Canasta

How to play Canasta

1. 1Two decks plus four jokers. Four players play as partners sitting across from each other (eleven cards each); two players get fifteen and three players thirteen, each for themselves.
2. 2Jokers and 2s are wild. Red 3s are bonus cards: they go straight down in front of you and you draw a replacement. Black 3s can't be melded; discarding one stops the next player taking the pile.
3. 3On your turn, draw one card from the stock (two players draw two), or take the whole discard pile, then meld if you like, and discard one card.
4. 4Melds are three or more cards of one rank (no runs), with at least two natural cards and never more than three wilds. Partners share their melds. Seven or more cards make a canasta.
5. 5Your side's first meld must add up to at least 50 points (15 if your score is negative, 90 from 1,500, 120 from 3,000). Card values: jokers 50, aces and 2s 20, kings to 8s 10, 7s to 4s and black 3s 5.
6. 6To take the pile you must meld its top card at once. You need two natural cards of that rank from your hand when the pile is frozen: before your side's first meld, or while it holds a wild card. Otherwise a matching meld your side has laid down, or one natural plus a wild, will do. The top card can't be a wild or a 3.
7. 7You may go out (meld or discard your last card) only once your side has a canasta. That ends the deal; the stock running out ends it too.
8. 8Scoring: every melded card's value, 500 for each natural canasta and 300 for a mixed one, 100 for each red 3 (800 for all four, but they count against you if your side never melded), 100 for going out (200 if all at once with nothing melded before), minus the cards left in hand. The first side to 5,000 wins.

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