Canasta is a for two teams. You draw and discard to collect cards of the same rank, lay them down as , and grow them into of seven cards. 2s and jokers are .
The hardest game here, but it follows the same rhythm every turn: draw, meld, discard.
Shuffle two standard decks together with four jokers: 108 cards. Four players play in two , partners sitting opposite.
You and North play against West and East.
Deal 11 cards to each player, one at a time. The rest is the . Turn its top card face up to start the .
If you are dealt a , put it face up in front of you on your first turn and draw a replacement from the stock. You got the 3 of hearts, and replace it.
If the first upcard is wild or a red three, turn more cards onto it until a card that is neither shows.
The player left of the dealer starts; play goes clockwise. Every turn has three parts: draw, meld if you want to, then discard one card.
To draw, take the top card of the stock, or . The pile is only yours if you can meld its top card right away. Point at both piles on the table.
The pile’s top card is the 7 of clubs, and you hold two natural 7s. As your draw, you meld the 7 of clubs with your two 7s, plus enough other cards from your hand to make your team’s first meld (see the next two steps). Then you pick up the rest of the pile into your hand.
While your team has not melded yet, the pile is for you: you need two natural cards matching its top card. The top card counts toward your first meld; the rest of the pile does not.
A is at least three cards of the same rank, laid face up in front of your team. Suits do not matter.
In the same turn you also lay down three kings, and two 9s with the wild 2 of clubs.
Your team’s must add up to at least 50 points:
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace, 2 | 20 |
| King to 8 | 10 |
| 7 to 4, black 3 | 5 |
Three 7s are 15. Three kings are 30. 9, 9 and the 2 are 40. Together 85: enough.
Finish your turn by putting one card from your hand face up on the discard pile. You discard the 5 of diamonds. Now it is West’s turn.
The 2s and jokers are . They can join any meld as an extra card of that rank, like your 2 of clubs acting as a third 9.
Remember: at least two natural cards per meld, at most three wild ones.
A never stays in your hand. Put it down at once and draw a replacement. Each is worth 100, and all four for one team make 800.
If your team has not melded by the end of the hand, red threes count against you instead.
West discards the 3 of spades. A on top of the pile blocks the next player from taking it: North has to draw from the stock.
You can only meld black threes (three or four of them, with no wild cards) in the turn you go out.
Black threes: the polite way to say no.
East discards the 2 of diamonds, a wild card. It goes in sideways and the pile for everyone. Nobody may take a pile with a wild card on top, so you draw from the stock and discard the 6 of clubs.
To take a frozen pile you need two natural cards in your hand that match its top card. Wild cards cannot help.
Sideways means stuck. For everyone.
Keep adding to your team’s melds. At seven cards a meld becomes a : square it into a pile.
Your team now has two: seven natural 7s, and seven kings with the 2 of hearts and a joker. You also add your joker to the 9s.
You by melding or discarding your last card, but only if your team has at least one canasta. You may ask your partner “may I go out?” first, and must follow their answer.
You draw a third queen and ask North “may I go out?” North says yes, so you meld your queens and discard your last card, the 10 of spades. Going out ends the hand and earns 100.
Each team adds its bonuses and the value of its melded cards, then subtracts the cards still in both partners’ hands.
| Natural canasta | 500 |
| Mixed canasta | 300 |
| Going out | 100 |
| Red three | 100 |
| Melded cards: 7s 35, kings 120, 9s 90, queens 30 | 275 |
| Left in North’s hand: 8, 4 | −15 |
Your team scores 1,260.
Keep playing hands until a team reaches 5,000. As your score grows, your first meld of a hand has to be bigger:
| Score below 0 | 15 |
| 0 to 1,495 | 50 |
| 1,500 to 2,995 | 90 |
| 3,000 or more | 120 |
Point at a dot to see why it matters
108: two standard 52-card decks plus four jokers.
With four players, 11 cards each.
All 2s and jokers. A meld needs at least two natural cards and may hold no more than three wild cards.
A meld of seven or more cards. A natural canasta (no wild cards) is worth a 500 bonus, a mixed canasta 300.
Only when your team has at least one canasta. Going out is worth 100.
Lasts for years
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
The classic
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Easy to read
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
The British classic
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
The gift
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.
Avoid the hearts and dodge the queen of spades.
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