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Official Hand and Foot Rules
Here's a breakdown of the rules for Hand and Foot, a fun and strategic card game similar to canasta that is typically played with partners:
Objective
The goal in Hand and Foot is to be the team with the most points scored by getting rid of all the cards in your "hand" and then your "foot" by melding them strategically.
Setup
1. Shuffle and Deal: Shuffle the deck well. If playing with partners, have teammates sit opposite each other. Deal each player a hand of 13 cards face down (their "hand").
2. Deal the Foot: Then, deal another 13 cards face down to each player, placing this second pile next to their first pile (their "foot"). It's important to keep these two piles separate throughout the game.
3. Stock and Discard Pile: Place the remaining deck face down in the center of the table. This is the stock pile. Draw the top card from the deck and place it face up next to the stock pile to start the discard pile.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns, with the player to the left of the dealer going first. Here's what happens on each turn:
1. Draw and Discard:
Draw Two: Draw two cards from the stock pile.
Discard One: Choose one card from your hand and discard it face up to the discard pile.
2. Melding (Optional):
You can use cards from your hand to create melds (sets) on the table. Melds can be:
Three or More Cards of the Same Rank: For example, three Queens or four Sevens.
Runs of the Same Suit: A consecutive sequence of cards in the same suit (e.g., 5, 6, and 7 of Spades). Runs must have at least three cards.
Important Melding Rules:
Wild Cards: Red and black Threes cannot be used in melds. However, Deuces and Jokers (if included in your deck) can be used with at least four natural cards (cards other than Deuces, Jokers, red or black Threes) to form a meld.
Open Melds: Melds are initially open, meaning other players can add cards to them on their turns if they meet the meld's requirements.
Closed Melds (Books): Once a meld reaches seven cards of the same rank (e.g., seven Sevens), it becomes a closed meld or "book." Other players cannot add cards to a book.
3. Pick Up the Pile (Optional):
If the top discard pile card is not a black Three, you can choose to take the entire discard pile (including the top card) into your hand instead of drawing two cards from the stock pile. This can be strategic if the discard pile contains cards that can help you form melds.
4. Playing the Foot:
Once you get rid of all the cards in your hand, you can start playing cards from your foot pile. Follow the same rules for drawing, discarding, and melding cards from your foot.
5. End of Turn:
After drawing, discarding (or picking up the discard pile), and playing any melds (if applicable), your turn ends. Play continues clockwise to the next player.
Winning the Game
The game ends when a team gets rid of all the cards in both their hand and foot piles. Scoring happens as follows:
Melds: Points are awarded based on the type and number of cards in each meld. The point value for melds is typically predetermined and agreed upon before the game starts (e.g., three-of-a-kind might be 5 points, runs might be 10 points per card).
Books (Closed Melds): Bonus points are awarded for completing books (usually more points than open melds).
Points from Hand/Foot: Some variations award bonus points if a player gets rid of their entire hand or foot pile before their partner. The team with the most points after all cards have been played and scoring is complete wins the game!
Notes/Variations
Starting Melds (Optional): Some variations allow players to create their first meld(s) on the table before their first turn by using cards from their hand. This can jumpstart the game.
Red Threes: While red Threes cannot be used in melds, drawing one allows you to immediately discard another card from your hand without ending your turn.
So there are the rules to the popular card game Hand and Foot! It's very similar to Canasta so many of the rules and skills will help you in both game types. Enjoy!
