Nevertheless, the real fun begins when you try to comply with all the rules, conditions, restrictions, scoring, and penalty directions in the game. In the classic Canasta version, the desired common feature is the ranking of the cards, so you’re collecting matching face and number cards and displaying them on the table. What is Canasta?Ĭanasta is a card melding game, which means that your task is to create groups of cards based on specific shared characteristics. Read on and learn how to play Canasta one step at a time.

Other similar games to Canasta (our guides).

This Canasta rules guide will cover the following:

Nevertheless, I will also briefly mention some other popular versions of the game towards the end. This Canasta gameplay guide will cover mainly the most popular version of the game for four players divided into two teams. It might also be worthwhile getting to grips with many of the Canasta terms too! Popular modern games like Joker or Wizzard (see Joker rules and Wizzard rules for comparison) are all considered related to Canasta and share many similarities.īut even if you have experience with other similar games, Canasta might still surprise you with its complexity and various specifics.įirst of all, you’ll see that there are many interpretations of the Canasta rules (sometimes even contradicting each other), so before you start playing, make sure that you and your mates are on the same page.

If you want to learn the game, this Canasta rules guide is just what you need.Ĭanasta is a classic rummy-style game with a long history and dozens of variations.

Everyone has heard of it, but not so many know how to play it. Legendarily intricate Canasta is a queen of traditional card games.

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