Questions tagged [canasta]
Card game similar to Rummy, played with two packs of cards. Usually with four players in two partnerships who seek to 'meld' sets of seven cards of the same rank to clear their hand. Variants exist for other numbers of players.
67
questions
6
votes
1
answer
302
views
Replacing red threes
If a player is dealt (i.e., dealt during the deal, not as draws drawn later) red threes and on their first turn they want to pick up the pile, when do they pick up the replacement cards for the red ...
- 61
0
votes
1
answer
32
views
Canasta: Going out without drawing
In Canasta, I go out without drawing a card for my final hand? I know I don’t have to discard, but do I need to draw a card?
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
in Canasta, is it allowed to pick up from a frozen pile?
In classic Canasta, if I have a dirty canasta in 10s and someone discards a 10, can I pick it up from a frozen pile?
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
90
views
Melding in American Canasta
In modern American canasta a meld of 180 is needed to meld. You can meld with enough points but have only one card left to discard. The card is a wild card. Is this acceptable?
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
Going out with 7's on the table [duplicate]
Can I go out if my partner has an incomplete 7's canasta on the table? I have a wild card and one other card in my hand.
0
votes
1
answer
125
views
Frozen discard pile for Canasta
For the initial meld with the pile frozen, what are the rules for picking up the discard pile? If the minimum meld is 120, is the meld plus two naturals needed to pick up the pile, or just two ...
0
votes
1
answer
306
views
I want to meld and pick the pack .. there is a seven on top of pack I have two sevens and a outside triple .. can I pick pack for seven?
Can I pick pack for 7 ? I have 125 points and clean triple . This is my initial held . Or must I have 3 7? This is canasta
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
87
views
How many cards do you have to have in your hand to finish a meld that has 6 cards in Hand and Foot canasta?
If there is 6 Jack's in a meld, how many Jack's do you have to have in your hand?
6
votes
2
answers
360
views
What is the purpose of minimum points required for initial meld?
In Canasta and several variants of Contract-Rummy, like Rummikub and Kaluki, there is an "initial meld" rule: The first melds put down by a player must consist of cards to a total value of ...
- 161
1
vote
1
answer
44
views
Canasta Question
If you pick up the pile of discards to meld, can you then use the entire rest of the pile in that same turn or do you have to wait until your next turn to use the rest of the pile?
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
319
views
Canasta, frozen, ONLY allowed to pick up to the wild card? Not whole pack, what?
In Canasta, when the pile is frozen, you need a natural pair to pick up.
I've joined a group that says you can ONLY pick up to the freeze wild card, YOU ARE NOT allowed to take the whole discard pack....
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
81
views
0
votes
1
answer
50
views
Can a deck be unfrozen by only using the top card
If the deck is frozen, I know it can only be unfrozen by having a natural pair from your hand and using the top card to meld. My question is… if you only want the top card, do you have to take the ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
750
views
Canasta: Can I open with a dirty Canasta without a natural and without points
Can I open with a canasta, JJJJJ22, without a natural and without minimum card points?
1
vote
1
answer
552
views
Going Out Concealed in Classic Canasta
I'm new to Canasta, so I've been reading a lot of rules on the internet and found out that there are many variations. Luckily, the rules to Classic Canasta seem to be pretty consistent from site to ...
0
votes
1
answer
783
views
Canasta Red-3 Up-Card
In the rules of Canasta, it says that if the up-card at the beginning of a round is a Red 3, then the discard pile is frozen.
But doesn't that go without saying? The discard pile is always frozen to ...
1
vote
1
answer
364
views
When playing canasta, why would I ever want to discard a wild card rather than adding it to a meld?
New at canasta. Can’t figure out why one would ever want to discard a wild card instead of adding it to one of their melds.
- 11
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Wild card discard in Canasta
I have 3 remaining cards in my hand. 1 Ace and 2 wild cards. At my turn, I place the Ace on the table to complete my second Canasta and then discard a wild card. The other players say I cannot do this,...
- 91
-1
votes
1
answer
87
views
Ending a two handed game
It’s my turn. It is a two handed game of Canasta.
I have three cards left in my hand. There is only one card left in the Stock pile. Can I pick up the one card and play my hand?
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
629
views
In Canasta, if the discard pile has already been frozen with a wild card, is a subsequent discard allowed to be another wild card?
I think my title contains the complete question, but I'll try to rephrase it here. When playing Canasta, if the discard pile has already been frozen with a sideways facing wild card, can an ...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
174
views
American Canasta - initial meld with less than the required points
If a player puts down an initial meld that is less than the required number of points, what happens?
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
295
views
Pick up the not frozen discard pile having a Canasta meld
My wife and I have gotten into a bit of an argument.
If the discard deck is not frozen, and I have already met the minimum meld whether that be 50, 90 or 120, can I pick up the discard deck with a ...
2
votes
1
answer
6k
views
How do you score an all wild card Canasta?
Today I made my first ALL Wild card Canasta with six 2's and a Joker in Classic Canasta :O)
How much is this worth please?
Also, it was concealed... does that 'Up' the bonus?
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Initial meld with a canasta
In Modern/American canasta can I meld with a canasta that contains wild cards if I also have a natural to meld with it?
For example, I have five J’s and two 2’s, and three 9’s.
Counting card ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
120
views
Picking up a pile
We play by the old-fashioned (original) canasta rules (not the American). Question is: if your opponents make a canasta, and you hold two cards in that rank, and the opponent to your right discards ...
0
votes
2
answers
2k
views
One card in hand
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 ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
142
views
Frozen discard pile
When picking up a frozen discard pile I understand that you have to have a natural pair in your hand, but can I add those cards to a meld in play in front of me to create a canasta?
- 3
2
votes
1
answer
114
views
Canasta pick up from discard pile
If your discard is the only card in the discard pile, can the next player pick up the one club assuming they have 2 in their hand.
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Incomplete canasta and going out
If I pick up a large pack in the discard pile and put down an incomplete 7’s canasta are there and rules or restrictions about going out without completing it?
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can I move a wildcard after melding if I get 3 natural cards in canasta?
Can I move wildcards around, from set to set, to build a canasta?
- 21
3
votes
2
answers
298
views
Does adding a deck change the odds?
We are playing a version of Canasta.
Tonight we had 6 players and 4 decks. Everyone playing individually. The goal is to get the most points which is most easily achieved by getting a “canasta” - i....
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
286
views
Taking Discard Pile with One Natural Card in Hand
When the Discard Pile is not frozen and the top card matches a single natural card I have in my hand, but I know there is another marching card lower in the Discard Pile, may I take the Discard Pile? ...
- 151
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Canasta Going Out with Stock Exhausted and Only One Card in Hand and Discard Pile
If the Stock is Empty, it's my turn, I have one card in my hand and there is one card in the discard pile, can I take it if I can add the discard pile card to an existing meld and discard my remaining ...
- 151
1
vote
1
answer
364
views
Going Out with Stock Exhausted
When the Stock is Exhausted, I know each player is supposed to take the Discard Pile if he can add the top card to an existing meld. Is it possible to Go Out when the Stock is Exhausted before your ...
- 151
4
votes
1
answer
397
views
Initial meld and additional pair of same rank
Playing Canasta, can I make the initial meld of:
2,A,A,A and 8,8,8,8 = 120 and then pick up the 8 from the discard pile with 8,8 remaining in my hand?
when the situation is:
My hand: 2,A,A,A, 8,8,8,8,...
- 43
1
vote
0
answers
84
views
Is there a penalty for forgetting to draw?
In a 2 player game, if a player forgets to draw from the stock and tables their first meld (without needing to draw the top discard), would there be a penalty? Or, once noticed could they then draw ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
99
views
In canasta, What is the top card of the discard pile?
This is very similar to existing questions, but resulted in heated debate. Here's the situation: first player discards a seven. Second player discards a wild card. Question: Is the top card a seven or ...
0
votes
1
answer
137
views
Putting opponent’s cards in your hand in canasta
What happens when a player — who just took a very large deck — accidentally picks up her opponent’s hand of 6 cards and adds them to her hand? It was impossible to identify which cards she should not ...
- 9
1
vote
0
answers
141
views
what does frozen and unfrozen discard pile mean? I've been playing for a while and never heard that term? [duplicate]
What makes the discard pile locked or frozen? I've never heard of this term.
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
227
views
Discarding after picking up discard pile in Canasta
Today we had a situation. Player legally picked up discard pile. All he had left in hand were dead cards and wild cards. Is there a rule about which should be discarded first?
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
717
views
Looking through the discard pile in canasta
Suppose I have cards enough in my hand to pick up the discard pile in canasta. For this scenario, it does not matter whether the pile is frozen or not.
Can I look through the cards of the discard ...
2
votes
1
answer
204
views
Canasta - initial pickup
Is it permissable to table initial meld and then pick up discard pile with a wild card and one natural card which matches the one on the top of the discard pile all in the same turn? Thank you for ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
502
views
Canasta - picking up stock pile
My partner and I had a canasta of 9s and I had a pickup which contained three 9s which I held in my hand to use as fairly safe discards because the pack was frozen. I used one of them and then my ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
613
views
Canasta Melding with insufficent points
Opponent melded and at same time picked the discards. Subsequently she finds out she has too few points to meld and therefore picks up her meld and returns the discards. I believe at that point the ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Using an existing Canasta to pick up the discard pile
I understand that you can pick up the top discard (and then the whole discard pile) if the pile is not frozen, and the top card matches a meld you have on the table.
I have some friends who play that ...
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Canasta Playing Wild Card on a Canasta
Can you play a wild card on an existing Canasta if it becomes the 4th wild card in the meld?
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Can you play a wild card on an existing Canasta to go out?
Canasta. Can you play a wild card on an existing Canasta to go out?
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
828
views
alternatives for odd # of players in hand and foot canasta
Can we have a dummy score for a fourth player instead of having to play on our own?
It is hard when there are 11 players.
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Canasta opening with jokers
Can you open with 5 wild cards, then use a sixth to put with a pair?
My partner needed 155 points and this is the only way they could open.
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
What are you allowed to do if you only have 1 card in hand, and no Canastas yet?
In a four player game, if a player has only one card left but his team does not have a canasta, can he pull a card from the stack and discard one, still leaving him a card in his hand?
If the card he ...
- 11