Canasta
You and North are partners against West and East, with two decks and four jokers. Meld cards of one rank, build canastas of seven cards and be the side that goes out.
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How to play Canasta
How to play
Everyone gets 11 cards. On your turn draw one card from the stock (the classic rule; modern American Canasta draws two) or take the whole discard pile, then meld if you like and discard one card. A meld is three or more cards of one rank, aces and 4s to kings, with at least two natural cards, at most three wild cards and never more wild cards than natural ones. Jokers and 2s are wild. Your side has one meld per rank and adds to it, and you add only to your own side’s melds. A meld of seven or more cards is a canasta: 500 without a wild card, 300 with.
The discard pile
To take the pile you meld its top card at once: with two natural cards of its rank from your hand, with one natural card and a wild card, or by adding it to your side’s meld of that rank. The pile is frozen while a wild card or red 3 is in it (it is shown crosswise in the pile) and for a side that hasn’t melded yet; then only two natural cards will do. A black 3 on top blocks the pile, and a wild card on top can’t be taken. Taking the pile unfreezes it.
Red 3s, the first meld and going out
Red 3s go face up at once and are replaced from the stock (one taken with the pile is not): 100 each, 800 for all four, but minus that for a side with no meld. Your side’s first meld in a hand needs 50 points (15 below zero, 90 from 1500, 120 from 3000), and melds made in the same turn count together. Cards count joker 50, 2 and ace 20, king to 8 10, 7 to 4 and black 3 5. Once your side has a canasta you may go out, melding every card or all but one and discarding it: 100 points, or 200 when concealed (your whole hand in one turn, with a canasta of your own, without having melded before or adding to your partner’s melds). Black 3s are melded only then. Cards left in hand count against you. With the stock empty you may take the pile if you can, and must when its top card fits your side’s meld and the pile isn’t frozen; otherwise the hand ends.
Levels and controls
Easy, Medium and Hard set the computer players’ strength in a game to 1500, usually two or three hands; on Easy your partner North plays at Medium. One deal is a single hand and is the daily, with the same deal for everyone. Full 5000 is the classic game and takes much longer. Tap cards to select them, then press Meld, Add to, Take pile or Discard. A first meld that doesn’t reach the minimum yet is set aside until more melds make it up, and tapping the pile shows which of your cards would take it. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter, M, A, T and D. The computer players see only their own cards and what has been played.
Questions
How do you play Canasta?
Four players in two partnerships use two decks with four jokers. Each turn you draw a card or take the discard pile, put down melds of three or more cards of one rank, and discard. Seven cards of a rank make a canasta, worth a big bonus, and your side needs one before it can go out. Points carry over from hand to hand.
What is a frozen pile in Canasta?
The discard pile is frozen while it holds a wild card or a red 3, and for a side that hasn’t made its first meld. To take a frozen pile you need two natural cards from your hand that match the top card. Taking the pile unfreezes it, and discarding a wild card freezes it again.
What are red 3s and black 3s for in Canasta?
Red 3s are bonus cards: they go face up straight away, you draw a replacement, and each is worth 100 points, or 800 for all four. A side that hasn’t melded loses those points instead. Black 3s block the pile: the player after you can’t take it while a black 3 is on top. You can only meld black 3s when you go out.
How many points do you need for the first meld in Canasta?
It depends on your side’s score: 50 points from 0 up to 1495, 90 from 1500, 120 from 3000 and only 15 when you are below zero. The cards in the melds count, and several melds put down in the same turn add up. When you take the pile, its top card counts too.
Do you draw one or two cards in Canasta?
In classic Canasta, which this game plays, you draw one card from the stock. Modern American Canasta draws two cards and has other rule changes. Either way you discard one card at the end of your turn, unless you go out by melding every card.