An introduction to the version named above. Special cases and local rules may differ. Agree on your rules before the first hand.
GAME PHASE 01
Goal & deck
108 cards
Canasta uses two full 52-card decks plus 4 jokers: 108 cards. Four players form two teams; partners sit opposite each other.
11 cards each
Every player receives 11 cards. The rest becomes the stock; one card is turned up to start the discard pile.
Race to 5000
The game ends when a team reaches at least 5,000 points at the end of a hand. If both do, the higher total wins.
GAME PHASE 02
Melds
Equal ranks only
Unlike Rummy, Canasta has no runs: you only meld cards of EQUAL rank, at least 3 of them. Melds belong to the team: both partners add to them.
Wild cards
Jokers and ALL twos are wild: they stand in for any rank. A meld may contain at most 3 wild cards, and it always needs more natural cards than wilds.
Red threes: instant bonus
Red threes (hearts and diamonds) are pure bonus cards. Draw one and you lay it out immediately and draw a replacement. Each red three is worth 100 bonus points; all four together 800.
GAME PHASE 03
Canasta!
Seven of a kind
Grow a meld to 7 cards of one rank and it becomes a canasta, the 'basket' the game is named after. Canastas are the big point-makers.
Natural beats mixed
A natural canasta contains no wild cards and earns a 500-point bonus. A mixed canasta (with jokers or twos) earns 300. On top of the bonus, every card in it keeps its normal value.
No canasta, no going out
Your team may only end the round (go out) once it has completed at least one canasta. Until then you keep drawing, melding and discarding.
GAME PHASE 04
The discard pile & freezing
Taking the whole pile
Instead of drawing from the stock you may capture the ENTIRE discard pile, if you can immediately meld its top card using two matching natural cards from your hand.
Freezing the pile
A discarded wild card freezes the pile. A black three only blocks immediate pickup; it does not freeze it. A frozen pile requires two matching natural cards in your hand.
GAME PHASE 05
Scoring
The opening threshold rises
The opening meld needs 15 card points with a negative team score, 50 at 0–1495, 90 at 1500–2995 and 120 from 3000.
Card values
Jokers 50, twos and aces 20, K down to 8 count 10, and 7 down to 4 plus black threes count 5. These values apply both to melds (plus) and to cards left in hand (minus).
Ending a round
A round ends when a player goes out (empty hand, team has a canasta) or the stock runs dry. Then each team adds meld values and bonuses and subtracts the cards still in hand.
FROM READING TO UNDERSTANDING
Try it again.
With cards on the table.
The iPhone app walks you through sample rounds at your own pace. All eleven games and every lesson are free. You can also play Mau-Mau against computer opponents.
Explore Kartenschule ↗Coming soon to the App Store. In English and German.Publisher: Sebastian Kurock. Updated October 2, 2026. Based on Kartenschule’s own lessons. Pagat: Classic Canasta