1Card values
Every card has a point value. It counts for your team if it is melded on the table when the round ends, and against your team if it is still in a hand or foot. The same values are used to check the minimum first meld each round.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace | 20 |
| 2 (wild) | 20 |
| King, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 |
| Black 3 | 5 |
| Red 3 | +100 laid down, −100 if held |
2Books
A meld is 3 to 7 cards of the same rank, and it becomes a book when it reaches 7 cards. A clean book has no wild cards and scores a 500-point bonus. A dirty book has at least one 2 or joker and scores a 300-point bonus. Every meld must have more natural cards than wilds, so a dirty book always has at least four naturals.
The book bonus is added on top of the card values inside the book. A clean book of seven kings is worth 500 for the book plus 70 for the cards. Square each book into a pile with a red card on top for clean or a black card on top for dirty so both teams can see them at a glance.
| Book | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Clean book (7 cards, no wilds) | 500 |
| Dirty book (7 cards, includes wilds) | 300 |
| Wild book (7 wilds, house rule) | 1,500 |
3Red 3s and black 3s
3s are never melded. When you get a red 3, lay it face up in front of your team right away and draw a replacement card. Each red 3 on the table is worth 100 points to your team at the end of the round. A red 3 still in your hand or foot when the round ends costs 100. This mostly happens to red 3s sitting unseen in a foot that was never picked up.
Black 3s are worth only 5 points, and their main use is blocking. A black 3 on top of the discard pile cannot be picked up, so discarding one stops the next player from taking the pile.
4Going out
To go out, your team needs at least one clean book and one dirty book, and you must have played through your hand and into your foot. You go out by melding or discarding your last card, and your team earns 100 points. Bicycle's rule sheet adds that the last card must be discarded, not simply melded away, and some groups play it that way. Many tables require two clean and two dirty books instead of one of each.
When a player goes out, the round ends for everyone. The other team gets no going-out bonus and must subtract every card left in both players' hands and feet, including any foot that was never picked up.
5Meld minimums by round
Your team's first meld of each round must add up to a minimum number of points using the card values above. Book bonuses and red 3s do not count toward it. Once your team has made its first meld, either partner can add to any of the team's melds without a minimum.
| Round | Minimum first meld | Example that works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | K K K + joker (80) |
| 2 | 90 | Q Q Q + joker + 2 (100) |
| 3 | 120 | A A A + joker + joker (160) |
| 4 | 150 | A A A + joker + joker (160) |
6How to total a round
Score each team separately in the same order so nothing gets missed.
- Add book bonuses: 500 per clean book, 300 per dirty book.
- Add 100 if your team went out.
- Add 100 for each red 3 on the table; subtract 100 for each red 3 left in a hand or foot.
- Add the card values of every card your team melded, books included.
- Subtract the card values of every card left in both partners' hands and feet.
- Add the round score to your running total. After four rounds, the higher total wins.
7Common variants and their numbers
Hand and Foot has many family versions. Agree on these before the first deal, since they change scores a lot.
- 13-card piles: pagat.com lists 13 cards for the hand and 13 for the foot. Some groups deal 11 in the hand and 13 in the foot.
- Two clean and two dirty books to go out, instead of one of each. Some groups also require a wild book.
- Wild books: seven 2s and jokers, worth 1,500 (pagat.com).
- Take the whole discard pile instead of the top seven cards.
- Stricter wild limits: one wild in a meld of 3 to 5 cards, two in a meld of 6 or 7.
- Ask your partner before going out, and follow the answer.
8Worked examples
Team A: went out
Clean book of 7 kings; dirty book of five 8s + 2 + joker; meld of four aces; 1 red 3 laid down; partner still holds Q, 7, 4 in foot
- Book bonuses: 500 (clean) + 300 (dirty) = 800.
- Going out: +100. Red 3 laid down: +100. Bonuses total 1,000.
- Melded cards: kings 7 × 10 = 70. Dirty book: five 8s (50) + 2 (20) + joker (50) = 120. Four aces = 80. Melded total 270.
- Cards left: Q (10) + 7 (5) + 4 (5) = 20.
- 1,000 + 270 − 20 = 1,250.
1,250
Team B: caught with cards
Dirty book of four queens + two 2s + joker; meld of three 6s; meld of 5 5 5 + 2; 1 red 3 laid down; player 1 holds A, 9, 9 and a red 3 in foot; player 2 still in hand with K, 7, 2 and an unplayed 11-card foot
- Book bonus: one dirty book = 300. No going-out bonus.
- Red 3s: +100 for the one laid down, −100 for the one stuck in the foot. Net 0.
- Melded cards: dirty book 4 × 10 + 20 + 20 + 50 = 130. Three 6s = 15. 5 5 5 + 2 = 15 + 20 = 35. Melded total 180.
- Player 1 leftovers: A (20) + 9 (10) + 9 (10) = 40.
- Player 2 hand: K (10) + 7 (5) + 2 (20) = 35.
- Player 2 unplayed foot: joker, A, K, Q, J, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, black 3 = 50 + 20 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 140.
- Cards left total: 40 + 35 + 140 = 215.
- 300 + 0 + 180 − 215 = 265.
265
Checking a first meld in round 3
Planned meld: Q Q Q + joker, and 8 8 8
- Q Q Q + joker = 30 + 50 = 80.
- 8 8 8 = 30. Several melds laid in the same turn count together: 80 + 30 = 110.
- Round 3 needs 120, so this is 10 short. Adding a 2 to the eights (20) brings it to 130 and the meld is legal.
130 (meets 120)
Questions people ask
- How much is a clean book worth in Hand and Foot?
- A clean book of seven natural cards scores a 500-point bonus, plus the value of the cards in it. A dirty book scores 300 plus its cards.
- How many points is a joker in Hand and Foot?
- A joker is worth 50 points. It counts for you if melded and against you if it is still in your hand or foot at the end of the round.
- What happens to red 3s at the end of the round?
- Each red 3 laid down scores +100 for your team. Any red 3 still in a hand or foot, including an unplayed foot, costs 100.
- How much do you get for going out in Hand and Foot?
- Going out earns 100 points. Your team needs at least one clean and one dirty book first, and many tables require two of each.
- What are the meld requirements for each round?
- The first meld must total at least 50 points in round 1, 90 in round 2, 120 in round 3, and 150 in round 4, using card values only.
- Does the foot count against you if you never pick it up?
- Yes. Every card in your hand and your foot counts against your team when someone goes out, whether or not you ever looked at the foot.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- How to Play Hand and Foot, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.
- Hand and Foot, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.