Dr. Carla Goddard

Learn to Play Canasta



Posted: Monday, August 09, 2010

by Dr. Carla Goddard

Canasta is one of the favorite card games of all times, including family game nights in our house. It is one of the simplier card games that can be learned rather easily; however, it is also a game where the house rules can vary from table to table. In the 1950's is the time frame when Canasta was the biggest fad in the history of card games.

Basic Canasta can be adapted for two, three, five, and six players; the most common form of the game is played with four people in partnership. There are 108 cards used (two regular decks plus four jokers). In Canasta sequences do not count and rank has no part in the game. Each player is dealt, one at a time, 11 cards and the rest are set in the stock pile just as in regular Rummy.

Each player, begining with the player to the left of the dealer, draw a card from the top of the stockpile or from the top of the discard pile. All jokers and dueces are wild cards and can be used as any replacement card. In order to meld a player must have three or more cards of the same rank that include at least two natural cards and not more of three wild cards. to begin with an initial meld of 50 points to start the game off. From that point on the meld is based upon score; over 1500 is a meld of 90 and over 3,000 is a meld of 120. The game is 5,000 points.

Any player can pick up from the discard pile as long as they have two or more of the natural cards in their hand to match the top card. Some play that the deck is frozen until initial meld needing the two natural cards, after melding only one natural and one wild card is needed. The deck in this case can be refrozen with a wild card at any time. When a card is picked up from the discard player, the two natural cards (or one natural and one wild) need to be layed down before picking up the deck. Our house rule is that two natural are always needed in order to pick from the discard pile.

If a player draws a red three, it is immediately placed face up and another card is drawn. Upon scoring each red three is worth 100 points or if all four red threes are collected the points are doubled to 800. If the red three's are collected and the game ends before the person with the red three's meld, they are penalized 500 points. Black threes cover the discard pile so that the next player can not pick up stock pile.

When a person or team melds seven cards it is called a Canasta. If it is made with no wild cards, it is known as a natural. Each person or team must have two Canasta's to go out. If you are having team play, the partner must ask first to go out. If you are playing single player and you go out concelled it is an extra hundred points. This means that a person makes two Canasta's in their hand without assistance from a partner. When going out concelled the point count to meld is not necessary to be made. This earns you an extra 100 points.

Scoring

Scoring is 100 points for going out

200 points for going out concelled

100 points for each red three (double if have all 4)

500 points for each natural Canasta

300 points for each mixed Canasta

50 points for melded Jokers

20 points for melded two's or A's

10 points for melded K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8

5 points for melded 7, 6, 5, 4

For any cards remaining in your hand after a person/team goes out, deduct the total from your melded counts.

The variations for different players are for two players deal 13 cards. There are variations of team play for the different number of players depending on the house rules.

Learning to play Canasta can provide hours of family fun.
Dr. Carla Goddard is a contemporary Shaman Medicine Woman. Father was of a small Nation in Maine, trained with a Mohawk Shaman, studied with a Waiest Monk, and academia background in Metaphysical Sciences specializing in Parapsychology.

She draws upon the energetic flow of life to share with people a path to heal their own souls, to find the flow of energy in their own life, and to have profound shifts in awareness. Connecting individuals with their own soul and with other soul’s to create a “tribe"; her own desire to change the world one soul at a time across the globe by envisioning what the world needs next. Believing that the change in the world will happen through active presence, active communication, and active connections to blaze a new path.

Learn More About Carla visit her website at http://www.shamanmedicinewoman.net/about-dr-carla-goddard.html

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