Hand and Foot - Related to Canasta/Rummy

History

While the exact origins of Hand and Foot Canasta are unknown, the game first came about in the 1970s, with its own specialty decks arriving in the 1980s. It is related to Canasta/Rummy, in which each player is dealt two sets of cards - the hand, which is played first, and the foot, which is played when the hand has been used up. There are numerous variations of this game and no standard rules.

Set Up

Players are dealt two sets of cards: the hand, which is played with first, and the foot, which is played after. This game does not have standard rules and is played with a variety of variations. The game generally has 4 players consisting of 2 partnerships. However, this game can be played with any number of people. This game is also closely related to Pennies From Heaven.

Before the game begins an initial dealer must be chosen. To do so, every player is given a card from a shuffled deck and whoever receives the highest card becomes the first dealer. Ties are broken by a repeated deal. The initial dealer shuffles the deck and the player to their right cuts it. The dealer then passes 11 cards one by one clockwise to each of the four players. The remaining cards are placed faced down to form the stock. The top card of the stock is turned upright and placed to the side to form the discard pile. The dealer position rotates clockwise at the end of each round.

Objective

Be the first to get rid of all your cards, HAND first, and then FOOT.

Number of Players

Four (4)

Number of Cards

Hand and Foot uses five to six decks of 52 cards with Jokers

Rank of Cards

Joker, 2, A,K,Q,J,10,9,8,7,6,5,4 (highest to lowest)

Type of Game

Canasta

Point Values

Jokers (Wild Cards) - 50 points

Deuces (Wild Cards) - 20 Points

Aces - 20 Points

Eights through Kings - 10 Points

Threes through Sevens - 5 Points

Rounds

A game consists of four rounds. Each round has a minimum meld requirement that increases with each round.

You must put down cards whose individual face values add up to at least the minimum requirement before your team is “in the game”. You can put down several melds at once to achieve this. If you are picking up the pile, you can meld additional cards from you hand along with the top discard and the two that match to help you make up the minimum count, including wild cards. However, you cannot count any of the other six cards you are pick up towards the minimum.

• Round 1, cards points must total at least 50 to start play
• Round 2, cards points must total at least 90 to start play
• Round 3, cards points must total at least 120 to start play
• Round 4, cards points must total at least 150 to start play

The Deal

Shuffle the decks of cards thoroughly. Each player is dealt 11 cards. This first set of 11 cards is called a HAND. The HAND can be picked up and examined by each player.

Each player is then dealt a second set of 11 cards. This second set of dealt cards is called the FOOT, which is played when the HAND has been used up, and is kept face-down.

Now, each player has two sets of cards, one set that he has seen, and another set that is kept face-down.

The remainder of the cards are to be kept in the center of the table and are called the STOCK.

The top most card of the Stock pile is turned face-up as a discard pile. If it turns out to be a red Three, a Deuce, or a Joker, then this card goes back into the pile, and another card is drawn for the top.

The Play

The objective is to get rid of all the cards from your 'Hand', and then 'Foot' by melding them. A Meld is a set of 3 - 7 cards of the same rank, that are placed face-up. It cannot have less than three cards or more than seven cards. A Meld belongs to the team, and not any individual player. After a Meld of three or more cards starts, more cards can be added to it until there are seven cards in the pile. It then becomes a 'Closed Pile' or 'Book'. Deuces and Jokers can be used in melds along with at least four natural cards, but not the red and black Threes.

Types of Melds

• 'Clean' or natural meld - Seven real cards of the same rank ('Red' Book).
• 'Dirty' or wild meld - A minimum of four cards of the same rank, and at least one wild card. Example: 5 Nines and two Wild Cards ('Black' Book).
• The melds should not consist of all Wild Cards. When a Book is complete, it is identified as Red (Clean) or Black (Dirty). The Black must have a Wild Card turned to show that it is a Dirty Meld.
• Red Book - All natural cards, no Wild cards (500 Points).
• Black Books - At least 4 natural cards and Wild Cards (300 Points).
• Each player picks up their 'hand', and play begins with the player on the left side of the dealer. The player is supposed to draw two cards from the Stock on each turn, and then discard one card on each turn. If a red Three is drawn, it is put down immediately and replaced with a new card from the deck.
• The player also has the option of 'picking up the pile', which means that he can take the top seven cards from the discard pile. However, ensure that the top of the discard pile is not a black Three. The player must hold two cards of the same rank as the top card. These three cards (the two he is holding and the top discard) must be immediately laid out, possibly along with the other cards he is holding. Also keep in mind that, the player's team must have melded till then, or he is melding while picking up the pile.
• Only the top card of the discard pile can be used towards the points needed for melding: the 6 other cards cannot be used towards points needed for the meld.
• To meld, all the cards that are played must equal the number of points that are required for that round. Wild cards have bonus points.
• If the player chooses to pick up the pile, they must make a meld of the top card of the pile. As you go on making melds, the number of cards in 'Hand' keep reducing, and you then eventually go on to the 'Foot'. You need to announce that you are playing your 'Foot', and then continue playing. If you happen to lay out all other cards except one, then you can discard it. This marks the end of your turn.
• When the 'Book' of seven is completed, the player has to place them in a single stack, with the topmost card being a Red for 'Clean' and Black for 'Dirty'.
• To 'Go Out', the player must get a Clean and Dirty, and get completely rid of the cards. Players must discard the final card, and not 'simply run out of cards'.

Red and Black Threes

Melds are formed with cards from A to 4. Threes, however, may not be melded in a normal way.

Red Threes count for a player if it is laid down on the table with their melds, however, it counts against them if it is not. Red threes should be immediately placed face up on the table and a new card must be drawn from the stock. Red threes may be found in your hand, drawn from the stock, found in the foot, or picked from the discard. If your opponents ‘go out’ (get rid of all their cards) before you have grabbed your ‘foot,’ and there is a red three present, that three counts against you.

Black Threes can only be used to block the next player from picking out the discard after you discard it. Black threes left in your hand count for minus five points on your score. Black threes cannot be played- only discarded.

Foot

You are allowed to pick up your foot pile once your hand is fully played. If a player completes their hand during a turn–without discarding the final card–they may continue with their foot until they discard. If a player’s hand is finished by discarding the final hand card, then they have to wait until their next turn to play their foot.

End Game

The game will come to an end if:

1. The player has received permission by asking for going out by melding all the cards of Foot or melding all the cards from it and discarding the last one.
2. When the Stock pile is finished and player would like to draw from it.

It has previously explained that the team should agree to Go Out (already accomplish one wild, two clean and two dirty piles) with the necessary condition that teammates have take their foot, playing at least one turn from it. Team should agree to Go Out, if any team member refuses it, a player is not permitted to leave without any cards. You have to keep at least two cards after melding while playing from foot, one to hold on hand to proceed the game and the other one to discard.

Game will come to an end soon if there are not sufficient cards from the stock and someone wants to draw cards from it. Each side will score points for the melds, no one would get bonus points and less points for the remaining cards.

Play Illustration 1

After the initial deal, the remainder of the cards are placed in two piles, face down, in the center of the table. These piles are the game’s stock cards. The play begins with the person to the left of the original or first dealer and continues clockwise until a player goes out.

The entire card game is four rounds long. Every round should have a meld point requirement that is raised in subsequent rounds. A team must put down enough melds to meet the minimum requirement before they are considered to be in the game. If a discard pile is used to meet the requirement of the card game, a player can only count the meld made with the top card toward the minimum requirement, no matter how many total melds the discard pile gives them.

A player must on their turn:

• Draw the top two cards off of the stock pile OR take the top five cards off of the discard pile.
• Meld any cards they can, or wish to, and/or add cards to their partner’s meld.
• To end their turn, discard one card into the discard pile.

Rules for picking cards from the discard pile:

• If the discard pile is fewer than five cards, the player can take the whole pile.
• No more than five cards can be taken.
• A player must hold two cards that are the same rank as the top card in the discard pile, and those cards must immediately be melded.

The other significant thing to mention about the discard pile is that it is risky to take cards from it. This is because red and black threes have no use in this card game and each player will be trying to discard them into the discard pile. There is also a point penalty for having threes in your hand or foot piles at the end of each round.

Rules for picking cards from the discard pile:

• Three red threes in your hand or foot at the end of a round will cause your team to be docked 300 points.
• Black threes cost five points per three off your team’s total score at the end of a round.
• There is no way to get rid of threes other than to discard them.

Play Illustration 2

Consider the 1st round is of fifty points. A player has discarded 7 sitting at your right and you are holding two 7’s and one 2. He is permitted to use his two 7’s to pick top seven cards from the pile and create dirty meld of fifty points( three 7’s and one 2). If the 2 is buried in the discarded pile, a player would not be permitted to meld as he has to hold it in Hand.

A team is not permitted to have two partial meld of same rank but they can make a new meld if they have completed a pile. A single meld must not contain more than 7 cards. For example, if you hold partial meld of six cards it is not allowed to take cards from the discard pile unless you hold cards of same rank to accomplish a seven cards pile. Once you have completed, you can make another meld of three cards of same rank. Again, another meld would be made from the hands you hold with the top card of pile and not with the cards from the discarded pile.

Play Illustration 2

Suppose the discard pile has its topmost card a 7 and there is another 7 which is buried four cards down. A meld of five 7’s is on the table and player has two 7’s and one 2 in his hand. It is not permitted to take cards from the discard pile as he has already completed pile of 7’s, and player have two cards to commence a new meld of 7’s. The cards which are buried are not allowed to include in a meld until a player has made a Natural Meld.