How to Play Canasta: Card Game Rules for 4 and 2 Players
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
How to play canasta, step by step: the two-deck pack, wild cards, red and black threes, melds and canastas, the opening meld, taking the discard pile, going out and scoring — and canasta for 2.
Canasta swept America in the early 1950s and never really left. It is a rummy game played with two decks, in partnerships, with a lot of cards in hand — so it rewards patience and a good memory. These are the classic rules; many clubs play variations.
What you need
- Four players in two partnerships, sitting opposite. (Two-player rules below.)
- Two standard decks plus four jokers — 108 cards — shuffled together.
- A pen and paper for scoring; games run to 5,000.
The deal
Deal 11 cards to each player. Put the rest face down as the stock and turn one card face up to start the discard pile.
The special cards
- Wild cards: all jokers and 2s. They can stand in for any card in a meld.
- Red 3s are bonus cards. If you are dealt or draw one, put it face up in front of you at once and draw a replacement. Each is worth 100.
- Black 3s are stop cards. Discard one and the next player cannot take the discard pile.
Melds and canastas
A meld is three or more cards of the same rank. (There are no runs in canasta.) Each meld must contain at least two natural cards, and no more than three wild cards.
A meld of seven cards is a canasta:
- Natural (or red) canasta — no wild cards: 500 bonus points.
- Mixed (or black) canasta — includes wild cards: 300 bonus points.
Partners meld together: your cards and your partner's go into the same melds.
A turn
- Draw the top card of the stock — or take the whole discard pile (see below).
- Meld if you can and want to.
- Discard one card.
The opening meld
Your side's first meld must reach a minimum value, depending on your score so far:
| Your score | Opening meld must total |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | 15 |
| 0 – 1,495 | 50 |
| 1,500 – 2,995 | 90 |
| 3,000 or more | 120 |
Card values: jokers 50; 2s and Aces 20; K down to 8: 10; 7 down to 4 (and black 3s): 5.
Taking the discard pile
To take the pile you must use its top card in a meld straight away — either by melding it with two natural cards of the same rank from your hand, or (if the pile is not frozen) by adding it to one of your side's melds. Then you take the rest of the pile into your hand.
The pile is frozen when it contains a wild card, and for your side until you have made your opening meld. While frozen, you may only take it with a natural pair matching the top card.
Going out
You may go out — meld or discard your last card — only if your side has at least one canasta. Going out earns 100; going out all in one turn without having melded before ("concealed") earns 200. Asking your partner "may I go out?" first is traditional, and their answer binds you.
Scoring a hand
Each side adds: canasta bonuses, 100 per red 3 (800 for all four), the going-out bonus, and the value of every card melded. Then subtracts the value of cards left in their hands. If a side has melded nothing, their red 3s count against them.
The first side to 5,000 wins.
Canasta for 2 players
Deal 15 cards each. On each turn, draw two cards from the stock and discard one. You need two canastas to go out. Everything else is the same.
Eleven cards from a double deck is a lot to hold, and canasta hands get bigger after taking the pile. A card holder keeps the whole hand in view.
