←

Canasta

Meld sets, build canastas and take the pile

Who is playing?

Meld three or more cards of a rank; seven make a canasta. Take the whole discard pile when its top card fits your cards. Jokers and 2s are wild, red 3s are a bonus, black 3s block the pile.

Not in the same room? Play online while you talk on a call, each on your own phone.

More info

How to play

Canasta is a rummy game from Uruguay, played with two decks and four jokers (108 cards). Two players get 15 cards each, three get 13, and four get 11 and play as two teams, partners sitting opposite.

  • On your turn, draw from the stock (with two players, draw two), or take the whole discard pile. Then meld if you like, and throw one card onto the pile.
  • A meld is three or more cards of the same rank. It needs at least two natural cards and can have up to three wild cards. Your side has one meld per rank and keeps adding to it.
  • Seven cards in a meld make a canasta: 500 points if it has no wild cards, 300 if it has some.
  • Jokers and 2s are wild. Red 3s are put down as soon as you get them and replaced: 100 each, 800 for all four, but they count against a side that hasn’t melded. Black 3s can only be melded when going out; one on top of the pile stops the next player taking it.
  • Your side’s first meld must be worth enough points: 50 with a score below 1,500, 90 below 3,000, 120 above that, and 15 when your score is below zero. You can put sets aside and meld them together to reach it.

Taking the pile

To take the pile, its top card has to go straight into a meld: with two cards of the same rank from your hand, or (once your side has melded, and the pile isn’t frozen) onto your side’s meld of that rank. Then the rest of the pile is yours. The pile is frozen when it holds a wild card, and for a side that hasn’t melded yet: then you need a natural pair. Pick the cards in your hand and tap the pile.

Going out and scoring

You can go out once your side has a canasta (two canastas with two players): meld all your cards, or all but one and throw that away. Going out is worth 100. The hand also ends when the stock runs out. Each side scores its melded cards plus its bonuses, minus the cards still in its hands: jokers 50, aces and 2s 20, 8 to king 10, 4 to 7 and black 3s 5. The first side to reach 2,000 (or 5,000 for a full game) wins.

Tips

Early on, meld just enough to unfreeze the pile for your side, and keep pairs in your hand to grab it. Save wild cards to finish canastas. Watch what the next player picked up with the pile, and don’t throw them a card they can use; a black 3 on the pile keeps it safe for a turn, and a wild card freezes it.