Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Basic rules
• Method 2 of 4: Play the game
• Method 3 of 4: Canasta with two or three participants
• Method 4 of 4: Strategy
• Tips
• Necessities

Canasta, which is the Spanish word for "basket", is a card game that is usually played with four, but sometimes also with two or three participants. It is originally from Uruguay, where it was created from an early version of rummikub in 1939. Subsequently, it spread throughout South America and in the 1950s it eventually spread to Europe via the United States. There are many different versions of the game, but below we describe the rules of Canasta as it was originally played.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Basic rules

1. To begin with, you need to know the value of the cards. To understand the point system you need to know how many points each card is worth. The number of points per card does not change during the game.
   • Joker: 50 points
   • Ace and two: 20 points
   • Eight, nine, ten, peasant wife and gentleman: 10 points
   • Four, five, six and seven: 5 points
   • Black three: 5 points
     • The value of the groups you form is determined by the value of the cards within the group. But what exactly is a group?
2. You should try to form as many groups as possible. A "group" is a series of at least 3 cards of the same suit.Your first group or the group you "come out with" must be worth at least 50 points. Once your first group is on the table, you are free to form as many groups as you want.
   • Each group must contain at least two regular cards and a maximum of three jokers or twos.
   • Wilds and twos can take the value of any other card (except that of a three).
   • A group of 7 cards is called a "Canasta." A Canasta must contain at least 4 natural cards. A Canasta without jokers or twos is called a pure or full Canasta.
3. The threes are interesting. The red threes are a kind of bonus cards, each worth 100 points. These points are counted separately from the groups. If you have a red three in your hand, you must place it on the table at the start of your first turn and take a new card from the pot. Then your turn continues in the normal way, so by taking a card from the pot or the deck. If you take a red three from the pot at the start of your turn, you must place it on the table and buy a new card. If you fail to do this, you or your team will receive 500 penalty points.
   • You cannot form a group with red threes.
4. Now you need to know how to break up. That is because you put an end to the game. When you've put all your cards on the table (and have at least one Canasta), that means you're "breaking up". If you play with a partner, you may ask your partner if you can break up. If your partner says "no", the game should continue. If your partner says "yes," you should go out.
   • If you can break it up all at once (that is, if you can put all your cards on the table in one turn), it's also called a "closed hand." That is worth 200 points, while if you break it up the normal way you only get 100 extra points.

Method 2 of 4: Play the game

1. Choose a partner. To form teams and determine who will be the dealer, spread the cards upside down as a fan and have all four participants draw a card. The two players who drew the highest cards and the two players who drew the two lowest cards each form a team. The one who draws the highest card is the dealer.
2. Each player is dealt 11 cards. Canasta is played with two decks of cards (both with jokers). The 64 cards that remain make up the pot.
3. Take the top card from the stack and place it face up next to the pot. These cards form the pile on which the players always have to discard a card, or the deck. The players may now take turns taking the top card from the pot or from the stock. Whoever takes the top card from the deck must also take all the cards below it.
   • During the game you keep seeing cards that you would like to have. You should try to determine if it's worth taking the whole pile just because of those few interesting cards in between.
   • If a player discards a black three (clubs or spades) or a joker or two, the next player cannot take the stack (the stack is then "blocked").
4. Canasta is played clockwise. When it is your turn, you buy a card from the pot or you take the deck, trying to add cards to an existing group or form a new group, and discard a card (unless you have only one left. card left and no canasta yet, because then you can't break up).
   • As mentioned before, a group consists of three or more cards of the same suit (eg all kings, jacks or tens, etc.). A group cannot contain more than three wild cards or twos, and wild cards or twos cannot form a group by themselves. A group of seven or more cards is a Canasta; each team must have at least one Canasta before the players of the team have lost all their cards (breaking it up).
   • Red threes (three of hearts or three of diamonds) cannot be added to a group and black threes (three of spades or three of clubs) can only form a group on their own if the player can break it up on the same turn.
   • You can only place cards with your own groups, and not with the groups of your opponents.
   • Instead of buying a card, you can also take the deck, but only if you can still use the top card of the deck in an existing or new group that same turn. If you have not made a group yet, you may only take the top card of the deck with two identical cards in your hand. If you have already made a group, you can do so with one of the cards and a joker or two in your hand.
   • If you don't want the player after you to take the stick, you can block the stick by discarding a black three, a joker or a two at the end of your turn. With a black three, the stick is blocked for the next player. With a joker or a two, the deck remains blocked for everyone until someone can take it with two identical cards in hand.
   • You may not take the deck if you only have one card in hand and the deck is only one card.
5. Do not forget to count the total value of the first group each team plays against. As mentioned, each card is worth a certain number of points and the minimum value of the first group is 50 points. The higher the number of points per card, the higher the value of the group.
   • If a team has scored between 0 and 1495 points in total, the first group of that team must be worth at least 50 points. If their total score is between 1500 and 2995, their first group must be worth at least 90 points. If they have scored 3000 points in total, their first group must be worth at least 120 points. (However, if the team scores a negative number of points, the minimum number of points is reduced to 15.) Only the top card of the deck, when taken to form the first group, may count towards the minimum number of points. come. As long as a team cannot form a first group with the required minimum number of points, with or without the top card of the deck, none of the team's players may take the deck.
6. When the pot is finished, the game continues as long as someone takes the top card from the deck and places it with a new or already formed group. Joining an already formed group is mandatory at this stage in the game (not creating a new group). Note: Whoever has only one card may never take a deck from only one card, except in this case, because now it is mandatory.
   • When the last card in the pot is a red three, the game ends. The player who draws it may make more sets or place cards, but he may not discard a card and will not receive a bonus for going out.
7. Points are scored with all the cards on the table. Each team scores points for the cards of the groups formed. You also get points for having red threes, for forming Canastas and for breaking up. The points are added to the scores obtained in previous rounds.
   • For each Canasta without jokers or twos (a pure Canasta), 500 extra points are awarded. For a Canasta with jokers or twos (a mixed Canasta), you get 300 points.
   • If you break up by putting all of your cards on the table at once (this is also called a closed hand), you get 200 extra points. If you break up but have already formed groups during previous turns, you get 100 points for that.
   • Each red three is worth 100 points; if one team has all four of the red threes, that team gets 800 points. However, if the team has red threes but has not formed any groups, the team will receive 100 penalties for each red three and 800 penalties for four red dies.
   • The total value of all cards left in a team holds of the total points of that team deducted.
8. Note if one of the teams has already scored 5000 points. The first team to reach 5000 points wins. If none of the teams have reached that number, the cards are shuffled and the first 6 steps are repeated.

Method 3 of 4: Canasta with two or three participants

1. If you play Canasta in pairs, each player receives 15 cards. Otherwise, the game is spelled in the same way as with four participants, except for a few differences:
   • When buying the pot, a player buys two cards but discards only one.
   • Before you can break up you must have two Canastas.
2. In Canasta with three players, each player is dealt 13 cards. Three-player Canasta can be played using the same rules as for four-player Canasta, or with the two-player modifications as explained above.
3. The stacks are formed in the same way as when playing with four, except that each player buys two cards from the pot and discards one, just like with two-player canasta. Whoever that is, the first player to pick up the stick continues to play alone against the other two players, who play as a team until the round is over. If no one can take the stick, each player's points are counted separately. If a player breaks up before anyone has taken the stick, that player continues to play alone while the other two players continue as a team.
   • The player who plays alone only gets his or her own total number of points. The members of the team both receive points for all groups or Canastas formed within the team and for all red threes collected as a team, if at least one of the partners has formed one or more groups.
4. The first player to score 7,500 points wins. You must have formed at least two canastas to finish it. If one of the players wins all the time, you can handicap the other players.

Method 4 of 4: Strategy

1. Keep an eye on the stick. It is important that you know which and how many cards are in it in order to know when you should take the deck and when your opponent might take it. Over the course of the game, you will find out which cards they want - and if you throw out what they want, they are sure to respond.
   • If the deck is full of low-point cards, it may not be worth taking. In the long run, those cards are worth so little that it is better to leave them.
   • You can try to “force” your opponent to take the pile. If you have a card that you know your opponent is waiting for, discard it. Will he or she resist the temptation to take that whole stack of cheap cards? Probably not.
2. Keep your jokers and twos just a little while longer fixed. These are very useful cards - they are worth a lot. But as the end of the game approaches, it is better not to have them in your hand anymore. If you don't put them on the table, they are also worth a lot negative sense. And you will be able to hit yourself in the head if you could have put them down.
   • If you think your opponent is about to call it out (or if the pot is almost empty and you have decided that the game will end), try to get rid of your cards. You better do what you can now instead of getting stuck with hundreds of penalty points at the end. This, of course, is one of the reasons it's so good when you can break it out all at once.
3. Don't try to put all your groups on the table as quickly as possible. You may be proud of your beautiful cards and would like to show how many points you have already collected, but that is not the best strategy. By putting your cards on the table you literally let yourself see in the map - you give your opponents more possibilities to make it difficult for you, by holding the cards you need. And again, a surprise attack is always the best option at Canasta.
   • That is why it is better not to put down your jokers and twos too quickly if it is not really necessary yet. You better wait a while with that. Chances are, other players will discard any cards you need so you can use your jokers and twos at a different time.
4. If your opponent just took the "stack," try to get out as quickly as possible. For some reason, he or she just took that pile and now has 25 cards in hand. Awesome. Now is the time to take action. With all those points in the hands of your opponent, any points you don't have on the table become worthless anyway.
   • As long as you have at least a Canasta, you're fine. And if not, unfortunately - that's not an option. Either way, you must have a Canasta before you can break it up (or when you break it up).

Tips

• There are many different versions of Canasta. Most versions are named after the area they come from, such as Bolivia, Oklahoma or Brazilian Canasta. Within many of those versions you can also form groups of consecutive cards or streets (for example 4-5-6, etc.) of the same suit. A series of seven cards is sometimes referred to as a "samba".

Necessities

• 2-4 players
• Two decks of cards, including the jokers (for certain versions where you can also form consecutive series (streets), three decks are required)
• Notepad and pens to keep score