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A player has several melds but no canastas. The player has only one card left in his hand. He picks up a card that he can add to one of his melds - but not enough to make a canasta. Can he add that card to a meld and discard his remaining card. On the next turn he has to pick up a card and immediately discard it. Is this correct ?

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They will not be able to pick up a card that they can add to an existing meld unless there are multiple cards on the discard pile.

Rules

A player with only one card left in their hand may not take the discard pile if there is only one card in it.

Also they can't discard the last card unless they have a canasta on the table

A player goes out when they get rid of the last card in their hand by discarding or melding it, provided that their side has melded at least one canasta or they complete a canasta while going out. Failing this requirement, a player must keep at least one card in their hand. When a player goes out, the hand ends and the results on both sides are scored.

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  • So a player with no canastas and with just one card in his hand can simply discard the pick up for ever until someone wins. Is that correct ?
    – tony b
    Commented Jul 30, 2019 at 18:28
  • That depends, if they are just one card away from a canasta they can hope to draw the correct card. Or if they are playing with a partner they can hope their partner can finish one. Otherwise they are just out of luck and hope the other player doesn't run the score up.
    – Joe W
    Commented Jul 30, 2019 at 18:52
  • So does that mean that a player has to have a card in his hand while it is not his turn or a card in his hand while it is his turn - i.e picked up from the stock and immediately discarded
    – tony b
    Commented Aug 10, 2019 at 11:31
  • A player always has to have at least one card in hand until they go out
    – Joe W
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 3:26
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    On your turn you will always have at least two cards, one from your hand and one that you drew from the deck.
    – Joe W
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 16:59
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If they draw from the stock, they cannot add to a meld because they would go out without a canasta by discarding the other card in their hand.

Rules A player goes out when they get rid of the last card in their hand by discarding or melding it, provided that their side has melded at least one canasta or they complete a canasta while going out. Failing this requirement, a player must keep at least one card in their hand.

If they draw from the discard pile, they can add it to a meld and then add the rest of the discard pile to their hand.

Rules Or, if the player wishes, they may instead (subject to restrictions under "Taking the Discard Pile") take the top card of the discard pile to use it in a meld; having done so, they must take the rest of the discard pile.

At this point, they will have at least 2 cards in their hand again since the discard pile will have had at least one more card in it since they can't draw from it if there is only 1 left. So then they can discard and still have at least 1 card in their hand.

Rules A player with only one card left in their hand may not take the discard pile if there is only one card in it.

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    This does not appear to add any information that is not in the existing answer and it doesn't provide a source for the information.
    – Joe W
    Commented May 13, 2021 at 0:50
  • I tried to just add a comment to your answer, but I was not allowed. Your answer to Tony B's question in his first comment was incomplete. You suggest they have to hope they are close enough to a canasta to draw what they need or have their partner help. However, the rule you provided, "A player with only one card left in their hand may not take the discard pile if there is only one card in it," only applies when "there is only one card in [the discard pile]." Since there is no rule specifying you can't pick it up if there is more than one, that means you can.
    – shuameston
    Commented May 13, 2021 at 21:07
  • The information I added was the other option they have of drawing from the discard pile as long as there is not only one card in it.
    – shuameston
    Commented May 13, 2021 at 21:10
  • That information is in the existing answer with the line that says they can't draw from the discard if there is only a single card in it. By the very nature of saying you can't draw from the pile if there is only a single card means you can draw from the pile if there is more than a single card in it.
    – Joe W
    Commented May 13, 2021 at 21:37
  • Your answer doesn't include the restrictions when a player has a single card in hand.
    – Joe W
    Commented May 13, 2021 at 21:45

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