
The main way to earn points in Canasta is by forming melds and placing them on the table. The first team to get to 5000 points wins the game. To get to this goal, you'll need to play at least a few hands. The goal of canasta is to reach the accumulative total of 5000 points between you and your partner. If you do have a rummy background, though, it should be much easier to figure this game as you'll already have an idea about the concept of melds and trying to go out by getting rid of all the cards in your hand. In some ways, canasta rules are similar to those of rummy, but they aren't as simple or as easy to learn. If you're into card games in general, you probably already have everything that's needed kicking about your house.

So, while the Canasta card game is quite complicated, you at least won't need to go shopping for any special items like in the Cribbage game to get started. The final thing required to play canasta is a pen and a simple piece of paper to track the score. That's pretty much all there is to it as far as logistics go. You'll also need two decks of regular playing cards and four jokers to boot.

During the game, you'll need to cooperate with your partner to some degree to score the most points possible. It can only be done when there is at least one canasta placed by the partnership.Ĭanasta is a team game usually played by four players in two teams.

#Basic rules canasta card game how to#
Like with most card games, once you learn how to play canasta and have played a few times, it will all become much easier. This isn't to say that the game can't be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it and figure it out.Ĭanasta rules are quite complicated, primarily because there are many moving parts you'll have to worry about during any individual hand. You'll have a much better time learning even poker rules as canasta just wasn't made with simplicity in mind. If you're looking for a simple card game that you can learn and start playing in a matter of minutes, this one is probably not for you.
