How to Play Canasta on Club Pogo

Canasta comes from South America and is Spanish for basket. It's a card game played with two decks and a complex set of rules. You can play with 2 or 4 players. If you don't have anyone to play with, get online and play on Club Pogo.

Instructions

1. Go to the Club Pogo Web site at pogo.com. To play canasta, you will have to pay to join Club Pogo. However, you can get a two-week free trial.

2. Click on Canasta. You will be taken to the game page and will have the ranking of beginner. You should play in the beginner rooms unless you click on the "Social" tab.

3. Decide whether you want to play a 2-player or 4-player canasta game and click on "Play Now" to begin playing immediately. However, if you do this, you will have to play an opponent's rules. Set your own rules by going to an empty table and waiting for another player to join you. Players may also request to watch your game.

4. Greet the other players briefly at the beginning of the game and say goodbye at the conclusion of the game. You don't have to chat further if you find it distracting. However, a canasta game consists of several hands and chatting can help pass the time.

5. Play by trying to achieve melds, groups of 3 or more cards of the same value. A canasta is a meld of 7 cards; at least 1 is needed before you can go out (get rid of all your cards). You can fill your canasta with 2s or jokers, which are wild, but canastas that don't contain wild cards that are worth more points. As your score rises, the first melds of each hand must be larger.

6. Block other players from picking up the discard pile by putting black 3s or cards with values already contained in the other player's canastas. You can also put a 2 on the pile to freeze it, requiring the other player to have certain cards in hand before picking up the discard pile.

7. Win the game by being the first player to reach 5,000 points and receive a jackpot spin for prize tokens. These tokens can be redeemed for chances to win cash at daily, weekly or monthly drawings.

Tips & Warnings

• You can request to join a game in progress as a watcher and see how it's played before attempting to play yourself.

• Games can either be rated or unrated. Playing rated games can advance you in rank, but because the game depends partly on luck, advancing can be difficult.

• If you're waiting for a specific player to come to a game room, make the room private so you don't get several requests to play while you're waiting.

Resources

• Learn the rules of canasta on the Canasta page of B&P Games.