Medium Standard
Canasta
Build 7-card melds and go out first.
Canasta originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and swept the world in the 1950s. Teams build melds of 7+ cards of the same rank (called "canastas") using wild cards freely. The game combines rummy-style building with partnership strategy.
🎯 Objective
First team to 5,000 points by completing canastas and going out.
🃏 Setup
- Uses 2 standard decks + 4 jokers (108 cards total).
- 4 players in 2 partnerships. Deal 11 cards each.
- Flip one card to start the discard pile (the "pack"). If it's a wild card or red 3, keep flipping until a natural card appears.
▶ How to Play
- On your turn, draw 2 cards from the stock OR take the entire discard pile (if legal).
- Wild cards (Jokers + 2s) may substitute for any natural card in a meld.
- A meld is 3+ cards of the same rank. A canasta is a completed meld of 7+ cards.
- Natural (clean) canasta: 7 natural cards, no wilds = 500 pts. Mixed canasta: includes wild cards = 300 pts.
- Red 3s: place face-up immediately; score 100 pts each (or −100 if not a team canasta). Black 3s: block the discard pile.
- A player may go out (discard last card) only if their team has at least one canasta.
📊 Scoring
Canasta totals: natural = 500, mixed = 300. Red 3s: 100 each (×2 if all four held). Each card has a point value. Going-out bonus = 100. First team to 5,000 pts wins.