Card Games | Britannica.com Card Games game played for pleasure or gambling (or both) with one or more decks of playing cards. Displaying Featured Card Games Articles Pokémon 20th- and 21st-century Japanese fantasy-based cartoon creatures that spawned a video- and card-game franchise. In the Pokémon —or “Pocket Monsters”—video-game series, players were able to explore the game’s fictional world by looking for wild Pokémon creatures to capture and tame. As Pokémon trainers, they readied the small monsters to compete in battle... blackjack gambling card game popular in casinos throughout the world. Its origin is disputed, but it is certainly related to several French and Italian gambling games. In Britain since World War I, the informal game has been called pontoon. Players hope to get a total card value of 21 or to come closer to it, without going over, than the dealer, against whom... tarot any of a set of cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling.

Tarot decks were invented in Italy in the 1430s by adding to the existing four-suited pack a fifth suit of 21 specially illustrated cards called trionfi (“triumphs”) and an odd card called il matto (“the fool”). (The fool is not the origin of the modern joker, which was invented in the... euchre card game popular in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Great Britain, especially in Cornwall and the West Country of England. It derives from a 19th-century Alsatian game called juckerspiel from the fact that its two top trumps are Jucker, meaning “ jack.” This word may also have influenced the choice of the term joker for the extra card... solitaire family of card games played by one person. Solitaire was originally called (in various spellings) either patience, as it still is in England, Poland, and Germany, or cabale, as it still is in Scandinavian countries. The terms patience and solitaire have been applied to indicate any one-player card-related activity, including building card houses, flipping...

cribbage card game in which the object is to form counting combinations that traditionally are scored by moving pegs on a special cribbage board. The appeal of the game, usually played by two but with a popular variant played by four or occasionally by three, is evident from two facts: few changes have been made in the original rules, and it remains one of... hanafuda (Japanese: “flower cards”), deck of 48 cards divided into 12 suits of four cards. Each suit is named for a month of the year and pictures a flower identified with that month. The cards are tiny, only 2 1 8 by 1 1 4 inches (5.4 by 3.2 cm), but about three times thicker than Western cards. Hanafuda evolved after the Portuguese took Western cards to Japan... whist trick-taking card game developed in England. The English national card game has passed through many phases of development, being first recorded as trump (1529), then ruff, ruff and honours, whisk and swabbers, whisk, and finally whist in the 18th century.

In the 19th century whist became the premier intellectual card game of the Western world, but... piquet card game, known since the 15th century in France. For centuries piquet has been regarded as one of the greatest two-player card games. In 1534 François Rabelais listed it as a favorite pastime of his fictional hero Gargantua, and in 1892 the delegates to a card congress in Vienna voted it the most “classic” of all card games. Perhaps because it was... Yu-Gi-Oh! Japanese manga (comic book) of the late 20th and early 21st centuries that features an ordinary high-school student, Yugi Mutou (Yugi Moto), who assumes mystical powers when playing a mysterious card game. When blond, spiky-haired Yugi, a weak and unassuming teenager, solves the mysterious Millennium Puzzle, he is granted special powers that are activated... poker card game played in various forms throughout the world. Its popularity is greatest in North America, where it originated. It is played in private homes, in poker clubs, in casinos, and over the Internet.

Poker has been called the national card game of the United States, and its play and jargon permeate American culture. Although countless variants... triumph 16th-century card game ancestral to whist. In triomphe, the French variety known to English contemporaries as French ruff, each player received five cards, a trump was turned, and the aim was to win three or more tricks. From this derived écarté and five-card loo. In the English game (referred to by William Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra), each... card game game played for pleasure or gambling (or both) with one or more decks of playing cards. Games using playing cards exploit the fact that cards are individually identifiable from one side only, so that each player knows only the cards he holds and not those held by anyone else. For this reason card games are often characterized as games of chance or... spades trick-taking card game of the whist family that became very popular in the United States in the 1990s, though reportedly some 40 years old by that time.

It is played by four players in bridge-style partnerships, each being dealt 13 cards one at a time from a standard 52-card deck. Spades are always the trump suit. Each team contracts to win an agreed... rummy any of a family of card games whose many variants make it one of the best-known and most widely played card games. Rummy games are based on a simple mechanism and a simple object of play. The mechanism is to draw cards from a stockpile and discard unwanted cards from the hand to a wastepile, from which cards can also be subsequently drawn, and the... hearts card game in which players aim to avoid taking tricks that contain hearts. Hearts first appeared in the United States about 1880, although it derives from the much older European game of reverse. In the late 20th century a version of hearts was included with every personal computer running the Windows operating system. This version of hearts became... canasta card game of the rummy family, developed in Buenos Aires, Arg., and Montevideo, Uruguay, in the 1940s and popular in the United States and Great Britain from the 1950s on.

The name canasta, from the Spanish word for “basket,” probably derives from the tray placed in the centre of the table to hold undealt cards and discards. Variations include samba... pinochle American card game typically played by three players acting alone (cutthroat) or four players in two partnerships. The game derives from a German variety of bezique called binokel (French binocle). All these names mean “eyeglasses” (literally “two-eyes”) and refer to the scoring combination of queen of spades and jack of diamonds, allegedly because... five hundred card game for two to six players, devised in 1904 by the United States Playing Card Company. Though later eclipsed by bridge, it still has a substantial American following and has also become the national card game of Australia and New Zealand. Five hundred was devised as a deliberate cross between euchre, with its distinctive “bowers,” and bridge,... old maid simple card game popular with young children. It takes its name from a 19th-century specially illustrated deck of cards showing colourful characters in matching pairs, plus a single old maid card.

In Germany the equivalent game is called schwarzer Peter (“black Peter”) and in France vieux garçon (“old boy”). Two or more can play with a standard 52-card... crazy eights popular children’s card game. The basic idea is to be the first to play all one’s cards to a communal discard pile. This game has a huge number of variations and many alternative names. At its simplest, two players each receive seven cards from a standard 52-card deck—or five cards from a double deck of 104 cards if there are more than two players.... faro one of the oldest gambling games played with cards, supposedly named from the picture of a pharaoh on certain French playing cards. A favourite of highborn gamblers throughout Europe well into the 19th century, faro was the game at which the young Count Rostov, in Leo Tolstoy ’s War and Peace, lost a fortune. Faro was introduced to the United States... skat card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer. It is Germany’s national card game.

It originated in Altenburg, near Leipzig, about 1817 and is played wherever Germans have settled; the International Skat Players Association (ISPA) has affiliates in more than a dozen countries. North American... president card game of Chinese origin that suddenly appeared in the Western world during the 1980s. President is just one of many different names for the game, most of them vulgar and some scatological, and the game itself is played in many different forms with varying rules. Common to all, besides the basic object and method of play, is the distinctive feature... belote trick-and-meld card game derived from klaberjass about 1920 and now the most popular card game in France. The original game was for two players, and there are versions for three players, but the most popular form now is the four-player partnership game, also known as belote coinchée or just coinche, that developed in the latter half of the 20th century.... baccarat casino card game resembling, but simpler than, blackjack. In basic baccarat the house is the bank. In the related game chemin de fer, or chemmy, the bank passes from player to player.

In punto banco it appears to pass from player to player but is actually held by the house. Casino play involves three or six 52-card decks shuffled together and dealt... casino card game for two to four players, best played with two. A 52-card deck is used. When two play, the dealer deals two cards facedown to the opponent, two cards faceup to the table, and two more facedown to himself and then repeats the process so that all have four cards. No further cards are dealt to the table. The aim is to capture cards from the table,... bezique trick-and-meld card game related to pinochle, both of which derive from the 19th-century French game of binocle, itself a development of the card game sixty-six. Bezique is now mostly played by two players using a 64-card deck consisting of two standard 52-card decks in which the 2s through 6s have been removed; the cards rank in descending order A,... Fan-Tan card game that may be played by any number of players up to eight. The full pack of 52 cards is dealt out, one card at a time.

Thus, some hands may contain one more card than others. All players ante to a pool; in some games, those players who are dealt fewer cards than others are required to ante an extra counter. Only one card is played at a turn.... Edmond Hoyle English writer, perhaps the first technical writer on card games. His writings on the laws of whist gave rise to the common phrase “according to Hoyle,” signifying full compliance with universally accepted rules and customs. Hoyle’s life before 1741 is unknown, although he is said to have been called to the bar. For the use of the pupils to whom he... Canasta game rules Canasta Game Rules --- GameColony.com uses pure industry-standard Java, offering the highest level of Internet Security --- Introduction Canasta was invented in Uruguay around 1940. During the 50s, canasta was one of the most popular card games in the United States. The game also reached craze proportions in 1950s Britain. Canasta in Spanish means "basket".

Tejiendo las cartas, that is, "weaving the cards", is a colorful Spanish way of saying that a meld of three of a kind or more is being "woven" together. The biggest meld of all (7 cards), the canasta, is called a "basket". Basics Canasta is played with 108 cards, consisting of two standard 52-card packs with four Jokers. To avoid player collusion online, Gamecolony only supports two-player canasta variation. Each player is dealt 15 cards. The rest of the deck is placed facedown to form the stock, and the top card of the stock is turned faceup and placed alongside the stock to start a discard pile. The object of the game is to be the first to score the agreed-upon number of points (default -- 2,500 points). Points are earned by melding sets of three or more cards of the same rank. A meld of seven or more cards is a canasta and the player must have at least one canasta to end the game (by default -- 2 canastas are needed to end the game). Each player in turn performs one or more actions in the following order: 1.

Draw the top card(s) of the closed stock (drawing the top 2 cards from the closed stock is a default option, but the drawing of 1 card can be selected in setting up the table) or discard pile if permitted. To draw a card, either double-click the closed stock or drag the card from there into your hand. Two cards with yellow underlines in your hand indicate the last two cards you took from a draw pile. 2. Meld (if any meld is possible and subject to certain restrictions described below). To meld, either double-click on a card or drag the card into the meld area. If melding of a card in hand is allowed, you can also meld by single-clicking on a specific meld area and the natural card would go there. If you have no natural card for that meld area, the wild card will go there (starting with a Joker). It is possible to 'undo' the meld (undo one card at at a time or all at once) by clicking on 'Undo' button or Delete key for a single undo or by using a right mouse button menu (or Shift Delete) for multiple undo.

Right-mouse button menu can also be used -- close to the end of the hand -- to meld all naturals at once. 3. Discard (unless you go out by melding all cards left in hand). To discard, either drag the card into the discard pile or (if you can't legally meld this card) double-click on it. To force discarding a card, hold down the Ctrl key and either double-click or right-click with your mouse on a card. Draw -- Details You may always take the top card(s) of the stock and add to your hand. If you draw a red Three, it is placed face up in front of you and another (replacement) card is drawn for you. (If a replacement card is again a red Three, the process of replacement is repeated until the replacement card is not a red Three.) Instead of drawing from stock, you may draw the whole of the discard pile if you can immediately meld the upcard -- either by adding it to one of your existing melds or by using it to start a new meld together with two or more matching cards from your hand (see Game Options ). You may not take the discard pile if it is frozen.

The discard is frozen: until you have made your initial meld when it contains a wild card (or a red Three as the result of initial deal) If discard is frozen, you may only take it if you can immediately use the upcard to start a new meld in conjunction with at least two matching natural cards (see Game Options ). If the upcard is a black Three, you may not take it; you need to draw from stock. Meld -- Details To meld, you need a set of at least three cards of the same rank placed face up on the table (in front of your hand). Points are only scored for melds that are made before the hand ends. Jokers and deuces (twos) are wild cards that can be used as cards of any rank in a meld. However, all melds must contain at least two natural cards, no meld may contain more than three wild cards, and no meld may contain more wild cards than natural cards. A canasta is a meld of seven or more cards. A canasta must contain at least four natural cards. Red threes may not be melded or discarded (except in 'Red 3 Freezes' game option, where a red Three can be discarded. See Game Options ).

Black threes may only be melded when going out, in which case the meld must consist of a set of three or four black threes without wild cards. Going Out A player "goes out" when no cards are left after a meld or discard. A player is not permitted to go out, however, unless there's at least one canasta (or at least two canastas, as in default game option. See Game Options ). Upon going out, a player earns points as described below. In addition, the other player subtracts the point values of all cards that remain unmelded in the hand from his score. Values of all melds are also calculated, and players go on to the next hand unless one of the players has reached the winning total. If both players reach the winning total, the player with a higher total is the winner. Very rarely, the hand may end in a tie, and an extra tie-breaker hand will be played. Ending Hand By Exhausting Stock If nobody goes out before the stock is exhausted, the play ends after the player who took the last stock card completes his turn unless opponent can pick up his discard. When there's no stock and discard cannot be picked up, the hand ends.

The hand is scored as usual except that nobody earns a bonus for going out. If the last card drawn from the stock is a Red Three, the hand proceeds normally as above except no Red Three replacement occurs in this instance. Scoring Each card has a point value when it is melded. The same card values are subtracted from the other player's score for cards left in his hand when someone goes out. The values for each card are: Canasta Cards & How to play Canasta Kid Card Games Canasta Cards & All Things Canasta “Canasta” is the Spanish word for “basket” which was originally used to hold the undealt and discarded cards. A Quick Look at the History of Canasta: The game originated in Uruguay in the late 1930’s. From there the game spread throughout South America and underwent some refinements in Argentina to produce the game we know today. Shortly after World War II, Canasta made it’s way to the United States where it became the game of choice for nearly twenty years. Canasta even surpassed Contract Bridge in popularity for a brief time in the early 1950s.

Canasta is still a popular game today, and many variations of play have developed over the years to allow play for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 players. We will concentrate on the classic version of Canasta which is best played with 4 players, which form two partnerships. What You Will Need to get Started: Classic Canasta is played with 108 cards (104 regular cards, plus four Jokers), so you will need two decks of Stingray Canasta cards to play. Our very own line of Stingray cards are made especially for Canasta. We have incorporated the point values of each card directly on to the cards, which makes scoring a breeze. Our attention to detail did not stop there, we carefully chose a back design with hot, vivid colors to reflect the Latin flavor of the game. You may need additional decks depending on which game of Canasta you are playing.

The following versions of Canasta require the indicated number of decks: - "Bolivian", "Brazilian", "Chilean", "Cuban", "Samba", "Six Handed", "Three Way", & "Uruguay" Canasta require 3 decks of Stingray Canasta cards - "Pennies From Heaven" and "Racehorse" requires 4 decks of Stingray Canasta cards - "Hand and Foot" requires 5 decks of Stingray Canasta cards. There are two more items you will need to make your game a pleasure to play. A 2 or 6 deck revolving tray to keep your discards organized, and a Stingray Jumbo-Size score pad to keep track of the score as the games progresses. When it comes to Canasta,we have you covered. Object of Canasta: Is for your partnership to score more points than your opponent’s partnership, Canasta is a race to 5,000 points, if both opponents reach 5,000 points on the same hand, the partnership with the higher point total wins. Points may be scored several ways: - By melding, in which case you get the cumulative total of the points contained in your melds.

- By earning bonuses based on several factors, such as “going out” first, or collecting red treys, or for making natural or mixed “Canastas”. We will examine scoring in more depth later. To Get Started: Shuffle two decks of Stingray Canasta cards together, each deck consists of 52 regular, and 2 Jokers. You will play with 108 cards total. Next, the partnerships must be randomly determined, this is accomplished by drawing from the deck. Each player pulls one card from the deck at random, the two players which draw the highest rank are partners, and the two players which draw the lowest rank are partners. For the purpose of determining partners only, Spades is the highest suit, followed by Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs respectively. If two players pull the same rank and suit cards, they must both discard and pull again. Once partnerships have been formed, suits no longer matter in Canasta. The player that pulled the highest card gets his choice of seat first. Then the other players sit down. The player to the right of the player that drew the highest card becomes the dealer. The player to the right of the dealer is allowed to “cut the deck” before each deal.

For 4 player games, each player is dealt eleven cards (3 player games are dealt 13, and 2 player games are dealt 15), and one card is turned up to start the discard pile. If the first up card is a Red 3 or a wild card, an additional card(s) is turned up until a natural card is the first up. The players take turn dealing as the dealer position moves clockwise around the table. The Card Values: In Canasta, each card is assigned a point value as follows: - Black 3s, all 4, 5, 6, & 7s have a point value of 5. - All 8, 9, 10, J, Q, & Ks have a point value of 10. - Any Ace has a point value of 20. - Any Two (deuce) is a “wild” and has a point value of 20. - All Jokers are “wild” and have a point value of 50. - Red 3s (treys, or three spots) have a point value of 100 (double if all red 3 are held by one opponent).

To assist you in scoring, Stingray Canasta cards have the corresponding point value printed on the face of each card. Red 3s feature a star symbol to mark their special significance. Game Play: Once the cards are dealt out, the player to the dealer’s left acts first, and proceeds in clockwise order throughout the length of the game. Each player’s turn is defined by three actions: - First, the player must draw a card from either the stock (the undealt pile), or from the discard pile. In order to draw from the discard pile, the player must be able to immediately use the top discard in a meld with at least two natural cards (a natural is a non-wild card), After using the top card in a meld, the player then takes the entire discard pile into his hand, from which he may continue melding, or save the cards for later use. The top discard may not be taken if it is a Black 3, or a Wild Card. - Secondly, after drawing a card from the stock, a player has the option of melding. There is no requirement to meld.

- Lastly, a player must discard one card from their hand (not from a previously played card which is part of a meld), or alternatively the player must “go out” to end the hand. Melding: As play progresses, the players attempt to lay down melds, and lay off cards on their partner’s melds. A “Meld” consists of three or more like cards of the same rank (at least two of the three cards must be naturals, one wild card is permitted). For example: a player may lay down three Jacks, or three Kings, or two Fours and one Joker. Suits are irrelevant. Three Deuces, three Jokers, or three Red 3s are not legal melds. - If score was a negative number, the minimum count is 15 points. - If your score was 0 to 1,495, the minimum score is 50. - If your score was 1,500-2,995, the minimum score is 90. - If your score was 3,000 or higher, the minimum score is 120.

For the purpose of fulfilling this requirement, a player may put down two or more melds at once if necessary. The individual card point values are added cumulatively for all melded cards to verify compliance with the minimum count requirement. This is made easy if you are playing with Stingray Canasta cards because the point values are printed right there on each card! Once the initial meld requirements have been met, any further melds may be laid down without regard to point values. As play continues, each player attempts to lay down more melds, or more individual cards on his teams existing melds, never lay off on an opponent’s melds. Canastas: Ultimately, the players are attempting to make Canastas before the hand ends. A Canasta is a 7 card meld of the same rank cards. There are two types of Canastas, and each type earns bonus points when scoring: - “Mixed Canastas” consist of both naturals and wild cards. There is a maximum of three wild cards (whether they be Jokers or Dueces, or a combination of both) allowed per Canasta. Mixed Canastas receive 300 bonus points.

- “Natural Canastas” are harder to come by, they are as the name implies, seven natural cards, no wilds allowed. A Natural Canasta is rewarded with 500 bonus points. Red Treys: Special rules apply to all Red Treys in Canasta: - If a red trey is the first up card immediately after the deal, another card must be taken off the top of the stock to cover the red trey, and the discard pile is frozen. - If a player is dealt a red trey, he must immediately lay the card down face up for all to see, and draw from the top of the stock to replenish his hand to eleven cards. - When a player draws a red trey from the stock, he immediately places the red trey face up and draws again to replace it. - If a player gathers a red trey from the discard pile, he places it face up but does not draw to replace it. - Red treys carry a bonus point value of 100 points each provided your partnership has been able to meld at least once before the hand ends.

If you collect all four red treys (and have at least one meld), you are award a double bonus of 200 points each for a total bonus of 800 points. - Red treys cannot be melded, and they cannot be held in your hand, they must be visible to your opponents and partner. Black Treys: Black treys may be melded only when a player is going out. Otherwise, black treys may not be melded. They can be used as stop cards when discarded, this means your opponent must draw from the stock and not the discard pile. This can be especially useful if you want your partner to have the opportunity to pick up the discard pile. The Discard Pile: Initially, the discard pile is frozen until your partnership is able to meet the minimum requirements of an Initial meld. You may use the top card of the discard pile to unfreeze the discard pile for you and your partner. The discard pile remains unfrozen for your partnership until such time as one of your opponents discards a black trey or wild card.

If the pile is unfrozen, and a player wishes to use the top discard, he must first show his opponents he is entitled to take the card by first showing the two or more cards already in his hand (either two naturals, or one natural card plus a wild) which he intends to meld with the top discard. Only then can the player pick up the entire discard pile and use whichever cards he chooses to make additional melds (optional). The melds produced from the discard pile cannot be used to meet the minimum count requirement of an initial meld. A player cannot take the discard pile to be used as an addition to an already played meld unless he can combine the top card with two additional cards already in his hand. You may not take the discard pile if the top up card is either a black trey or a wild card, the discard pile is said to be frozen. You may not take the up card if there are no other cards in the discard pile, and you have only one card in your hand. Going Out: When a player is left holding no cards whatsoever, because he either discarded his last card, or he played his last card in a meld, the hand is over, provided his partnership has at least one Canasta.

Without at least one Canasta, a player is not allowed to go out, he must keep one card or more in his hand. Going out earns a 100 point bonus. Going Out Concealed: This is hard to do. To go out concealed, you must play all of your cards at once, with at least one Canasta. To go out concealed, you must not have played any previous meld cards of your own, nor contributed any meld cards to your partners meld(s). Going Out Concealed earns a 200 point bonus. Asking Permission: In a unique twist to Canasta, a player may ask his partner for permission to go out. A player may only ask at the beginning of his turn, or immediately after drawing a card. The partner must reply with only a one word answer: “Yes” or “No”, partners are not allowed to discuss strategy. If a player answers “yes”, his partner must go out. Permission is not a requirement for going out, a player may go out at any time he meets the minimum requirements.

Scoring: When a hand ends, each partnership begins scoring by adding the point values shown on the melded cards, then each partnership subtracts the point values of any cards they are left holding in their hands, finally you add any bonus points your partnership may be entitled to. The following bonus points are available: - 100 for each red trey laid down.* - 800 if one side has laid down all four red treys.* - 100 for “going out”. Canasta, Rules for Card Games ♠ Links » Canasta Canasta, a game of the Rummy family, was the most popular card game in America in the 1950s. It originated in Uraguay 10 years earlier, spread rapidly through Argentina and the rest of Latin America, and reached the United States in 1948. The word, “canasta”, means “basket” in Spanish. The game has given rise to a number of variations including Bolivia, Samba, and Chile. Number of Players Four players in two fixed-partnerships. Canasta can also be adapted to 2, 3, 5 and 6 players. Partners sit opposite each other.

The Cards Two standard decks of 52 cards, plus 4 Jokers, giving a total of 108 cards. Wild Cards Jokers and 2’s are wild and may be used to assume the identity of a particular card in order to complete a meld. The Deal Deal and play are clockwise. The deal proceeds to the left at the end of each hand. Each player is dealt 11 cards. The undealt portion of the deck remain face down in the middle of the table and forms the stock. The top card is turned face up, and placed beside the stock. If it is a Joker or a Two, one or more additional cards must be turned until a ‘natural’ card appears. The Play Starting left of the dealer, each player in turn normally first Draws a card from the stock, then Melds and/or lays off cards, as many as they so choose Discards a card face up to the discard pile to complete the turn. Red Threes A player finding a red 3 in his/her hand must, on their first turn, put it face up on the table and draw a replacement from the stock.

A player who draws a red 3 from the stock must also lay it face up on the table and draw a replacement from the stock. Finally, a player who takes the discard pile and finds a red 3 in it must place the red 3 face up on the table but does not draw a replacement. Each red 3 has a bonus value of 100 points, but if one side has all four red 3s, they count as 200 each i.e. 800 in all. The value of the red 3s is credited to a side that has made a meld or debited against a side that has made no meld, when the hand ends. Objective The principal objective of play is to make melds combining three or more cards of the same rank. Sequences don’t count in Canasta and for this reason Samba is probably a more enjoyable game. A meld is valid if it contains at least two natural cards and not more than three wild cards. Jokers and Deuces may not be melded apart from natural cards. A set of Black 3s may only be melded (without wild cards) only when a player goes out.

At the end of the hand, all the cards and melds a partnership has are counted to their score, while all the cards left in hand count against their score. All the cards left in a player’s hand when play ends, even if they may form melds, count their value as minus. A player may meld as many cards as they please, of one rank or different ranks, forming new melds or adding cards to existing melds. A player may add additional cards to a meld made by his own side, but may not add any cards to their opponent’s melds. Canastas A meld comprising seven or more cards, including at least four natural cards, is a canasta. In addition to the point value of the cards, a canasta earns a bonus of 500 for a ‘natural’ or ‘pure’ canasta, and 300 for a ‘mixed’ canasta (one containing wild cards). A complete canasta is squared up with a red card on top to indicate a ‘natural’ or a black card on top to indicate a ‘mixed’ canasta.

Minimum Count Every card has a fixed point value Each Joker = 50 3000 + 120 points The count of a meld is the total point value of the cards in it. To meet the minimum, a player may make two or more different melds. Bonuses of red threes and canastas do not count toward the minimum. After a side has made its initial meld, either partner my make any valid meld without reference to any minimum count. Taking the Discard Pile When the discard pile is not frozen against his/her side a player may take it with a natural pair matching the top card by melding the top card by adding the top card to a meld he/she already has on the table. Having melded the top discard, the player takes the rest of the pile into his hand and may then meld some or all of the additional cards as he/she pleases. The discard pile may never be taken when its top card is a wild card, a black 3 or a red 3. Freezing the Discard Pile The discard pile is frozen when To either side that has not made a meld To both sides if it contains a wild card.

That would mean that either one was turned up at the deal, or someone discarded a Deuce or a Joker to the pile. When the upcard is a black 3. Well, technically, that means the pack is ‘stopped’ because you can’t meld a black 3 with anything, so you can’t pick up the pack. However, once that player discards, the pack is effectively ‘unstopped’, and the next player in turn could take up the discard pile, providing they had matching cards in hand. When the discard pile is frozen the player in turn may only take the discard pile if they can make a new meld by taking the upcard and melding it with at least two natural cards from their hand. Such a meld, however, must meet the minimum requirements if the side has not made an initial meld. The discard pile is frozen when a red 3 is turned as an upcard or if a wild card or a black 3 is turned as an upcard or discarded. Unfreezing the Discard Pile A frozen discard pile is unfrozen only by being taken. When the discard pile is topped by a wild card or black 3, at least one natural card must be discarded on top before the pile can be taken.

Then a player make take that card and the pile only when a natural pair of the same rank from his hand. Before touching the discard pile, the player should show the pair, together with any additional cards needed to meet the minimum count needed for the initial meld. Going Out A player goes out when he gets rid of the last card in his hand by discarding or melding it, provided that their side has melded at least one canasta or he completes a canasta while going out. Failing this requirement, he must keep at least one card in his hand. When a player goes out, the hand ends and the results on both sides are scored. A player need not make a discard in going out; he/she may meld all of his remaining cards. A player with only one card left in his hand may not take the discard pile if there is only one card in it. Permission to Go Out If a player sees that he/she is able to go out, before or after drawing, the player may ask their partner who must answer “yes” or “no”, and the answer is binding. However, the player may go out without asking permission.

Concealed Hand A player goes out ‘concealed’ when he/she melds his entire hand in one turn, including at least one canasta, without having made a meld or having added any cards to his/her partner’s melds. If his/her partner has not made an initial meld, the player must meet the minimum count (without the canasta bonus) if he/she has taken from the discard pile, but need not do so if he/she has drawn from the stock. Exhausting the Stock If a player draws the last card of the stock, and it is a red 3, he reveals it. The player may then not meld or discard, and play ends. If the last card of the stock is not a red 3, play continues as long as each player in turn takes the discard, and he must do so if it matches a meld on his side and the pack is not frozen. A player does not have to take the discard to form a new meld. The play ends when a player cannot take the discard or legally refused to do so.

Scoring a Deal A partnership’s base score is determined by totalling all applicable items in the following schedule: Each Natural Canasta 500 Card Game, Bridge, Canasta, Rummy, Skat, Euchre, Whist Card Games Software Home Page Special K Software Welcome to Special K Software card games. BRIDGE is the most popular card game in the world, and Bridge from Special K allows you to achieve the excitement and challenge of Bridge without the need to find three other people to play with. People who do not enjoy Bridge will certainly enjoy 500 Card Game or SKAT , CANASTA , EUCHRE , WHIST or one of the 12 games in the RUMMY family of games, and if that’s not enough check out this list of free casino games . These card games are played in all locations across the world, and their fans are just as fanatical. These games are all enjoyable because they each contain a different balance of skill and luck. Each game is designed for both beginners and experts, and have many tuition features which may be turned off for the expert. The 500 Card Game is the greatest card game ever devised (arguably).

It is most popular in Australia , New Zealand, USA, and Canada. Download the software that allows you to play against your computer here. RUMMY contains classic games of GIN RUMMY, 500 RUMMY, PINOCHLE RUMMY, KALUKI, OKLAHOMA GIN, and the Rummy games of MICHIGAN, BOATHOUSE, ROUND THE CORNER, HIGH - LOW, ONE MELD, WILD CARD, and the newest addition INDIAN RUMMY . SKAT is the classic national German card game. It stands out as being the best game for three players as it is specifically designed for three players. It is also challenging as it is the most complex game. EUCHRE and the latest addition to this card game range, CANASTA , can be customized to all the rules you want to play by. WHIST contains both the standard Whist game, and also Knock Out Whist. This variety maintains the excitement felt on traditional Whist Drives.

All the games of 500 , Bridge , Euchre , Canasta, Skat , Whist and Rummy are recognized as being the best collection in their class, and if you are looking for slots games then our friends at Slot-Machines.ca have a list of the best slot machines free slots and a list of the online casinos with the best selection of slots. . These card games run in all current Windows operating systems (Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP, ME, NT, 2000, 98, 95), on PC's, notebooks, and tablets. Jump to the game you want with the buttons on the left of the screen, or simply scroll down the page. Top Sites Card games have been widely popular for a long time in any different countries! In Canada you can now even play for real money in an online casino . In Norway there is a strong tradition for playing cards, and especially in the different holidays throughout the year. Many people also tend to play cards in online casinos, and if they want a good alternative they simply visit this page to find a good alternative . In Australia online gambling is a popular activity.

In particular online casino gambling and playing pokies online is among one of the most preferred pastimes by Australian gaming enthusiasts. Typically Australian players will visit a website like who offer listings of the top sites for Aussie players to enjoy playing at. Casino Online - The UK's Top Casinos Online and Latest Online Casino News. There are many different games you can play online now. One of the most popular games that you can find online is poker and there are many variants available. These poker card games offer both play money and real money games to play and you can test your skills against other players. samba | card game | Britannica.com card game See Article History Samba, card game , variant of canasta , in which three 52-card decks plus 6 jokers are used. Unlike canasta, in which only cards of the same rank may be melded (grouped face up on the playing surface and scored), samba also allows sequences of three or more cards in the same suit to be melded. A seven-card sequence, or samba, ranks as a canasta (for the purpose of going out) and scores a bonus of 1,500 points.

No meld may contain more than two wild cards, and no wild card may be melded with a sequence. In each turn a player draws two cards from the stock (unless he takes the discard pile) and discards only one card. The top discard may never be taken without a natural matching pair. Game is 10,000, and the initial meld requirement for a side with 7,000 or more is 150. Learn More in these related articles: card game game played for pleasure or gambling (or both) with one or more decks of playing cards. Games using playing cards exploit the fact that cards are individually identifiable from one side only, so that each player knows only the cards he holds and not those held by anyone else. canasta card game of the rummy family, developed in Buenos Aires, Arg., and Montevideo, Uruguay, in the 1940s and popular in the United States and Great Britain from the 1950s on. The name canasta, from the Spanish word for “basket,” probably derives from the tray placed in the centre of the... Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback.

MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission.

Please try again later. Close Date Published: February 03, 2009 URL: Access Date: January 03, 2017 Share

Question: Which popular card game takes its name from the Spanish for 'Basket' ?
Answer: CANASTA