Can play with or w/o partners (some versions play only with partners).
Can play with odd number of players.
Cards:
Normal playing cards including the jokers---all respondents.
Number of decks used equal to number of players----22 of 67 resp.
One more deck than the number of people playing - i.e. three decks of cards
for two people, five decks for four people, etc.--25 of 67 resp.
Six decks for four people---9 of 67.
The Shuffle:
All respondents except ten shuffle all the cards together. The author
and one other are the only ones who sort the card after each deal. We do this
to prevent someone getting an extremely unbalanced hand. It also makes it
possible to increase the odds of picking up the card you want, by watching what
cards have come from which pile.
The Deal:
There are many variations in ways
of dealing. Because they all end up with each player having a hand and a foot,
I won't go into them. A number of respondents (58) do give a bonus if when
dealing, a person picks up the exact number of cards required to make one hand
and one foot.
Number of cards in the hand and
foot do vary widely, as follows:
11 in both - 333/503
12 in both - 10/503
13 in both - 89/503
13 in hand, 11 in foot - 28/503
Other - 43/503
Object of Game & Length of Game.
The object of the game is to
either get the most points in a fixed number of rounds, (381 of 506 resp.) or
to be the first to reach a certain number of points (125 of 503 respondents.
Three rounds - 17/506
Four rounds - 310/506
Five rounds - 49/506
Six rounds - 5/506
5,000 points - 5/125
10,000 points - 94/125
15,000 points - 9/125
20,000 points - 7/98
Minimum Points for initial meld at each round
By Rounds
Round 1--308 resp. - 50 pts, 58 resp. - 60 pts., 32 resp. - 90 pts., 15
resp. - various pts. (15, 35, 40, 100,120)
Round 2--338 resp. - 90 pts, 32 resp. - 120 pts., 41 resp. - various pts.
(50, 80, 100, 150)
Round 3--16 resp. - 90 pts., 336 resp. - 120 pts, 49 resp. - 150 pts., 18
resp. - various pts. (100, 110, 180, 200)
Round 4--328 resp. - 150 pts, 26 resp. - 180 pts., 39 resp. - various pts.
(100, 120, 200)
Round 5--10 resp. - 150 pts, 11 resp. - 180 pts, 7 resp. - 250 pts, 5 resp.
- a canasta, 17 resp. - other
By Game score - 125 respondents
1st. STEP
50 points - Up to 1495 (33 resp.), Up to 2495 (21 resp.), Up to 2995 (18
resp.)
Other points and totals - (60 & 90, 2000 to 4999) - 26 resp.
2nd. STEP
90 points - Up to 2995 (32 resp.), Up to 4995 (26 resp.), Others = (18
resp.)
Other points and totals - (60, 100 &120, 1495 to 10,000 (21 resp.)
3rd. STEP
120 points - Up to 4995 (28 resp.), Up to 7495 (21 resp.), Up to 10,000 (20
resp.), Others - ( 20 resp.)
150 points - Up to 10,000 (9 resp.), Others - (9 resp.)
4th. STEP
150 points - Up to 10,000 (32 resp.), Other - (11 resp.)
180 points - Up to 10,000 (3 resp.), Other - (5 resp.)
5th. STEP
various points - (10 resp.)
Points:
Threes are almost always minus
points, unless they can be put into a canasta. The points shown here are for
threes not in a canasta
Red Three's - 100 pts. - 120, 300 pts. - 141, 500 pts. - 201, 1000 pts. - 8
resp., other - 19 resp.
Black Three's - 5pts.- 253, 50 pts.- 21, 100 pts.-43, 300 pts.-33, Other
pts. - 12 resp., 0 or no response - 149resp.
Five point cards - 4 to 5 - 4 resp, 4 to 6 - 7 resp, 4-7 301 resp, 4-8 100
resp, 4-9 57 resp.
Ten point cards - From one above high five point card to king.
Two's and Aces 20 points - All respondents
Joker 50 points - All respondents (370 people)
Bonus for picking up exact number of cards to deal hand & foot -- 100
points (40 of 45 resp.), Other (50, 200, 250) 5 of 45 resp.
For "Going Out": 100 pts.- 299, 200 pts.- 38, 300 pts.- 19, 500
pts. - 33 resp., Other - 10 resp.
Types & Values of Canastas
Each "Clean" pile 300 pts.-14, 500 pts.-439 of 469 resp.
Each "Dirty" pile 100 pts.-12, 300 pts.-435 of 466 resp.
Canasta of Sevens: 1500 pts. - 24 resp., other points.-20 resp.
Canasta of black threes - 300 pts.-14, 500 pts. - 7, other - 8 resp.
Picking Up and Discarding:
Almost all respondents pick up two
cards and discard one card
One respondent plays that the
first person playing, can pick up the single discard, and doesn't have to play.
He only gets the one card if he does pick up the discard.
Picking up the discard pile:
All respondents required that to
pick up the discard pile, the player must hold two matching cards in his hand,
and must play the top card together with his matching pair.
The number of cards taken from the
discard pile varied as follows:
Not allowed - 20 resp.
One card - 17 resp.
Two cards - 72 resp.
Three cards - 12 resp.
Five cards - 77 resp.
Six cards - 12 resp.
Seven cards - 77 resp. (Discard pile must have seven cards in it.
Eight cards - 39 resp.
Whole pile - 104 resp.
Down to a wild card, and other variations - 20 (est) resp. (Whole pile if
no wild card)
Picking up the Foot:
Most respondents play that you can
pick up your foot after you get rid of all the cards from your Hand. Most play
that if you play all your cards in the hand, you can immediately go into your
foot without stopping. One resp. plays that you must wait until your next turn.
One resp. plays that partner of
the intial melder, after completing the first canasta, may pick up his foot.
His partner then is free to complete a canasta, and when he has done so, may
pick up his foot.
One resp. plays that the
partnership must have completed one clean and two dirties before they can pick
up their foot.
Clean and Dirty Piles: No. of cards allowed
Clean - Max. 7 cards - 151 resp. of 360 ttl. resp.
Clean - More than 7 cards - 200 resp. of 360 ttl. resp.
-------------
Dirty - Max 7 cards - 120 of 362 ttl. resp.
Dirty - More than 7 cards - 235 362 ttl. resp.
Dirty Piles:No. of wild cards allowed.
2 wild cards - 60 of 424 resp.
3 wild cards - 217 of 424 resp.
1 more natural cards than wild cards - 118 of 424 resp.
No limit - 7 of 424 resp., other - 22 resp.
Going Out:
In order to "go out" the
partner going out must get rid of all the cards in your Hand and your Foot and
have canastas as follows:
Number of Clean melds (Naturals)
No cleans (or didn't indicate) - 52 resp.
One Clean - 207 of 459 respondents
Two cleans - 164 of 459 respondents
Three cleans - 63 of 459 respondents
Four Cleans - 5 resp. (one resp. required four only for the fourth round)
Variations - 20 respondents
Number of Dirty melds (Unnaturals)
Zero dirties (or didn't indicate )- 94 respondents
One dirty - 171 of 417 resp.
Two dirties - 154 of 417 resp.
Three dirties - 59 of 417 resp.
Four dirties - 23 resp. (one resp. required four only for the fourth round)
Variations - 10 respondents
Number of Other types of Melds
Wild melds - 1 req. - 32 of 49 resp.
Meld of Sevens - 1 req. - 14 of 49 resp.
A run of seven cards - req. - 2 resp.
Number of respondents requiring a discard - 12 of 17 resp.
Four respondents say that the
partner going out cannot ask if his partner wants to go out. Most require that
he ask. Two say that he may ask.