How to Play Canasta Online
Online canasta is a great way to avoid work, folding laundry, cutting the grass and a whole host of other drudgeries. Its also great because you don't have to wait for a live person to agree to play. There are thousands on folks on the yahoo canasta game rooms and they all are ready and willing to start a game. Just beware that it is addicting!
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Instructions
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GETTING STARTED
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First off, if you don't already have a Yahoo account, you must register for one. It is completely free and easy to do right from the Yahoo.com website. Besides being able to play canasta and a bunch of other games, you get a free email address with your account. If you already have an email service that you like, you can use this one for junk mail.
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Once you have your screen name and password, click on GAMES, then CARD GAMES, then CANASTA, then GO NOW. You will next be prompted to log in. Then, you will have to click a link that allows you to bypass ads and go on to the game room. Click on PLAY NOW, and let Yahoo take you straight to an available room, or choose a specific game room, by clicking on its title. The games rooms are organized under the categories SOCIAL, BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED, LADDER and LEAGUE. It is probably best to start off in a Social room or a Beginner room, until you get comfortable and earn some ratings. The Ladder and League rooms are strictly for expert players who have signed up for an enhanced, paid service.
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Once you have clicked PLAY NOW or clicked on a specific room, you will next have to deal with a captcha. These awful things are very difficult to read at times but are there to prevent hackers from ruining the fun. All you have to do is re-enter the letter and number combination that is given to you. If you can't make out the captcha, just keep clicking CONTINUE until Yahoo issues one that you can. Don't worry, you will not be locked out for multiple mistakes. Once you have conquered the captcha, you will be directed to the game room. On the screen will be a list of every player in the room and both the games that are in progress and the people that are waiting for other players. Simply click on an empty space next to someone's screen name and once the game board appears, click START GAME, found in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
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You can also start your own table if you want to set the terms of the game. There are many choices. You can choose two or four players, one or two canastas to go out, one or two cards drawn from the pile on your turn, a rated or unrated game and kibbitz or no kibbitz. If you have already played canasta with people in person, you probably know about the first three choices but are a little fuzzy about the last two. First, each player has a rating. Your rating starts out at 1500 and goes up or down depending on how well you do in your games. Some players could care less about ratings, while others take them VERY seriously, even refusing to play with those whose ratings are deemed too low. Kibbitz refers to ability to chat with other players, typing on your keyboard as you would for an email. Some players have come more to be social than to play, while others just want to focus on their cards. Make your choices to start your table, or if you have joined another player, look at the left hand side of screen to see what the host has chosen for the rules of play.
THE PLAY
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Canasta online is the same as canasta in person in many ways. The basic rules, scoring and object is the same. What may differ a bit is the other players and their strategies. Many people who play online for the first time are surprised to discover how different it is than playing with their friends and relatives. First, when playing a two player game, people generally try to go out concealed or dump their hand immediately and wait with a few cards to go out at the first opportunity. To compete, you will probably have to do the same. Play goes very fast with two person games.
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Second, partner games vary a bit as well. Since you share the points, most people know that you should not keep playable cards in your hand but instead meld as soon as you can and as often as you can to allow your partner to see what you have. Many people online do not do this. It can be quite frustrating to watch your partner keep a fistful of cards when you suspect that you can play on whatever they have.
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Finally, expect quite a bit of pile freezing to go on in four player games. When playing with live people, it is usually an unwritten rule that one does not freeze the pile unless they have nothing to discard that the other player won't be able to pick up, or unless they do not want to part with anything in their hand. Online though, people routinely freeze the pile for no apparent reason, even throwing out jokers when they are unable to reach the necessary points to meld. This can also be quite frustrating, especially when the hand ends and no one has gotten the pile at all. One way to defend yourself against this practice is to never lay down everything that you have. For example, if you have five sevens, only lay down three of them. This way your partner knows what you are collecting and you will able to pick up the frozen pile when an unsuspecting opponent throws a seven your way.
OTHER TIPS FOR ONLINE PLAY
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On occasion you will encounter an abusive player or a player that has seemingly left his or her computer in the middle of the game to make a cheeseburger. When this happens, if you are the host of the table, you can click BOOT and then click on their screen name when the box pops up. This will eject the player from the table and allow you to get a replacement.
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If someone has left the table in the middle of the game, you have a few choices. You can ask another player to sub, force that person to forfeit the game (counts as a win for you and a loss for them), save the game for later or cancel the game and start over. You must wait for three minutes after the player has abandoned the game and then a box will pop up with these choices.
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You must develop a thicker skin when dealing with people online than you may have in real life. A player may boot you or refuse to play with you simply because they want to play someone with a higher rating or they are waiting for a friend. Do not get your feelings hurt. Some people just take the game quite seriously. Also, while you can meet great, funny people while playing canasta, take care not to reveal too much personal info. All the same rules of online safety apply to game playing as well.
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The table may be either private or public. A public game allows anyone to come in and watch play or to sit in an abandoned seat. A private game is just that, private. Only people who you invite can come to the table. If you have all the players you need, it is best to make the table private as this helps Yahoo to move faster for some reason.
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Players often speak to each other in Yahoo canasta's own special brand of shorthand. This can be really confusing to the newbie. Below is a list of common abbreviations and their meanings. The list is not exhaustive as there are several combinations that can be used, but it should give you an idea of what in the world everyone is saying. COMMON CANASTA SHORTHAND ABBREVIATED PHRASES:brb- be right backcyep-close your eyes partnere1-everyonegg-good gamegh-good handgla-good luck allgtg-got to gonmp-nice move partner or nice meld partnerncp-nice canasta partnernjp-nice job partnernpup-nice pick up partnernrcp-nice red canasta partnernr3p-nice red three partnerty-thank youvnjp-very nice job partneryw-your welcomeGood luck and happy playing!!
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