Canasta Hand and Foot Rules

Object of the Game

Play all or as many of the cards in your Hand and Foot before your opponent does and achieve the highest possible score.

Overview

The game is played with standard decks — the number of decks used equals the number of players plus one.
Each player has two hands of cards: the Hand (played first) and the Foot (played when the Hand is used up).
Each hand begins with 13 cards.

Players start with their Hand until it's exhausted, then pick up their Foot and continue playing until it's exhausted or the deck runs out of playable cards.

Once a player has picked up their Foot, they must not go out until the required Books are met — otherwise, a penalty applies.
When a player goes out, the round ends.

Going Down and Creating Books

Each turn:

• Draw 2 cards from the draw pile.
• Optionally meld cards (place down sets).
• Discard 1 card to end the turn.

This continues until a player goes out or the draw pile runs out of playable cards.

Minimum Point Requirements for the Initial Meld

Card Values

Threes are not meldable and are used only as discards.

Melds and Books

• Meld = 3+ cards of the same rank → starts a Clean Book
• Meld = 2 same rank + 1 wild → starts a Dirty Book
• Wilds may only start new books with pairs on initial meld.
• 7 cards = a Book (or Canasta).

The total points of all melded cards must meet or exceed the round's minimum before going down.

Once a player meets the requirement, they're "Down" and may freely meld afterward.

Book or Canasta Values

Book bonuses cannot count toward the initial meld requirement.

After going down:

• Wilds may be added (max 3 per book).
• Ratio: at least 1 natural card per wild.
• Once closed, only natural cards can be added — the book type doesn't change.
• You cannot play on opponents' books.

Drawing from the Discard Pile

The pile is frozen if:

• The top card is a Wild (2 or Joker).
• The top card is a Three (Red or Black).
• The top card matches a closed Book's rank. (May be removed in future versions.)

Otherwise:

• You may choose to draw 7 cards from the discard pile (and take the top one).
• Or draw 2 cards from the draw pile.
• To pick up the discard pile, you must have two cards of the same rank as the top discard in your hand.

Picking Up the Foot

Once your Hand is empty:

• Move your Foot to your Hand.
• If your last Hand card was discarded, your turn ends.
• If your last card was melded, you may continue melding before discarding.

Going Out

"Going Out" = playing all cards in both Hand and Foot.

Requirements:

• At least 1 Clean Book and 1 Dirty Book.
• The last card may be melded or discarded.
• Bonus: +100 points for going out.

When a player goes out:

• Count all melds.
• Subtract the opponent's remaining Hand and Foot values.

Four-Player Game

• Use five decks.
• Teams may create multiple books per rank.
• To go out, a team must have:
  • 2 Clean Books
  • 3 Dirty Books

(Online version only requires 1 of each.)

Table Options

• Tables for 2 or 4 players
• Restrict by player level
• Choose:
  • Number of rounds
  • Credits wagered
  • Timer (30 or 60 seconds)
  • Joker melds allowed or not
  • Chat enabled or disabled
  • Anonymous tables
• Private tables (future feature)
• Spectator mode (future feature)

Configuration Options

• Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Portuguese
• Customize:
  • Table color
  • Card animation speed
  • Card interaction (double-click or drag)
  • Full-screen mode

Experience Points

• +5 XP per game played
• +5 XP extra per win

Ranking (ELO)

• Ranks: A (best) to E (lowest)
• Gain rank by defeating higher-ranked players.
• Lose fewer points to higher players, more to lower ones.
• Based on ELO (chess-style) system.

Weekly Ranking

• +10 points per win.
• Top weekly scorer wins the ranking.
• Weekly winners who made purchases receive credit prizes proportional to their spending.
• Non-purchasing winners receive a fixed credit reward.

Player List Functions

• Add Favorite: select player → Add
• View Favorites: click Favorites
• Remove Favorite: click Add again
• Block Player: click Block icon
• View Info: click Information icon
• Private Message: click message icon

Tables

• Available Tables: join open seats
• Full Tables: view ongoing matches
• Player Info: click player's photo

Play Now

• Auto-join a random table quickly.
• Choose 2 or 4-player games.

Create Table

• Create a custom table (options from Table Options).

Show Game

• Return to an ongoing game after leaving to the Lobby.

Leave Table

• Leaving counts as surrender.
• You lose double the credits wagered.

Lobby System

• "Lobby 1, 2, …" shown above player list.
• Click to switch rooms.
• Used for server load balancing; may host special modes later.

Get Credits

• Purchase credits to play longer.
• Access via:
  • Get Credits button
  • "+" icon next to credit counter
• Free credits every 24h (amount varies per game).
• Mobile versions may allow earning via ads.

Credit Counter

Displays your available credits, shown on the game's yellow bar (left side).