Are you looking for a way to liven up your family game night? Look no further than the classic card game of Canasta! With its mix of luck and strategy, Canasta has been a fan favorite for generations. And with these official rules and helpful tips, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Canasta champion.
Getting Started
The first step in playing Canasta is to gather your materials. You’ll need two standard 52-card decks, including the jokers (for a total of 108 cards), and a pencil and paper to keep score. You’ll also need two to six players. The more players there are, the more exciting the game becomes!
The Objective
The goal of Canasta is to score points by forming melds of three or more cards of the same rank, or by forming “canastas” – a meld of seven cards. The game ends when one player “goes out” by playing all of their cards, or when the draw pile runs out of cards. The player or team with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Dealing
To determine who deals first, each player should draw a card from the shuffled deck. The person with the highest card becomes the dealer. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals 11 cards to each player, one at a time. The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile, with the top card flipped over to start the discard pile.
Play
Once the cards have been dealt, play begins with the player to the left of the dealer. The player can either pick up the top card from the draw pile or take the entire discard pile if they have a card in their hand that matches the top card. The player must then try to form melds or canastas by playing cards from their hand.
Players may also add cards to existing melds on the table, or start new melds by using cards from their hand. Each player is allowed to play only one meld per turn, so it is important to strategize and make the most of each move.
If a player cannot or chooses not to play any cards on their turn, they must discard a card from their hand face up on the discard pile. The discard pile can be picked up by any player, as long as they have a matching card or a wild card in their hand to start a new meld or add to an existing one.
Going Out
The game ends when one player “goes out” by playing all of their cards. To go out, the player must have made at least one meld or canasta, and then use all of their remaining cards to form additional melds or add to existing ones. The player then lays down their remaining cards as their final meld, and the game ends.
Scoring
Points are scored for the melds and canastas formed during the game. A meld of three to seven cards of the same rank is worth points based on the rank of the cards. For example, a meld of three kings is worth 40 points, while a meld of seven twos (a canasta) is worth 2,510 points!
If a player forms a canasta, they immediately remove the cards from the table and set them aside. Canastas are worth bonus points, with a natural canasta (seven cards of the same rank, no wild cards) worth 500 points and a mixed canasta (including wild cards) worth 300 points.
Players also score points for each red three they have in a meld (100 points per red three), and for any remaining cards left in their hand at the end of the game (negative points based on the value of the cards).
At the end of the game, each player or team totals their points. If a player or team reached 5,000 points during the game, they become “frozen” and can no longer add to their score until the other players or teams catch up.
Variations
While these are the official rules of Canasta, there are many variations that add extra challenge and excitement to the game. Some popular variations include:
- Two-handed Canasta: A version of the game played with only two players. Each player is dealt 15 cards instead of 11, and must make at least one meld before being allowed to draw from the draw pile.
- Samba Canasta: A more complex version of the game played with three standard 52-card decks (including jokers) and six players. Players can form “sambas” – melds of eight cards of the same rank – for additional points.
- Bolivia Canasta: A version of the game in which red threes become wild cards, and any meld containing a red three is worth bonus points.
Whether playing the classic version or a fun variation, Canasta is a game that is sure to provide hours of entertainment for players of all ages. So gather your family and friends, shuffle up those cards, and let the fun begin!
Resources
Printable rules:
Print out these official Canasta rules to have on hand during your next game night.
Online resources:
For additional tips, strategies, and variations, check out these online resources:
Happy playing!