![how do you play canasta card game how do you play canasta card game](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1316397156.0317/flat,750x,075,f-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.jpg)
In the beginning of the game when all 11 cards have been dealt to the players, the dealer will place face up the first card from the stock to start the discard pile. These cards are called the natural cards. The wildcards can only be melded with cards that are numbered 4 or higher. For example, a valid meld is 4, 4, 2 or J, J, joker as well as 5, 5, 5 etc.Ī Canasta is basically a meld with 7 cards and earns you extra points. So you can create Canastas and melds with jokers and 2s. In Canasta the jokers and deuces (2s) are wild cards. The game of Canasta is over when one player or team reaches 5,000 points.Ĭanasta is played with 2 decks of cards including the 4 jokers. At this time, the points of the players are tallied and a new hand is begun. However, you can only do this if you can meld the top card on the discard pile.Ī hand of Canasta is only over when one or more players has no cards left or there are no longer any cards in the stock. If you do not wish to take a card from the stock when it comes to your turn, your other option is to take the entire discard pile. Then your meld is checked against the Canasta rules to ensure that it is a valid meld. Melded cards must be the same and not sequential.Īfter melding, you throw away a card, although if you can meld all of your cards you are not required to discard a card. A meld is attained by using at least 3 cards of the same kind i.e. Each player takes turns drawing a card from the stock and then discarding one of their cards onto the discard pile.Īfter drawing a card you may meld your cards if you can and want to. This is done by making as many melds and Canastas as possible.Įach player starts with 11 cards. The general goal of Canasta is to win by collecting more points than your opponents.
![how do you play canasta card game how do you play canasta card game](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/DYY5BC/canasta-playing-cards-made-by-piatnik-in-austria-DYY5BC.jpg)
I recommend getting 4 packs of cards to start with. Generally though, Hoyle’s Rules of Games along with some playing cards is all you need to have good fun. I prefer to play all my games in person if I can, though with Canasta it can sometimes be hard to get 4 people together.
HOW DO YOU PLAY CANASTA CARD GAME HOW TO
Also, a great way to learn how to play Canasta is by buying a Canasta computer game where you can play by yourself until you get comfortable. There are versions for 2 folks or more than 6 folks, but we’ll stick with the standard. You can buy the complete Canasta card game quite inexpensively if it something that you are looking to learn how to play.Ĭanasta is a reasonably complicated game so I’ll try and give you an overview in simple terms that will help you to get started playing and enjoying Canasta.Ĭanasta is generally a game for 4 people playing as couples. However, there are players who have continued to evolve the game and developed a modern version of Canasta.īecause Canasta is still mostly played with the classic rules, this will be the focus of your chat today. These rules for the game of Canasta are still used in playing the game today. By around 1950 it had become a hugely popular game across the world and as such, the Classic Canasta rules were formulated in the United States. How to play Canasta? Canasta is a card game that was developed in Uruguay it is believed during the Second World War, the late 30s. You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.