A player must always meet the minimum point requirement for his sideвЂ™s first meld. Natural Canastas (no wild cards) are worth 500 points and mixed Canastas (with wild cards) are worth 300 points.ДЄny cards left in a playerвЂ™s hand are subtracted from their sideвЂ™s score. A partnership must have at least ONE Canasta in order to go out. Player MAY NOT drop cards onto their opponentsвЂ™ melds.Д¬anastas are melds with seven or more cards of the same rank. Players may drop cards onto their partnerвЂ™s melds as long as said melds are on the table. After making melds during a turn, a player then discards one card on to the discard pile. All melds and red Threes are placed in front of one member of each team. The minimum count required for each team depends on their score prior to the deal in progress. Remember, the individual cards have their own point VALUES. The initial meld of the hand must equal the designated point requirement for that hand. Finally, melds are counted ONLY if they are on the table (exposed). Black Threes are melded only when a player is going out of the hand.

A Meld must have AT LEAST TWO NATURAL cards and NEVER more than three wild cards. Sequences, as in Rummy, do not count in the standard game. Melds (or вЂњsetsвЂќ) are made up of three or more cards of the same RANK, including wild cards. The standard limit is 5,000 points this may be changed by mutual agreement. The point limit is determined prior to the start of the game. The typical game will have several deals. Points are scored by completing Melds and collecting Bonus cards. If any player does not drop a red Three at first opportunity, he is penalized 500 points! If a team makes no melds when the hand is over, the point value of the red Three is deducted from their score. Subsequently, any player who draws a red Three from the stock (or by picking up the вЂњpileвЂќ) must place the red Three on the table. If a players is dealt any red Threes, he must place these cards face down on the table before the hand commences and replace them from the stock. Note: Jokers and Deuces (of all suits) are вЂњWild.вЂќ All other cards are designated as вЂњNATURALвЂќ cards. The opponent to the left of dealer plays first and draws a card.Д®ach King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 and 8=10 Points If the top card is a Joker, Deuce or Three, it must be returned to the stock and a new upcard drawn until a вЂњNaturalвЂќ card appears. The undealt deck (called the вЂњstockвЂќ) is then placed face down in the middle of the table and the top card is turned over. The deck is shuffled and cut and 11 cards, face down, are dealt to each player. Partnerships may be determined by drawing cards or by prearrangement. Two regular decks of cards and four jokers are combined into one deck. Variations for 2 to 5 players are also popular. Four players in two partnerships are required to play the basic game. PAIRS: This is the most popular variation. Here is the way to play this Classic game.Дў. Canasta is also played online at various sites. A similar game called вЂњHand and FootвЂќ (see separate article) has attracted attention. Canasta (which means вЂњbasketвЂќ) still has a loyal following. After a 10-year run, the interest gradually waned and traditional games such as Hearts, Spades, Bridge and Poker regained popularity.

Variations on the rules and structure of the game then followed. All kinds of thematic souvenir products were distributedвЂ“including coffee mugs, ash trays, place mats, key chains and other trinkets. The United States Playing Card Company (Bicycle) manufactured special edition decks. Bridge players, in particular, were enthralled with this new game. For the next several years it was the #1 card game in America. Within a few months, Canasta became an overnight sensation. It was introduced to the United States in 1949, having started in Uruguay. Canasta is a unique South American card game of melds and strategy, and a member of the Rummy card family.

American canasta rules for two players