CANASTA — Rummy card game rules
Canasta
Originated in Uruguay in the 1940's. There are many versions such as Samba, Chile, Cuban, Brazilian, Kanasta, Burraco and Bolivia to name a few. The rules covered below are for basic canasta.
Number of players
2 people - Two-hand canasta
4 people in 2 partnerships of two players - Canasta
3 people in 1 partnership and 1 single person - Cutthroat canasta
5 people in 1 partnership and 1 threesome - Five-hand canasta
6 people in 2 threesomes (triple-pack needed) - Six-hand canasta
6 people in 3 partnerships (triple-pack needed) - Six-hand canasta
Number of cards
For 4 to 5 people, 2 standard packs of 52 cards plus 4 jokers. Both packs are shuffled together totaling 108 cards.
For 6 people, 3 standard pack of 52 cards plus 6 jokers, All three packs are shuffled together totaling 162 cards.
Card rank
A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, (2 & Joker wild)
Play
Clockwise
Wild cards
Jokers and deuces are wild. A wild card is only melded with natural cards, becoming a card of that rank. A natural card is a 4 or higher
Object of the game
Object of play is to form melds, combinations of three or more cards of the same rank, with or without the help of wild cards. Sequences are not valid melds.
Valid rank meld:   
Invalid sequence meld:   
The draw
Rank of suits (only for the draw): 1.  spade, 2.  heart, 3.  diamond, 4.  club
Card rank (for draw only): A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Jokers are void).
Partnerships can be determined by drawing cards from a shuffled deck. Player drawing the highest card has choice of:
- Choice of seats
- Is first to deal
- Player drawing the second highest card is his partner. Partners should sit opposite each other
Players drawing equal cards or jokers must draw again. A player drawing more than one card, or one of the four cards at either end of the deck, must draw again.
Shuffle and cut
Any person has the right to shuffle the deck. The dealer has the right to shuffle last. The first person to the right of the person who drew the highest card deals and thereafter the turn to deal rotates clockwise. The deck is cut by the player to he dealer's left.
Deal
Dealer deals 11 cards face down to each player, beginning with the player on his left, clockwise and finishing with himself. The remainder of the pack is placed face down in one of the two compartments of the canasta tray to form the stock. The top card is turned over and placed face up in the remaining compartment forming the beginning of the discard pile. If the upcard is a joker, deuce or three, one or more additional cards must be turned upon it until a natural card (a four or higher) appears.
Red three
Red threes must be handled as follows:
- A player with a red three in his hand must on his first turn, lay it face up on the table and draw a replacement from the stock.
- A player who draws a red three from the stock must lay it face up on the table and draw a replacement from the stock.
- A player who takes the discard pile and finds a red three in it must lay it face up on the table but does not draw a replacement.
Each red three has a bonus value of 100 points. If one side possesses 4 red threes, they count 200 points each, or 800 in all. The value of the red threes is credited to a side that has made a meld, or debited against a side that has no meld when the hand ends.
The play
After the deal, each play consists of the following:
- A draw
- A meld (optional), after drawing
- A discard
A player may draw the top card from the stock, or if he wishes he may instead take the top card of the discard pile to use in a meld; having done so, he must take the rest of the discard pile. The discard is always one card from the hand and never from the meld. The discarded card must be placed face up on the discard pile.
Melds
A minimum valid meld consists of at least two natural cards of the same rank, aces down to fours inclusive and not more than three wild cards.
Minimum valid meld:  
Duces and jokers can not be melded. A set of 4 black threes (without wild cards) may be melded only when a player goes out.
A meld must be laid out on the table face up during a person's turn to play. Cards that a player has in his hand when play ends, count negatively. All melds in a partnership are place in front of either partner. Having two different melds of the same rank is not permitted.
Canasta
A mixed canasta is a meld comprising seven or more cards, including at least four natural cards. A bonus of 300 points is added to the point value of the cards that has 1 to 3 wild cards.
Mixed Canasta:
   
A natural canasta is composed of seven or more cards with no wild cards. A bonus of 500 points are added to the point value of the cards.
Natural Canasta:
A complete canasta is squared up with a red card on top to indicate a natural canasta and a black card to indicate a mixed canasta. Additional cards can be added to a canasta to increase their point values but these do not affect the bonus, except that a wild card added to a natural canasta reduces it to a mixed canasta. The black card must then replace the red card previously on top.
Card point value
Each Joker = 50
Each deuce = 20
Each ace = 20
Each K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 = 10
Each 7, 6, 5, 4, and black 3 = 5
Each red three = special
A partnership's first (initial) meld must have a minimum count requirement that depends on the accumulated score of that side. Minimum amounts are as follows:
Less than 0 = minus 15
0 to 1,495 = 50
1,500 to 2,995 = 90
3,000 or more = 120
The meld count is the total point value of the cards in the meld. If a player is short of the minimum, he may make two or more different melds. If he takes the discard pile, the top card but no other may count toward the required minimum. Bonuses for red threes and canastas do not count. After partners establish an initial meld, either partner may make valid melds without reference to any minimum count.
Freezing the discard pile
The discard pile is frozen against a side before that side has made its initial meld. The initial meld unfreezes it for both partners, provided that it is not frozen again as described below.
The discard pile is frozen when a red three is turned as an upcard or if a wild card or a black three is turned as an upcard or discarded. The lowermost freezing card of the pile is turned sidewise to indicate the freeze.
Unfreezing the discard pile
The frozen discard pile is unfrozen only by being taken. If the discard pile is topped by a wild card or a black three, at least one natural card must be discarded on top before the pile may be taken. A player may take that card and the pile only with a natural pair of the same rank from his hand. The player must show the pair together with any additional cards if needed to meet the minimum count of an initial meld before touching the discard pile.
Taking the discard pile
When the discard pile is not frozen against his side, he may take it under the following conditions:
- With a natural pair matching the top card as above
- By melding the top card with one matching natural card and one wild card from his hand
- By adding the top card to a meld he already has on the table
After taking and melding the top card as described, the player then takes the rest of the pile into his hand and may meld some or all of the cards as he sees fit.
Note: The discard pile may never be taken when the top card is a wild card, black three or a red three.
Players rights
Going out
A player may go out when he gets rid of the last card in his hand by discarding or melding, provided that his side has melded at least one canasta or he completes a canasta while going out. Failing this requirement, he must keep a least one card in his hand. When a player goes out, this brings end to the hand and the results on both sides are scored. A player need not discard to go out, he may meld all his remaining cards.
Permission to go out
If a player is able to go out before or after drawing, the player may ask his partner permission. The partner must answer "Yes" or "No." The answer is binding and cannot be broken. Before the answer, the partner may ask for specifics under the above section: Players rights.
Concealed hand
A player may go out melding his entire hand in one turn and a least one canasta, without having made an earlier meld and without previously added any card to melds that his partner has made. This action is called, concealed. If his partner has not made an initial meld, the player must meet the minimum count (without the canasta bonus) if he has taken the discard pile, but need not do so if he has drawn from the stock.
Exhausting the stock
If a player draws the last card of the stock and it is a red three, he reveals it. The player cannot discard or meld and the play ends.
If the last card of the stock is not a red three, play continues as long as each player in turn takes the discard, and he must do so if it matches a meld o his side and the pack is not frozen. The exception being is that a one card hand may not take a one card discard pile. A player is not obliged to take the discard to form a new meld. Play ends when a player cannot take the discard or legally refused to take it.
Scoring a deal
A partnership's base score is determined by totaling all applicable items as follows:
Each natural canasta = 500
Each mixed canasta = 300
Each red three = 100 (four red threes count 800)
Going out = 100
Going out concealed = extra 100
A partnership's score for the hand is the value of all cards that were melded, minus the value of the cards left in both hands. The final score of a partnership is the net value of its base and point scores. The final score may be a negative number.
Scoring a game
The score should be kept on a two column sheet of paper, one column titled We and the other They, for the other side. There should be an entry for each deal, together with accumulated totals.
The side that reaches 5,000 first, wins the game. The final deal is played even though one or both sides have surely reached 5,000. There is no bonus for winning a game and the margin of victory is the difference of the final totals.
Two-hand canasta
Standard canasta rules apply except as follows:
- Each player receives 15 cards.
- Players draw two cards from the stock instead of one, but one card is discarded in a turn.
- Players must have two canastas to go out.
- Penalties for red cards and insufficient melds do not apply.
Cutthroat Canasta (three players)
Two sides are formed during play, two against one.
The Draw
Player takes two cards and discards one.
Lone hand
Player who first takes the discard pile becomes the lone hand. The remaining two form a partnership and play against the lone hand. If a player goes out before the discard pile has ever been taken, he becomes the lone hand and the remaining two score as a partnership.
Initial meld
The initial meld requirement for a player depends on his score, thus one partner can have a higher requirement than the other.
Scoring
The red three counts only for the owner, plus or minus depending on whether or not his side has melded. The base scores of the partners therefore differ if they have not drawn an equal number of red threes. All other scores made by the partnership are totaled, and each partner receives the total, plus or minus his own red threes. The side that first reaches a total of 7,500 wins a game. The score sheet is divided into three column with each players name at the top of a column.
Exhausted stock
If no one goes out, play ends with the discard of the player who drew the last card of the stock. If the discard pile was never taken each player scores for himself.
Five-hand canasta
One side has three players who take turns sitting out while the other two play the deal against the opponents. Rules for a regular four-hand game apply. The player sitting out cannot participate, give advice or call attention to irregularities except in scoring after play is completed.
Six-hand canasta (Three-pack canasta)
Standard rules of canasta apply, except as follows:
There may be two partnerships of three players each, seated A, B, A, B,
There may be three partnerships of two players each, seated A, B, C, A, B, C.
- A triple pack is used, three standard 52 card packs plus six jokers, all shuffled together.
- When there are three partnerships, the game is 7,500.
- When there are two partnerships, the game is 10,000 and when a side reaches 7,000, it needs 150 to make its initial meld.
- Four red threes count only 100 each; five red threes, 1,200 in all.
- A side needs two canastas to go out.
 Top
|
