne.mediaone.net/ssimpson/handfoot.html – here is an archive copy. Steve Simpson reports that he learned this version from Rob Groz.
player
Two or more players playing individually.
cards
Normal playing cards including Joker. One deck more than the number of players playing – i.e. three decks of cards for two players, five decks for four players, etc.
The shuffle
All cards are shuffled and placed in TWO piles in the center of the table. A gap is placed between the two piles for the discard pile.
The deal
Each player deals his own cards. Each player picks a small deck of about 22 cards from one of the two decks. Each player then deals their cards in front of themselves into two piles of eleven cards each. If the player picks up exactly 22 cards on the first try, they get 100 bonus points added to their score. If he has fewer than 22 cards, he takes more from either main deck as needed. If he has more than 22 cards, the extra cards are returned to the main decks.
Each player now has two decks of cards in front of them. The left stack is the player’s hand and the player picks up that stack. The deck on the right is passed to the player on their right. This stack becomes the other player’s foot. The foot stacks remain face down until later in the game.
game object
The aim of the game is to get the most points. The game has four rounds and in each round each player tries to get rid of all their cards while putting as many points on the table as possible.
points for cards
Red Threes 500 points (These always count against you – read on.) Joker 50 points Twos and Aces 20 points Eight through King 10 points Four through Seven 5 points Black Threes 5 points
other points
Collect 22 100 points Going out 100 points Each Clean stack 300 points Each Dirty stack 100 points
The cards
Jokers and twos are jokers. In the game, you make “sets” of cards consisting of three or more of the same cards – three kings, five eights, etc. The suit doesn’t matter. You cannot form a set of wilds or deuces – these can only be used as wilds. You cannot make a set of threes, regardless of suit. Cards “below” on the table count for you and are added to your score. Cards remaining in your hand or foot count against you and are deducted from your score.
Since you cannot make sets of threes, a three can only count against you. Discard red threes immediately.
Minimum score to “discard” for each round
Each round you must have a number of points when you first “put” points on the table. Once a player reaches the minimum score, the player has no minimum for the rest of the round.
Round 1 50 points Round 2 90 points Round 3 120 points Round 4 150 points
pick up and drop off
When each player takes their turn, they pick up cards, optionally place cards on the table for points, and then discard them. Each turn, a player picks up TWO cards from the main decks. He can take both cards from the same deck or one card from each deck. He plays his turn and then discards a card. Instead of picking up two cards, a player may pick up the top card on the discard pile, but must pick up the TOP SEVEN cards on the discard pile. Only then may the player pick up from the discard pile
there are at least seven cards in the discard pile, the player has at least two other cards of the same type IN HIS HAND, and the player must place the top card and the other two cards in his hand on the table for points.
Wild cards do not count towards the two cards in his hand. You can’t take a top discard of twos, threes, or jokers because you can’t make a “set” out of these cards. Keep in mind that if this is the player’s first time “laying” cards for that round, they must have a minimum to lay down the first time.
picking up the foot
When a player gets rid of all of their hand cards, they pick up their foot and play from there. If someone “runs out” before a player gets in their foot, all points in their foot count against them (including any dreaded red threes). There are two ways to “get in the foot”. One is to discard all your cards except one discard card (which you discard). Your turn ends, you have no cards, you pick up your foot. You can use your foot on your next move. The other way to follow in your footsteps is to completely use up all the cards in your hand (by placing them on the table as points). If you can discard all your cards without discarding them, you can immediately stand up on foot and use the cards in the same turn.
Clean and dirty heaps
During the game you try to get stacks of seven or more of the same card. When a deck has seven or more cards and there are no jokers in the deck, the deck is called a clean deck. When there are seven or more cards in the deck and there are jokers in the deck, the deck is called a dirty deck. Once a deck reaches seven cards, they are pulled together into a neat deck and either a red or black card from the deck is moved to the top of the deck. A red card on top indicates the stack is a clean stack. A black card above indicates a dirty pile. A clean stack is worth 300 points and a dirty stack is worth 100 points. These points are in addition to the points of the cards themselves (each king is worth 10 points, for example).
Wild card limits
In each deck you must have at least one more normal card than jokers. For example, if you have three fives, you can add up to two jokers to the set. You cannot add a third wild card until four fives are down. Note that each placeholder in a sentence messes up the entire sentence. You cannot have more than one set of the same card. For example, you cannot have a stack of two fives and a joker and then start a new stack of fives.
Go out
To “go out” you must get rid of all the cards in your hand and foot and have at least one clean and one dirty deck. You must also have a discard card. You can have as many clean and dirty stacks as you want, but you must have at least one of each to “run out”. Players get points for clean and dirty stacks even if they are not the player who goes out. Once a player “runs out”, play ends for that round. The points on the table add up to your score. Points in your hand or foot are counted against you and subtracted from your score.
Rules of Hand and Foot by Brian Brouillette
These variations on Steve Simpson’s version above were contributed by Brian Brouillette.
There are two versions of bonus points in this game. In the lower scoring version, the bonus points are as per Steve Simpson’s rules above. In the higher scoring version of the game, a clean (aka “natural”) meld scores 500 points, while a dirty (aka “unnatural”) meld scores 300 points. This gives a player caught with one or more red threes during a round a chance to recover (since red threes are always worth minus 500 points each).
In round four, a player must have two clean melds and two dirty melds to go out.
When you go out you can, if you wish, announce all your cards; You are under no obligation to end by discarding a card.
When a wild card is discarded, the discard pile is “frozen” and removed from the face of the table. These cards can be thoroughly shuffled and placed on the bottom of the draw piles when more cards are needed to complete a round.
Black threes can be used to create a clean meld that scores only 300 points in the higher-scoring version of the game, or 100 points in the lower-scoring version of the game (minus five points for each card in the meld, since black Threes always count as minus five points each, even if announced). No wildcards may be used when creating a triple message! The discard pile may not be picked up with a pair of black threes!
partner version
This form of hand and foot can also be played as a partner game. The rules are exactly the same as in the basic version, except that players work in pairs and face each other. One partner is chosen to keep all the partial reports in progress that are placed on the table, while the other partner takes care of the completed reports. As soon as one partner has filed, the other partner’s minimum is immediately fulfilled, since only one set of entries is being set up per partnership. As with most partnership games, there can be no “talk across the table” to discuss the cards in play or strategy. The only game-related discussion allowed is that if a person wants to go out, that person must ask their partner, “Can I go out?” If the partner says “No”, the game continues. To be eliminated in rounds one through three, you must have two clean melds and two dirty melds. To advance to the fourth round, a partnership must have four clean melds and four dirty melds.
Other hand and foot versions and sides
For Roger DeMeritt’s rules, see this archival copy of his hands and feet page. He also collected numerous variations with the goal of creating an improved unified set of rules for the game that could be adopted by players anywhere.
A variant for 5 to 7 players is described on the New Canasta page.
Here is an archival copy of Bill Whitnack’s hands and feet page.
Here are Gary Grady’s California Rules for Hand and Foot (Microsoft Word document).
See the Hand and Foot page of Randy Rasa’s Rummy-Games.com site for a further description.
Hand and foot software and online games
Larry Whitish’s Hand and Foot shareware program is available from SAC Products.
The Hand & Foot Online site provides an online hand and foot server for Windows and Macintosh users.
You can use Len Palmeri’s app to play hand and foot online against human opponents using a web browser.
At Conecta Games you can play hand and foot online against human opponents.
You can play Bill’s hand and foot game online at northwestpages.com – no download required.
Walter Carl’s Hand & Foot Friends & Family Edition lets you play hand and foot online against human or computer opponents.
Hand and Foot can be played online at Tabletopia.
Special hand and foot cards
Hand ‘n Foot, manufactured by JD Ventures, can be ordered from the HANDnFOOTgame.com website. This deck has 262 cards: the 4 through King of a normal deck are replaced by cards numbered 1 through 12 (16 each), there are 20 Lords, which are equivalent to Aces, 20 Fools, which are equivalent to Deuces but are worth 25 points instead are 20, 10 jokers, 10 baddies (black threes) and 10 queens, roughly equivalent to red threes, but they can be discarded to block the next player or placed on an empty pile for a bonus.
Hand and Foot Remastered gives you special cards that are suitable for all versions of Hand and Foot. The cards are unsuited but are marked with their point values and contain red and black threes and special jokers instead of twos and jokers. The decks have different colored backs to make it easier to adapt to different numbers of players, and score blocks for up to 8 players are included. A large print edition is also available.
Hand and Foot
The package
Hand and Foot uses five to six decks of cards with jokers.
subject matter of the game
Be the first to get rid of all your cards, first “hand” and then “foot”.
Card Values/Scoring
Joker (Joker) – 50 points
Deuces (wild cards) – 20 points
Aces – 20 points
Eights to Kings – 10 points
Threes through sevens – 5 points
Round
A game consists of four rounds. Each round has a minimum report requirement that increases with each round.
You must discard cards whose individual denominations add up to at least the minimum requirement before your team is “in play”. To do this, you can file several messages at the same time. When you pick the stack, you can meld additional cards from your hand along with the top discard and the two matching cards to help you reach the minimum count, including wild cards. However, you cannot count any of the other six cards you pick up towards the minimum.
Round 1, card points must total at least 50 to start the game
Round 2, card points total must be at least 90 to start game
Round 3, card points must total at least 120 to start the game
Round 4, card points must be at least 150 to start the game
The deal
Shuffle the decks of cards thoroughly. Each player receives 11 cards. This first set of 11 cards is called the “hand”. The “hand” can be picked up and examined by any player.
Each player is then dealt a second set of 11 cards. This second set of dealt cards is called “Foot” which is played when the “Hand” is exhausted and is kept face down.
Now each player has two sets of cards, one set that he saw and another set that is kept face down.
The rest of the cards are kept in the middle of the table and are called the “stock”.
The top card of the supply pile is revealed as a discard pile. If it’s a red three, two, or joker, that card is returned to the deck and another top card is drawn.
The game
The goal is to get rid of all cards from your “hand” and then “foot” by reporting them. A meld is a set of 3-7 cards of the same rank that are dealt face up. It cannot have less than three cards or more than seven cards. A report belongs to the team and not to an individual player. After a meld of three or more cards begins, more cards can be added until there are seven cards in the deck. It then becomes a “Closed Pile” or “Book”. Twos and jokers can be used in melds with at least four natural cards, but not the red and black threes.
Types of Messages
‘Clean’ or natural meld – Seven true cards of the same rank (‘Red’ book).
‘Dirty’ or Wild Meld – At least four cards of the same rank and at least one wild card. Example: 5 nines and two wild cards (‘Black’ book).
The melds should not consist of all wild cards. When a book is finished, it is marked as red (clean) or black (dirty). Black must have a wild card to show it is a dirty meld.
Red Book – All natural cards, no wild cards (500 points).
Black Books – At least 4 natural cards and wild cards (300 points).
Each player picks up their “hand” and play begins with the player to the left of the dealer. The player should draw two cards from the supply each turn and then discard one card each turn. If a red three is drawn, it is immediately laid down and replaced with a new card from the deck.
The player also has the option to pick up the pile, meaning they can take the top seven cards from the discard pile. However, make sure that the top of the discard pile is not a black three. The player must hold two cards of the same rank as the top card. These three cards (the two he is holding and the top discard) must be dealt immediately, possibly along with the other cards he is holding. Also keep in mind that the player’s team must be melded by then, or he will meld while picking up the stack.
Only the top card of the discard pile can be used for the points required for the meld: the 6 other cards cannot be used for the points required for the meld.
To meld, all cards played must match the number of points required for that round. Wild cards have bonus points.
If the player wants to pick up the stack, he must meld the top card of the stack. As you make more melds, the number of cards in the “hand” decreases and you eventually move on to the “foot”. You must announce that you are playing your “foot” and then continue playing. If you happen to lay down all but one of the other cards, you can discard them. This marks the end of your turn.
When the “book” of seven is complete, the player must lay them down in a single pile, with the top card being a red for “clean” and a black for “dirty.”
To ‘go out’ the player must get a clean and dirty and get rid of the cards completely. Players must discard the last card and not “just run out of cards”.
How to keep points
When a player goes out, it marks the end of the round. The players are then supposed to calculate their scores and first record the “entry count”. The players then calculate their second score, which is calculated from the value of each card played. If a card remains in the player’s hand, it is counted against the score for that round.
The person or team with the highest score wins.
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