Canasta

To play Canasta, you need two teams of two players. Your team wins by scoring 5,000 points first. You earn points by making melds (sets of three or more cards with the same rank) and building canastas (melds of seven or more cards).

The game uses two decks of cards plus Jokers, which is a total of 108 cards. Each player starts a round with 11 cards.

Aces and 8s through Kings are worth 10 points, and 4s through 7s and black 3s are worth 5. Red 3s are worth 100 points, 2s are worth 20, and Jokers are worth 50.

Playing a Turn

If your hand allows it, try to pick up the discard pile or draw a card from the deck on your turn. You then can add to current melds or create new ones. Every turn ends with a discard.

Use a minimum of three cards of the same rank to create a meld. Though you must have more natural cards than wild cards in every meld, you can include wild cards (Jokers or 2s).

Based on your team's current score, your first meld must meet a minimum point requirement:

Under 0 points: 15

0 to 1,499 points: 50

1,500 to 2,599: 90

3,000 or more: 120

Strategy and Scoring

Seven cards without wilds make a natural canasta worth 500 points. A mixed canasta with up to three wilds is worth 300.

Red 3s are played immediately and score bonuses. Should your team get all four, that adds an extra 400 points. Red 3s count against you, though, if no melds are made.

You can block the discard pile with Black 3s. You can freeze the pile with wild cards and make it harder for opponents to access. It cannot be unfrozen except with two natural cards matching the top card.

Your team needs at least one Canasta to go out and end the round. You have to then either play or discard all your cards. Check first with your partner to prevent them from being trapped with extra cards before you do so.

Play carries on until one team scores 5,000 or more. The game is won by the team with the highest score at that point.

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