Evening star., 1949-09-26
Points of Similarity Between Canasta
And Other Rummv Games.

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And Other Rummy Games.
Going Out-Play ends when one
player goes out by legally disposing
of all his cards. Points are scored
for the cards that have been melded
and the various bonuses that have
been earned in the play.
Stock-This is the undealt re-
mainder of the deck after each
player has received his IL cards.
It is from this pile that players in
turn draw cards
Discard Pile-AS in all rummy
games, after drawing and completing
q play, player is required to dis
card. The discards are made into
the discard pile, sometimes called
the up-pile. 4
. MeId-Melding, or spreading, is
common to all rummy games.
! Pay-off-Players receive credit for
the value of cards melded and pay
for those with which they are stuck"
when play is over.
Suits Have No Significance-In
almost all rummy games a sequence
, Of cards in the same suit is a meld
but this is no part of canasta. A
meld consists of three or more of a
kind.
No Lay-offs on Opponents Melds
In most rummy games player
is permitted to spread his own cards
on enemy melds but not in canasta.
One may add cards only to the melds
Of his own side.
Taking the Discard-In some
rummy games player may take the
card just discarded by his adver-
sary without taking up the entire
discard pile. Not in canasta. When
you take the top card, the entire
discard pile goes with it.
Use Of Wild Cards Restricted-A
wild card may be used only with a
natural pair. Each meld must con-
tain at least two natural cards and
no meld may contain more than
three wild cards. In other words,
2-2-A is not a proper meld. A-A-2-2
Is. Melds may run as high as seven
or more. A canasta is a meld of
seven of a kind. A side is not
permitted to go out until it has
completed at least one canasta.
Red Three-The red three has a
special status. It is a bonus card
Goo points and takes no part in
the actual play. 1t is never part of
any ones hand but is always spread
and the bonus claimed. If player
draws a red three from the stock
pile, he spreads it on the table and
draws another card to replace it.
Black Three-The black three also
has a special status. It may be
melded only at the end of the hand
and as player is in the act of
going out. But, it has a special
characteristic as a. stop" card.
That is, on being discarded it can
not be picked up by the next player
Freezing the Pack-This is al
unique feature of the game. The
pack is frozen when it contains a i
wild card, which one player may
have thrown into the discard pile
for strategic reasons. When the
pack is frozen, a wild card may not
be used for the purpose of taking up
the discard pile. At such times a
player, in order to be qualified to
take up the pile, must show a natural
pair to match the card last thrown
by his opponent.
The foregoing represent most OF
the essential differences.
Preliminaries,
Partnerships are determined by
the drawing of cards. The player
drawing the highest card has the
privilege of being dealt to and makes
first play. Thereafter the deal ro-
tates In clockwise direction.
Eleven cards are then dealt to each
Of four players-13 If there be three
players and Is If two. Before play
begins, If any one has a red three
he places 1t on the table and replaces
it with card from the stock pile
to restore his hand to II cards. The
dealer then turns up the top card
from the stock pile and this is known
rs the up-card. The player on his
left may take 1t II he can legally
meld 1t. II not, he draws and makes
Q discard on top Of the up-card.
The prime object In canasta Is
build ,up high-scoring hand. The
bonus for going out is negligible.