Regal Games Canasta Family Card User Manual

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OVERVIEW

2 Identical Decks of 54 Cards
Each deck includes 52 standard playing cards Ace through King plus 2 Jokers Points values are printed on the face of each card
Number of Players
2 or 4 players
Objective
Be the first player to reach 5,000 points by playing Melds or collections of cards worth varying points.

Card Values

Bonus Points

DEALING

1.  The dealer is selected at random and rotates clockwise each round. Two full Regal CANASTA decks are combined andshuffled together and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards based on the number of players:
   2 players 15 cards each
   3 players 13 cards each
   4 players 11 cards each
   If there are 4 players, the players opposite each other are playing as a team, combining their scores at the end of each round.

2. The dealer turns over one card face up in the center of the table to create the Discard Pile

3. The dealer places the remaining cards in the deck in a pile face down to create the Stock Pile.

GAMEPLAY

1. The player to the left of the dealer begins play by drawing one card from the Stock Pile or picking up the entire Discard Pile (see “Discard Pile Rules”)
   For faster gameplay, players should draw two cards from the Stock Pile instead of one card.

2. At this time, a player may start new Melds by playing at least 3 cards of the same rank (number) face-up on the table, or they may add cards to their own Melds previously played.
   A player may play as many Melds as they like during a turn, and they can keep as many Melds on the table as they like.

3. To end the turn a player must discard one card to the Discard pile.

4. Play continues clockwise.

NOTE: Red 3’s are bonus cards and cannot be part of a meld. If a Red 3 was drawn from the Stock Pile, it must be played immediately as an individual card by placing it face up on the table. It must then be replaced with another card from the Stock Pile.

PLAYING MELDS

To play cards, the player must lay down a qualifying Meld of 3 or more of the same number or play one or more cards on top of an existing Meld that the Player has previously played. At no time is the player required to play a Meld just because they have 3-of-a-kind or beer in their hand. Melds in Canasta can only be sets of 3 or more of the same numbered card. Runs of sequential cards are not legal Melds in Canasta.

• Wild cards (2’s and Jokers) can be considered any value except 3’s in order to complete Meld.
• Melds with wilds are referred to as “Mixed,” while Melds without any wilds are referred to as “Natural.”
• Up to 3 wild cards can be used in a Meld as long as the Meld also includes at least 2 natural (non-wild) cards. This means you cannot play more than n cards of the same number (the 8 natural cards of that number plus any 3 wild cards).
• 7 or more cards in a Meld is called a Canasta. You can have more than one Canasta in a round.
• Black 3’s cannot be played as a Meld unless it is the final play to end a round.

NOTE: Players may only play cards to their own Melds (and NOT their partner’s melds or opponent’s melds).
Once a Meld has been played, a player may add to that Meld by playing as few as one card of the same number to that Meld.

INITIAL MELDS

When a player plays their first Melds of the round, the combined score of all Melds during that turn must equal at least the Initial Melds Minimum Score Requirement:
If your total score from the previous round is negative, then there is no minimum score requirement for your initial play-in around.

SCORE FROM PREVIOUS ROUND
(For 4 players, use the teams cumulative score)| INITIAL MELDS MINIMUM SCORE REQUIREMENT
---|---
<0| 0
0-1500| 50
1,500-3,000| 90

3,000| 120

• You may play more than one Meld and combine the points to reach the minimum required points.
• Points from Red 3’s or Mixed/Natural Canastas do not count toward the Initial Melds Minimum Score Requirement.
• If you are drawing from the Discard Pile as part of your initial play, you must play cards from your hand and ONLY the top card from the Discard Pile to reach the minimum required points. Once you have played the appropriate points, you must pick up the rest of the Discard Pile and continue your turn.

NOTE: If playing with 4 players, once a player has legally played their Initial Meld, their partner is not required to meet the minimum score requirement.

DISCARD PILE RULES

Cards should be discarded so that the top card completely covers up the cards underneath it. Players have the option to pick up the whole Discard Pile instead of drawing from the Stock Pile as long as the player can play the top card legally:
A. Using the top card of the Discard Pile to make a Meld with at least two other cards of the same rank from the player’s hand (wild cards are okay), or
B. Using the top card in an existing Meld that has previously been played.
Once the top card has been played, the player can then add the rest of the Discard Pile to their hand.
Freezing the Discard Pile
If a player discards a wild card, the card is placed sideways on the pile so that it can be seen when non-wild cards are discarded facing the normal direction. Wild cards freeze the pile, and the pile cannot be picked up while a wild or Black 3 is on top of the pile. Once a new card has been discarded, the pile can be unfrozen only if a player can play the
top card with at least 2 other natural cards of the same number from the player’s hand (no wilds).

If the initial card flipped by the dealer to create the Discard Pile is a Red 3, the Discard Pile is frozen and can only be unfrozen as explained above.
If a player discards a Black 3, the card is discarded in the normal direction, but this card acts as a Stop Card, freezing the pile just for the next player’s turn. The next player must draw from the Stock Pile and may not draw or pick up the discard pile during their turn.

ENDING AROUND

A round is completed once one player has played all their cards. Played cards are added to each player’s score at the end of each round. Cards not played and still held in each player’s hand at the end of a round count as negative points for that player.
In a 4-player game, a player has the option to ask their partner for permission to go out, but if asked, the partner must follow their partner’s wishes. This is the only ‘table talk’ allowed in Canasta. In order to go out and end the round, a player must:

1. Have played at least one Canasta (a 7 card Meld)
2. Be able to play all their cards in their hand or play all cards except one, which can be played to the discard pile.

Should the player have a Meld of Black 3’s, it can only be played as part of the round’s final turn.

Going Out Concealed
A player can receive 200 points for going out by earning the Going Out
Concealed Bonus in addition to the Going Out Bonus if:

1. They have NOT played any Melds in the round prior to the current turn.
2. They can Meld all cards in their hand.
3. The player meets the requirements listed under Initial Melds and can create at least one Canasta (7 card Meld).

Red 3’s do not disqualify a player from receiving the Going Out Concealed Bonus and must follow normal playing guidelines for Red 3s.
Black 3’s can be Melded since this is the final turn of this round. Just like going out normally, the last card in a player’s hand may be discarded or played with a Meld if desired.

EXHAUSTING THE STOCK

If there are no cards left in the Stock Pile, players must take the Discard Pile only if they can legally play the top card. If at any time a player cannot legally play the top card of the Discard Pile, the round ends.
If the last card in the Stock Pile is a Red 3, then the player must play that card immediately and the round ends immediately before that player is allowed to play or discard it.

SCORING

All players add up the points of playing cards as well as any bonuses. For 4 players, players opposite each other keep a cumulative team score.

All cards left in a player’s hands are counted as negative points and deducted from the player’s total score.
If a player has not played any Melds but has played Red 3s, those Red 3s count as negative points and are deducted from the player’s score.

Scan for video instructions:

http://regal-games.com/canasta-rules
© 2020 REGAL GAMES LLC.

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