| The Rules |
| The game is played with two (or more) standard decks of playing cards, including the Jokers. Two decks should be used for 2 player and 4 player games. When playing with three teams of two, or even more players, more decks of cards are advisable. You can play with as many decks as you desire, but bear in mind that playing a four player game with three decks, makes the game considerably easier, and much less challenging. This is fine if you want games to end in two hands (or less), but I caution against it. |
| A dealer is chosen at random, and he deals 11 cards to each player. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the table and are called 'the deck'. The top card of the deck is placed face up beside the deck, and is the start of the "discard pile". Players in turn draw cards from the deck at the start of their turn, and conclude their turn by placing one of their cards on top of the discard pile. Play continues around the board until the end of the hand. |
| Play |
| A player begins their turn by drawing one (or two) cards from the deck. Before starting the game, the players choose to either 'draw 1' or 'draw 2'. After drawing a card(s), the player completes any melds (see below), then ends their turn by placing one of their own cards on top of the discard pile. Alternately, the player may begin their turn by picking up the discard (under special conditions) rather than drawing a card(s) from the deck. |
| To score points, a player (or team) must make melds. A meld is done by placing three or more cards of the same rank face up on the table (For example, four aces, three Kings, or five Jacks). Players try to collect 7 cards of the same rank to form a "Canasta", worth bonus points. Wildcards (deuces, and jokers) may be used to add up to seven, however you cannot use more wildcards, than natural cards, and a "canasta" formed using a wildcard is worth less than a canasta made without them. For example, you cannot place four wildcards on three sixes to make seven total. You can place three wilds, on four sixes to make seven. The object of the game is to be the first player (or team) to reach 5000 points. Point values are as follows: Jokers (a.k.a. big wilds) 50 points Deuces and Aces 20 points K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 10 points 7, 6, 5, 4 5 points Black 3 5 points Red 3 100 points ea. or 800 for all four Blank Canasta (wildcard used) 300 pt. Bonus Red Canasta (all natural) 500 pt. Bonus Going Out 100 pt. Bonus |
| Three's are special. Assuming you are playing with two decks, there are four red threes and four black threes. A black three cannot be used to 'pick up' the discard pile, and you cannot meld black threes like normal cards. To meld black threes you must have at least 3 of the 4, and you must meld them at the same time you 'go out'. Red 3's are prized cards. If you draw a red 3, you must place it face up immediately and draw another card from the deck to replace it. Each red 3 is worth 100 points, but if you manage to collect all four, you get 800 points instead of 400. |