Modern Canasta Rules - Canasta.com (2024)

Decide who is the score keeper – one for the table. Score Keeper cuts the cards and gives the bottom cards to the player on their left to deal 13 cards.

Score keeper takes the bottom 8 cards from their hand and places them on one side of the tray. The ninth card is placed sideways (It is called the TURN CARD). All remaining cards go on top of the turn card. After dealing, the dealer places any remaining cards on top of the cards in the tray and the player to the left of the dealer goes first.

– 13 cards are dealt to each player.
– The undealt cards are placed face down called “draw pile”.
– The player to the left of the dealer is the first to play, andthen deal and play continues clockwise.

– 2s and Jokers are wild, 3”s are special, other remaining cards are called natural.

– A Meld is a set of cards sharing the same rank number. At least 3 cards are needed to form a meld and 7 cards become a Canasta.

– A Meld consisting of the same rank is called a natural meld, while melds that include at least one wild card are called mixed or unnatural.

– Wild cards can be used as substitutes for one or two of the cards in a meld but any meld must have at least two natural cards and never more than 2 wild cards.

– When a natural meld contains five natural cards a wild cards can be added.

– When a Canasta is completed, neither team is allowed to begin or add to a meld of that rank, those remaining cards are known as Dead Cards.
– A meld of 7’s: this special meld doesn’t ever allow adding any wild cards.

– A meld of natural Ace’s (no wilds) : this special meld must be pure unless it is part of the team’s initial meld and includes at least one wild card from the beginning.
Mixed melds are treated of Aces s normal, not special meld.

– Wild Cards can also form a meld. The team that starts a meld of wild cards can’t add any wild card to another meld until finishing the wild canasta.

– The team cannot go out with an incomplete natural meld of Aces, 7’s or wild cards on the table.

– A turn begins by either drawing 1 card from the draw pile, or picking up all the cards in the discard pile.(Pack)

– To pick up a card from the discard pile, (pack) the player must first add the top card of the discard pile to make a new meld using at least two matching natural cards from their hand, or add the two from their hand and the discard to an existing meld… All other cards from the discard pile go to that player’s hand after this meld is successfully played.

– If a team has a meld of five or more cards matching the rank of the top discard, they cannot take from discard pile since this would create a meld of more than seven cards, which is not allowed

– Any 3’s that are dealt in your initial hand or drawn during yourturn are placed immediately on the table, They are replaced, with another draw card unless goingfor one special hand.

Melds are kept in front of the initial melder. Both teams meld for themselves. Player may never play to an opponent’s meld.

– On their turn, player can meld from their hand onto their meld area

– Wild cards can be played as substitutes if
– The meld is put down as part of the team’sinitial meld (need at least 2 cards of a kind and can only add one or two wild cards to it). OUT or if Meld already contains at least five natural cards.

– Player needs at least 1 card In their hand after melding unless they have satisfied the requirement for going out and unless picking the pack, in which case they can meld all their cards, because they are getting the pack.

– Each turn must be ended by discarding one card face-up on top of the discard pile.

– There are several restrictions on discards: 3’s can’t be discarded.

– Wild cards can’t be discarded except: when it is the final card to be discarded for going out, or player has no other card to discard. Players cannot put themselves in that position deliberately

– SWAD = Sevens, wild cards, aces or dead cards cannot be placed on an empty tray

If SWAD is all that is that is left, playermust pick up their melded cards,starting with the last card melded, until they have a legal discard. even if having to break up a canasta, or having to return the picked pack.

If the initial meld is made and there are at least 9 cards in the draw pile, the melder draws cards from the draw pile.This bonus is called a talon., and is taken after discarding

No further play is allowed until the melders next turn.

When there are only 8 cards left in the draw pile, an announcement must be called and no bonus cards are available

The first team to make the initial meld draws 4 cards, while the second team draws 3 cards. No bonus cards are drawn if initial meld is made at the same time as picking the pack.

The play ends if a player goes out or there are no more cards to be drawn from the discard pile. (Tray is empty)

Player can go out if they satisfy both requirements:

– Your team has completed at least 2 canasta’s
– You are able to meld all but one of your cards , which then becomes your discard
– You can discard to go out with any card except a 3

If a three is drawn as the last card, the game ends immediately. The 3 remains in your hand and is counted as a penalty of 5 points. Player is in the middle of their turn, no card is available for a replacement, Nothing can be done.. Hand is over.

If after drawing from the deck you have the cards required for any of thespecial handsand your team has not yet put down its initial meld you may make the first and only meld for your team by laying down your entire hand without a discard then end the round. All special hands, without exception, contain 14 cards.

3’s arenot permitted in special hands

– Pair without Wild: 4-4-5-5-7-7-8-8-9-9-10-10-Q-Q.
– Pair with Wild: 2-2-6-6-7-7-9-9-J-J-K-K-A-A. (Sevens and Aces are both required)
– Miami pair: A-A-Joker-Joker-7-7-2-2 + 3 Pairs
– Garbage:2 Four of a kind + 2 Three of a kind without any Wild cards.
– Zip Code: 2 Pair ‘s+ 2 sets of Three of a kind + 1 Four of a kind

Both teams score for any canastas they have managed to complete as follows:

– each completemixed canasta, using any natural rank except sevens:300 points
– each completenatural canasta, using any natural rank except sevens or aces:500 points
– each complete natural canasta of aces or sevens:2500 points
– a completedcanastascores3000 points(this is a wild canasta made entirely of twos)
– a completejoker canastascores2500 points(this must contain all four jokers, together with three twos)
– any other completewild canasta(containing one, two or three jokers) scores2000 points

If any player succeeded in going out, their team scores an extra bonus of 100 points

If a team has melded pure aces, sevens or wild cards but not completed a canasta of that type, they are penalized as follows:

– Natural ace meld of less than seven cards:-2500 points
– Sevens meld of less than seven cards:-2500 points
– Wild card meld of less than seven cards: -2000 points

If a player’s hand contains three or more aces or three or more sevens at the end of the play, that player’s team is penalized as follows:

– For three or more sevens remaining in a player’s hand:minus 1500 points
– For three or more aces remaining in a player’s hand:minus 1500 points
– Also minus the face value of the aces and 7’s in the hand

– If a team hasno canastas, the total score for their melded red and black threes (calculated from the above table) is apenalty, to be subtracted from their score.

– If a team hasone canastathere isno scorefor melded threes.

– If a team hastwo or more canastas, the total score for their melded red and black threes (calculated from the above table) is abonus, to be added to their score.