Use two standard decks of cards, including jokers
Each player or team aims to score points by making melds
Deal 11 cards to each player in standard Canasta
Place the remaining cards face down as the stock pile
Turn the top card of the stock pile face up to start the discard pile
On your turn, draw two cards from the stock pile or take the discard pile if allowed
Make melds of three or more cards of the same rank
Wild cards are 2s and jokers
A meld must have at least two natural cards before adding wild cards
A canasta is a meld of seven cards of the same rank
A natural canasta contains no wild cards
A mixed canasta contains wild cards
You may add cards to your own melds on your turn
You may discard one card at the end of your turn
You must be able to legally take the discard pile before doing so
The top discard must be usable in a meld or meet the take-pile rules
A player or team must meet the minimum meld requirement before laying down cards
The minimum meld requirement depends on the team’s current score
Red threes are bonus cards and are laid aside immediately when drawn
Red threes count as bonus points at the end of the hand
Black threes are usually only used to block the discard pile when discarded
The hand ends when a player goes out by using all cards in hand
A player can go out only if their team has at least one canasta
Score points for melds, canastas, bonuses, and red threes
Subtract points for cards left in hand at the end of the round
The team with the highest total score after several hands wins