1Object of the game
Score more points than the other partnership over several hands, reaching 5,000 first. Points come from the cards you meld, big bonuses for canastas (melds of seven or more cards), bonuses for red threes, and a bonus for going out. Cards still in your hand when someone goes out count against you, so partners try to meld fast while stopping the other side from grabbing the discard pile.
2Setup
- Shuffle two standard decks together with 4 jokers, 108 cards in all. Partners sit across from each other.
- Jokers and 2s are wild. Red 3s are bonus cards and never go in melds. Black 3s are stop cards that block the discard pile.
- Deal 11 cards to each player, one at a time, clockwise. Place the rest face down as the stock.
- Turn the top card of the stock face up to start the discard pile. If it is a wild card or a red 3, turn another card on top of it and keep going until a natural card that is not a red 3 shows. A wild card buried in the pile leaves it frozen.
- Before or on your first turn, place any red 3s you were dealt face up with your partnership's melds and draw a replacement card from the stock for each one.
- The player to the dealer's left takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.
3The play
- Draw the top card of the stock, or take the entire discard pile (see the rules for taking the pile below). If you draw a red 3, put it face up with your side's melds at once and draw again.
- Meld if you can and want to. A meld is 3 or more cards of the same rank, with at least 2 natural cards and no more than 3 wild cards. You may add to any meld your partnership already has, but never to the other side's melds.
- Your partnership's first meld of the hand must reach a minimum point count based on your score: 15 if your score is negative, 50 from 0 to 1,495, 90 from 1,500 to 2,995, and 120 at 3,000 or more. You can use several melds in the same turn to reach it.
- To take the discard pile, you must be able to meld its top card right away, either with two cards from your hand or by adding it to one of your side's melds. You then take the whole pile into your hand.
- The pile is frozen when it contains a wild card, and it is frozen for your side until you have made your first meld. A frozen pile can only be taken with a natural pair matching the top card. No one can ever take the pile when the top card is a black 3 or a wild card.
- End your turn by discarding one card face up. Discarding a wild card freezes the pile; discarding a black 3 blocks only the next player.
4End of a hand
A hand ends when a player goes out by melding all their cards, or all but one and discarding the last. You may only go out if your partnership has at least one canasta. Before going out you may ask your partner 'May I go out?' and the answer is binding: if yes, you must go out; if no, you may not. A hand can also end when the stock runs out: play continues while each player takes and melds the previous discard, and the hand ends when a player who must draw from the stock finds it empty. Both sides then score, and the deal passes to the left.
5Scoring
Each side adds its bonuses and the values of all its melded cards, then subtracts the values of cards left in both partners' hands. Canasta and red 3 bonuses do not count toward the initial meld minimum.
| For | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace, 2 | 20 each |
| K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 | 10 each |
| 7, 6, 5, 4, black 3 | 5 each |
| Natural canasta (7+ cards, no wild cards) | 500 |
| Mixed canasta (7+ cards with 1–3 wild cards) | 300 |
| Each red 3 | 100 |
| All four red 3s on one side | 800 total |
| Going out | 100 |
| Going out concealed (whole hand melded in one turn) | 200 total |
| Red 3s when your side has not melded | Minus 100 each |
| Cards left in hand | Minus their value |
Initial meld minimums by your side's total score: below 0 needs 15, 0 to 1,495 needs 50, 1,500 to 2,995 needs 90, and 3,000 or more needs 120. Only the card values of the melds count toward the minimum, plus the top discard if you are taking the pile, but not the other cards in the pile. Black 3s can only be melded, as three or four with no wild cards, when you go out.
6Winning
Keep a running total for each partnership. When one or both sides reach 5,000 or more at the end of a hand, the game ends and the side with the higher total wins. Since the hand always finishes before anyone checks the scores, a side sitting at 4,900 can still lose if the other side has a bigger final hand.
7A worked hand
Your partnership has a total of 1,200, so your first meld needed 50. By the end of the hand you have a natural canasta of seven kings, a mixed canasta of five 8s and two 2s, a meld of three aces, and one red 3. You go out, not concealed. Bonuses: 500 for the natural canasta, 300 for the mixed canasta, 100 for the red 3, and 100 for going out, a total of 1,000. Card values: seven kings at 10 each is 70; five 8s at 10 each plus two 2s at 20 each is 50 + 40 = 90; three aces at 20 each is 60. That is 70 + 90 + 60 = 220. Your partner is still holding a joker and a 5, worth 50 + 5 = 55, which you subtract. Your score for the hand is 1,000 + 220 minus 55 = 1,165, and your new total is 2,365. Because that is now over 1,500, your side's first meld next hand must be at least 90 points.
8House rules
The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.
- Two-player canasta
- Each player is dealt 15 cards, draws two cards from the stock each turn but discards only one, and needs two canastas to go out. The rest of the rules are unchanged.
- Three-player canasta
- Each player is dealt 13 cards (some deal 11, as in the four-player game), draws two cards from the stock each turn, and discards one. The first player to take the discard pile in a hand plays alone, and the other two form a temporary partnership against them.
- No asking partner
- Some groups drop the 'May I go out?' question and let players go out whenever their side has a canasta. It speeds the game but loses a bit of teamwork.
- Modern American Canasta
- A later American version adds its own rules, such as different meld requirements and extra restrictions on taking the pile. If your group learned canasta from a 1990s or later rule booklet, check which version you are playing before the first deal.
9Mistakes people make
- You can't take the discard pile when its top card is a black 3 or a wild card, even if you hold a matching pair.
- Every meld needs at least two natural cards and can't have more than three wild cards. A meld of 7, 2, joker is not allowed.
- You can't go out until your side has at least one canasta. Holding one card when you can't go out is a common trap.
- Red 3s count minus 100 each if your side has not melded anything by the end of the hand.
10Playing better
- Taking the discard pile is the biggest swing in canasta. Early on, try to make your first meld so the pile is no longer frozen for your side.
- Hold natural pairs. A pair matching the top discard is the only way to take a frozen pile.
- When the pile is large, discard safe cards: black 3s, cards the next player just discarded, or ranks already in your opponents' completed melds.
- Aim for a natural canasta when it is realistic. It is worth 500 against 300 for a mixed one, and wild cards are worth more saved for melds that need them.
- Freeze the pile with a wild card discard when the other side is about to take a big pile. It forces them to hold a natural pair.
- Watch your partner's melds and add to them. Your side shares every meld, and building one canasta fast gets you the right to go out.
Canasta: questions people ask
- How many cards do you deal in canasta?
- In classic four-player partnership canasta, deal 11 cards to each player, one at a time, clockwise. The deck is two standard decks plus four jokers, 108 cards. In the two-player game each player gets 15 cards, and with three players each gets 13.
- What is the minimum meld in canasta?
- The first meld your partnership makes each hand must total at least 50 points when your score is 0 to 1,495. The minimum is 15 if your score is negative, 90 from 1,500 to 2,995, and 120 at 3,000 or more. Only card values count, not canasta or red 3 bonuses.
- How much are red threes worth in canasta?
- Each red 3 is worth 100 points to the side that holds it. If one side collects all four red 3s, they are worth 800 in total. But if your partnership has not melded any cards when the hand ends, your red 3s count minus 100 each instead.
- What makes the discard pile frozen in canasta?
- The pile is frozen when it contains a wild card, including one turned up at the start. It is also frozen for your side until you make your first meld. To take a frozen pile you need a natural pair in your hand that matches the top card.
- How many wild cards can be in a canasta?
- A meld or canasta can have at most three wild cards, and it must have at least two natural cards. A canasta with no wild cards is a natural canasta worth 500. With one to three wild cards it is a mixed canasta worth 300.
- Do you need a canasta to go out?
- Yes. In classic canasta your partnership must have at least one canasta before either partner can go out. In the two-player game you need two canastas. You go out by melding all your cards or melding all but one and discarding the last.
- What are black threes used for in canasta?
- A black 3 is a stop card. When you discard one, the next player can't take the discard pile. Black 3s can't be melded during normal play; you can only meld three or four of them, without wild cards, on the turn you go out. Each counts 5 points.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Canasta, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
- How to Play Canasta, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.
Also on the table: Hand and Foot, Rummy, Pinochle, Spades.