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It's important to know the values of the cards before you play. Jokers equal 50 points; aces and 2's are worth 20 points; K's, Q's, and J's are worth 10 points as are 10's, 9's; and 8's; 7's, 6's, 5's and 4's are worth five points. Depending on what version is being played, the 3's may have a different function.
The cards are handed out one at a time until each player has 11. The rest, called stock, are put into the face down position. -
The player to the left of the dealer starts by taking a card from the stock and disposing of one already in hand. This card is placed face up on a discard pile. If the player can start a meld already, he should start one after drawing but before discarding.
The term meld is used for a group of cards with the same values that has to contain more than three cards, but no more than three wild cards, and not less than two natural cards. The meld is kept face up on the table until the end of the play. Each team cannot have more than one meld started at a time. -
If the red three is picked up from the stock pile it must be played to the table team and the player has to pick up another card. If in the first hand a black three or a wild card is picked up, then the discard pile is frozen.
The play ends when a player has used all of his cards, but you can only "go out" if your team has met certain conditions pertaining to the melds created. -
A player can only "go out" if all the cards in his hand have been used and if the team has more than one canasta meld. A player can also go out if he can meld all of his cards, except for the final card, which is placed in the discard pile.
To get a canasta there must be at least seven cards in the meld, including any combination of regular cards and wild cards. A natural canasta is one comprised of only natural cards. In team play, a player must ask his teammate for permission to go out. This prevents your partner from going out while you are still holding playable cards.
