Edition: Classic canasta for four players in two partnerships, with two decks and four jokers, played to 5,000 points. Last checked October 25, 2026
Canasta Rules: How to Play Classic Canasta
Canasta is a rummy-style game for two teams where you collect at least seven cards of the same rank to make a canasta. It has been a family and club favorite since the 1950s. Here are the classic rules and the points that raise the most questions.
- Players
- 4 in two teams, can also be played by 2 or 3
- Age
- 10 and up
- Playing time
- 1 to 2 hours
How to win: Score points by melding cards and making canastas. The first team to reach 5,000 points wins.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Canasta.
When is the discard pile frozen?
When it holds a wild card, or your team has not melded yet.
The pile is frozen if it contains a joker or a 2, or if your team has not melded yet. Then you may only take it with two natural cards in your hand that match the top card. If it is not frozen, you may also take it with one natural card and one wild card, or if the top card matches one of your team's melds.
Some families play that the pile is always frozen, so you always need a natural pair in your hand.
Can you take the pile when a black 3 is on top?
No.
A black 3 blocks the pile for the next player. You can also never take the pile when the top card is a joker or a 2.
Some let a black 3 freeze the pile completely until it is covered.
Can you meld black 3s?
Only when going out.
Black 3s may only be melded on the turn you go out, and without wild cards.
Some allow three black 3s as a meld earlier in the hand.
Do you have to ask your partner before going out?
No, but you may.
You may ask your partner whether you can go out. If you ask, you must follow the answer.
Many families require you to always ask your partner first.
What you need
- Two standard decks with 4 jokers in total, 108 cards
- Paper and pencil for keeping score
Setup
- 1Partners sit across from each other.
- 2Shuffle all 108 cards and deal 11 cards to each player.
- 3Place the rest face down as the stock and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.
- 4If you have any red 3s in your hand, lay them face up in front of you right away and draw replacements.
How to play
- 1The player to the dealer's left goes first. Play moves clockwise.
- 2Draw the top card of the stock, or take the whole discard pile if you are allowed to.
- 3Meld: at least 3 cards of the same rank. Jokers and 2s are wild and can stand in for any rank.
- 4Every meld needs at least 2 natural cards and no more than 3 wild cards.
- 5Your team's first meld must be worth a minimum number of points, depending on your team's total score.
- 6Partners share their melds, so you may add to melds your partner has laid down.
- 7Seven cards of the same rank make a canasta. Without wild cards it is natural, with wild cards it is mixed.
- 8End your turn by discarding one card onto the discard pile.
- 9You may only go out when your team has at least one canasta. You may ask your partner if you can go out, and you must follow the answer.
- 10When someone goes out, both teams score. Keep playing hands until a team reaches 5,000 points.
Card values
- Joker: 50 points
- Ace and 2: 20 points
- King down to 8: 10 points
- 7 down to 4: 5 points
- Black 3: 5 points
- Red 3: 100 points, and all four red 3s are worth 800 points
Initial meld
The minimum depends on your team's total score at the start of the hand. Bonuses do not count toward it.
- Below 0 points: at least 15 points
- 0 to 1,495 points: at least 50 points
- 1,500 to 2,995 points: at least 90 points
- 3,000 points or more: at least 120 points
Bonuses
- Natural canasta: 500 points
- Mixed canasta: 300 points
- Going out: 100 points
- Going out concealed, with no earlier melds: 200 points in total
- Cards on the table count as plus, cards left in your hand count as minus
- Red 3s count as minus instead of plus if your team has not melded anything
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Canasta rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Canasta?
With four players, each player gets 11 cards.
What is a canasta?
A canasta is seven cards of the same rank. A natural canasta with no wild cards scores 500 points, and a mixed one scores 300 points.
How many points do you play to in Canasta?
Classic canasta is played to 5,000 points.
Source: The classic international canasta rules, used in canasta clubs in the US, Denmark and elsewhere. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.