What you need
- Two standard 52-card decks plus four jokers, 108 cards in all
- Pen and paper, or the free score keeper
Players and time
4 players in two partnerships (2 or 3 players with changes). About 1 to 2 hours for a game.
The goal
Score the most points. You and your partner lay down sets of cards of the same rank, called melds. A meld of seven or more cards is a canasta and earns a large bonus. A hand ends when one player goes out, and the first side to reach 5,000 points at the end of a hand wins.
Setup
- Four players sit in two fixed partnerships, with partners across from each other.
- Deal 11 cards to each player, one at a time. Put the rest face down as the stock and turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile. If that card is a wild card (a joker or 2) or a red three, play begins with the pile frozen (see Frozen pile below). Bicycle turns more cards until a natural four or higher shows. Pagat turns the wild card or red three sideways and turns the next card.
- The player to the dealer's left goes first.
- Red threes are bonus cards. If you are dealt one, lay it face up in front of you on your first turn and draw a replacement from the stock.
A turn
- Draw: take the top card of the stock, or take the whole discard pile if you are allowed to (see Taking the discard pile).
- Meld (optional): lay down sets of three or more cards of the same rank, or add cards to a meld your side already has. Partners share their melds, and either partner may add to any of them.
- Discard: put one card face up on the discard pile to end your turn. You may skip the discard only when you go out.
- Red threes: lay one down as soon as you draw it, and take a replacement from the stock. A red three that comes to you in a discard pile you took is laid down with no replacement.
- A meld needs at least two natural cards of the same rank. It may include up to three wild cards. A side may not have two separate melds of the same rank. Black threes, and jokers or 2s on their own, cannot be melded in the usual way.
- Your side's first meld of the hand must reach a minimum total (see The minimum first meld). Add up the standard card values of the cards you lay down. Canasta and red three bonuses do not count toward the minimum.
- A meld of seven or more cards is a canasta. A canasta with no wild cards is a natural canasta, and one with one to three wild cards is a mixed canasta. Keep the canasta squared up in a pile so that everyone can see which kind it is.
- The hand ends when a player goes out, or when play runs out of stock (see How a hand ends).
Special cards and combinations
- Wild cards
- Jokers and 2s are wild. A wild card can stand for any rank when melded with natural cards, up to three per meld. A meld cannot be made of wild cards alone in this version.
- Red threes
- Each red three is worth 100 points to your side at the end of the hand if your side has made at least one meld. If all four red threes are on your side, the total is 800 points (an extra 400). If your side has made no meld at all, the red threes count against you instead: minus 100 each, or minus 800 for all four.
- Black threes
- A black three cannot be melded, except that a set of three or four black threes (with no wild cards) may be laid down on the turn you go out. Discarding a black three stops the next player from taking the discard pile for one turn. Each black three is worth 5 points.
- Taking the discard pile
- You take the whole pile, not just the top card. You may take it if the top card is a natural card, you can use it in a meld, and the pile is not frozen against you. With an unfrozen pile you can use the top card by adding it to a meld your side already has, by matching it with two natural cards from your hand, or by matching it with one natural card and one wild card from your hand. You may never take a pile with a wild card, black three or red three on top.
- Frozen pile
- The pile is frozen against your side while your side has made no meld. It is also frozen for everyone once a wild card has been put in it, or if a red three was the card turned up to start it. When the pile is frozen, you can only take it by matching the top card with two natural cards of the same rank from your hand.
- Going out
- You go out by getting rid of all your cards. Your side must already have a canasta, or you must complete one on the turn you go out. You do not have to discard on that turn, so you can meld your last card instead. Going out ends the hand at once.
- Going out concealed
- If you go out by melding your whole hand in one turn, with at least one canasta of your own in it, and your side had made no meld earlier and you have not added any cards to your partner's melds, you go out concealed. That earns 200 points in total instead of 100.
- The minimum first meld
- The card total your side must lay down for its first meld depends on your side's score at the start of the hand. Below 0: 15 points (in effect no minimum). 0 to 1,495: 50 points. 1,500 to 2,995: 90 points. 3,000 or more: 120 points. Scores in Canasta are always multiples of five, so there are no scores in the gaps. The score keeper shows this number for each team.
- How a hand ends
- The hand ends when a player goes out. It also ends if the stock runs out and the player whose turn it is has to draw but cannot. While the stock is empty, play continues only as long as each player takes the previous discard and melds it. If the last card in the stock is a red three, the hand ends at once.
Scoring
When the hand ends, each side scores its melds and bonuses and subtracts the cards still in both partners' hands. The score keeper takes each team's card points melded, its canastas, its red threes, how it went out, and the card points left in hand.
Count the standard value of every card in your side's melds, including cards in canastas. Then add the bonuses. Then subtract the values of all cards left in either partner's hand. A side can finish a hand with a negative score.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace | 20 |
| 2 | 20 |
| King, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 | 10 each |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 each |
| Black 3 | 5 |
| Natural canasta (no wild cards) | 500 bonus |
| Mixed canasta (one to three wild cards) | 300 bonus |
| Each red three | 100 (minus 100 if your side has no meld) |
| All four red threes | 800 in total (minus 800 if your side has no meld) |
| Going out | 100 bonus |
| Going out concealed | 200 bonus in total |
| Cards left in either partner's hand | Subtract their card values |
Worked example
Team A starts the hand with 1,200 points, so its first meld needed at least 50 card points. It lays down a natural canasta of seven kings (7 x 10 = 70), a mixed canasta of six 7s and one 2 (6 x 5 + 20 = 50), and a meld of three queens (30). That is 70 + 50 + 30 = 150 card points. It also has two red threes and goes out, not concealed.
Team A scores 150 + 500 (natural canasta) + 300 (mixed canasta) + 200 (two red threes) + 100 (going out) = 1,250. It has no cards left in hand, so nothing is subtracted. Its new total is 1,200 + 1,250 = 2,450.
Team B melded 80 card points and has one red three, worth 100 because it has melded. Its partners are left holding a queen, an ace and a 7: 10 + 20 + 5 = 35. Team B scores 80 + 100 - 35 = 145 for the hand.
Keep score with the Canasta score keeper
How to win
The game ends at the end of a hand in which one or both sides have 5,000 points or more. The side with the higher total wins. A side that passes 5,000 mid-hand still has to finish the hand.
With three players the target is 7,500 points: change the target in the score keeper settings.
Common house rules
These are house rules. They are not part of the official rules, so agree on them before you start.
- Two and three players (variation) House rule
- With two players, deal 15 cards each, draw two cards each turn and discard one, and you need two canastas to go out. The target is 5,000. With three players, deal 13 cards each (some groups use 11), draw two cards and discard one. The first player to take the discard pile plays alone against the other two, who form a temporary partnership for that hand. The target is 7,500. These come from the Pagat rules; the Bicycle rules cover four players only.
- Asking your partner before going out (variation) House rule
- Many groups let you ask "Partner, may I go out?" before you go out, and your partner's answer is binding. Bicycle includes this. Pagat does not mention it.
- Modern American Canasta (different game) House rule
- Pagat also describes a different version with 13 cards each, bigger bonuses, a target of 8,500, a higher first-meld requirement and two canastas needed to go out. The first-meld numbers and bonuses on this page do not apply to it. In the score keeper you can raise the target and change each bonus, but the minimum first meld shown is the Classic table.
- Canadian four-player Canasta and other variations House rule
- Other versions use three decks, 15 cards each and a higher target such as 10,000. Agree the target and the first-meld numbers before you start.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to win Canasta?
In the classic four-player game the target is 5,000 points. The game ends when one or both sides have reached 5,000 at the end of a hand, and the side with the higher total wins. The hand is always finished first. Three players usually play to 7,500, and some versions of the game have different targets.
How many cards do you need for the first meld?
It depends on your side's score at the start of the hand: 50 if it is 0 to 1,495, 90 if it is 1,500 to 2,995, and 120 if it is 3,000 or more. If your side has a negative score the requirement is only 15, which in practice means none. Only the standard card values count. Bonuses for canastas and red threes do not.
What is the difference between a natural and a mixed canasta?
A canasta is a meld of seven or more cards of the same rank. A natural canasta has no wild cards and earns a 500-point bonus. A mixed canasta contains at least one and at most three wild cards and earns 300. Adding a wild card to a natural canasta makes it mixed.
Do red threes ever count against you?
Yes. Red threes count 100 each for a side that has made at least one meld, and 800 if you hold all four. If your side never makes a meld during the hand, the same amounts are subtracted instead. In the score keeper, tick "Team made no meld" for that team.
Can you go out without a canasta?
No. Your side needs at least one canasta before you can go out, or you must complete one on the turn you go out. If you have not got one, you must keep a card in hand and keep playing. A two-player game needs two canastas.
When is the discard pile frozen?
The pile is frozen against your side until you make your first meld. It is also frozen once a wild card has been discarded onto it, or if a red three started the pile. A frozen pile can only be taken with a natural pair that matches the top card. No one can take a pile with a wild card or black three on top.
Does the hand end as soon as someone reaches 5,000?
No. Reaching 5,000 only matters at the end of a hand. Both sides finish the hand and score it, and then the higher total wins.
Can you play Canasta with two or three people?
Yes. With two players you deal 15 cards each, draw two cards a turn, and need two canastas to go out. With three players the first one to take the discard pile plays alone against the other two for that hand, and the game goes to 7,500. See the house rules and variations above.
Sources
- Pagat: Canasta (Classic card values, canasta and red three bonuses, the minimum first meld table, going out, the 5,000 target, and the 2- and 3-player rules.)
- Bicycle Cards: Canasta (Deal, card values, canasta and red three bonuses, going out and concealed going out, the minimum first meld table, discard pile freezing, and the 5,000 target.)