Classic Canasta
Four players, two partnerships, two decks with four jokers. The first side to 5 000 points wins.
Card values
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace | 20 |
| 2 (wild) | 20 |
| K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 |
| Black 3 | 5 |
| Red 3 | 100 |
Bonuses
| Natural (pure) canasta | +500 |
| Mixed canasta (with wild cards) | +300 |
| Red three | +100 each |
| All four red threes | +800 total |
| Going out | +100 |
| Going out concealed | +200 |
Minimum initial meld
| Your team score | Minimum meld |
|---|---|
| Minus score to 1 499 | 50 |
| 1 500 – 2 999 | 90 |
| 3 000 and above | 120 |
Scoring a hand
A team scores the card value of everything melded on the table, plus canasta, red three and going-out bonuses, minus the card value of everything still in the players' hands.
A canasta is seven or more cards of one rank. Made only of natural cards it is a natural canasta; with one to three wild cards it is a mixed canasta. A team must have at least one canasta before it can go out.
Red threes count 100 each for a team that has melded, or count against it if the team never melded. Holding all four is worth 800.
Black threes only block the discard pile; they can be melded solely on the hand a team goes out.