Canasta Rules

Canasta is a card game that can be played with two to six players, typically in partnerships. Here are the basic rules:

Setup:
Deck: A standard 52-card deck is used, plus four jokers, making a total of 108 cards.
Partnerships: If playing with four players, players sit opposite their partner. If playing with two, partners sit across from each other.
Dealing: Shuffle the deck and deal 11 cards to each player. If there are three or four players, deal 13 cards each.
Object of the Game:
The main objective of Canasta is to score points by forming melds of cards and eventually going out by playing or discarding all of your cards.

Gameplay:
Starting the Game: The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play continues clockwise.
Drawing Cards: On your turn, you draw two cards from the stock or take the entire discard pile if you can use the top card to form a meld.

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Melds: A meld is a set of three or more cards of the same rank (natural meld) or a set of seven or more cards of the same rank, including wild cards (wild card meld). Wild cards include jokers and 2s.
Going Out: To go out, a player must have at least one natural meld, a total meld score of at least 90 points, and a discard. Once these conditions are met, a player can go out by melding all of their cards.
Scoring: After a player goes out, points are scored based on the cards melded and any remaining cards in other players' hands.
Ending the Round: A round ends when a player goes out. The round can also end if the stockpile runs out of cards. Points are then tallied, and a new round begins.
Additional Rules:
Red Threes: Red threes are worth points but cannot be melded. When drawn, they are set aside and replaced with new cards. At the end of the round, they are counted for or against your team.
Black Threes: Black threes can block the discard pile. If a player discards a black three, the pile is frozen, and the next player cannot take it.
Ending the Game:
The game typically ends when a team reaches a predetermined score, often 5,000 or 7,500 points.

These are the basic rules of Canasta, but there are many variations and nuances to explore as you become more experienced with the game!