Hand and Foot Card Game
The family-favorite Canasta cousin: you get a hand and a foot, build books of seven with your partner and race to go out across four rounds.
You and your partner (across) vs. 2 computer opponents. Four rounds, highest total wins!
How to play Hand and Foot
Four players play in two teams, and your partner sits across from you. Everyone gets two piles of 11 cards: the hand, which you play first, and the foot, which you pick up once your hand is empty. On your turn, draw 2 cards from the stock (or take the discard pile), meld what you can and finish by discarding one card.
A meld is 3 to 7 cards of the same rank. Jokers and 2s are wild, but a meld always needs more natural cards than wilds and never more than 3 wilds. Seven cards close a book: a clean book (no wilds) is worth 500 and a dirty book 300. Your team’s first meld of each round has to reach a minimum score: 50, then 90, 120 and 150.
To take the pile, you need a natural pair matching the top card; you meld the three and pick up the next 6 cards. Red 3s go straight to the table for 100 points, and a black 3 on the pile blocks the next player. You can only go out from your foot once your team has 2 clean and 2 dirty books. After 4 rounds, the higher total wins.
Frequently asked questions
How is this version different from the house rules I know?
Hand and Foot has tons of house rules. Real tables usually play with 5 decks plus jokers; this version uses 4 decks and 8 jokers so the stock stays a sensible size for 4 players. You always need a natural pair to take the pile (and you take the top 7 cards), there are no wild-card books, and asking your partner before going out is skipped.
What are the card values?
Jokers are worth 50, Aces and 2s 20, eights through Kings 10, and fours through sevens (plus black 3s) 5. Melded cards count for your team, cards left in your hand and foot count against you, and going out earns a 100-point bonus on top of the book bonuses.
What happens when I run out of cards in my hand?
You pick up your foot right away. If you emptied your hand by melding, you keep playing from your foot this turn; if your last card was a discard, you start using your foot on your next turn. Emptying your foot is going out, so it only counts when your team already has the books it needs.