Canasta

1 Setup

Two standard decks plus 4 jokers (108 cards total). 4 players form 2 teams (partners sit opposite). Deal 11 cards each. Place the remainder face-down as the draw pile. Flip one card to start the discard pile; if it is a wild card or red 3, flip again.

Red 3s: If dealt a red 3, immediately place it face-up on the table and draw a replacement. Red 3s score 100 bonus points each (or -100 if not on the table at game end).

2 Drawing and Discarding

On your turn: draw 2 cards from the top of the draw pile (or take the discard pile under certain conditions). Play any melds you can from your hand. Discard 1 card face-up to end your turn.

Taking the discard pile: You may take the entire discard pile if (a) the top card can be melded with 2 natural cards from your hand, and (b) your team has already made at least one meld, and (c) the pile is not "frozen." The pile is frozen if it contains a wild card or if neither team has melded yet. Taking a frozen pile requires 2 natural cards matching the top discard (no wild cards to meld it).

3 Melds and Canastas

A meld is 3 or more cards of the same rank (no sequences -- Canasta is not a rummy variant). Melds are placed face-up in front of your team and can be added to on subsequent turns.

Canasta: A meld of 7 or more cards of the same rank. A natural canasta (no wild cards) scores 500 bonus points. A mixed canasta (contains wild cards) scores 300 bonus points. Mark the canasta by squaring the pile and putting a red card on top (natural) or a black card on top (mixed).

First meld requirement: A team's first meld must meet a minimum point value based on their current score: under 0 pts (15 min), 0-1495 (50 min), 1500-2995 (90 min), 3000+ (120 min). This prevents leading with small melds when you're winning.

4 Wild Cards

Jokers and 2s are wild cards. They can substitute for any natural card in a meld. A meld may not contain more wild cards than natural cards, and must always have at least 2 natural cards. Melds of only wild cards are not allowed.

Black 3s cannot be melded during a hand (only used to temporarily freeze the discard pile by discarding them).

5 Going Out

A player goes out by melding all their cards (with or without a final discard). A team may go out only if they have completed at least one canasta. You may ask your partner "May I go out?" -- they must answer honestly with yes or no.

Bonus for going out: 100 points. Going out concealed (melding your entire hand at once without any previous melds) earns an extra 100 points.

6 Scoring

At the end of each round, tally your team's score:

• Natural canasta: +500 per canasta
• Mixed canasta: +300 per canasta
• Going out: +100 (concealed: +200)
• Red 3s: +100 each (or -100 if not played; doubled if your team has all four)
• Card values: Jokers 50, Aces/2s 20, 8-K 10, 4-7 5, black 3s 5
• Cards in hand: Subtract the value of unmelded cards from your score

First team to 5,000 points over multiple rounds wins.

Canasta Meld Values and Scoring

Red and Black Three Rules

• Red Threes: When drawn or picked up, place immediately face-up on the table (they never go in your hand). Each scores +100 at game end IF your team has at least one canasta; if not, each red three scores −100. Drawing all four red threes earns 800 points (double the usual 400).
• Black Threes: Cannot be melded except when going out. Playing a black three as your final discard "freezes" the pile, blocking the next player from picking it up. Use black threes to protect a discard pile your opponent needs.

Going Out Rules

To go out and end the round, a player (or partnership) must:

1. Have laid down at least one complete canasta (7+ cards of the same rank)
2. Be able to play all remaining cards from hand — either by melding, adding to existing melds, or discarding the final card

Before going out, a player may (optionally) ask their partner: "May I go out?" The partner must answer honestly yes or no. This is the only communication allowed about hand contents.

Going out concealed (making no melds all round, then laying everything down at once) earns a 200-point bonus instead of 100 — risky but highly rewarding.

More Frequently Asked Questions