Hand and Foot
Popular North American CANASTA variant (mid-20th c.) — 4-player partnership rummy-style card game. Each player receives 2 hands: a HAND played first + a FOOT played only after Hand is emptied. Uses 5-6 STANDARD DECKS + JOKERS (all wild). Object: build MELDS (natural 'clean' + mixed 'dirty' with wilds) to 7+ cards = CANASTAS. Massive popularity as social/senior/family game USA + Canada.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Team sport
Players
2–6
Duration
~90 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Emerged 1950s-60s USA as canasta variant using 'hand + foot' twist; became especially popular late 20th c. as social/senior card game.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
First team to reach TARGET SCORE across 4 hands (5000/3000/2000/500) by making CANASTAS + emptying both HAND + FOOT.
Rules
Basic rules
SETUP: each player dealt 11 cards face-DOWN (HAND) + 11 cards face-DOWN (FOOT); start with HAND
Signature hand + foot dual deal.
MUST FINISH HAND completely before picking up FOOT (must NOT peek at foot)
Signature progression rule.
MELDS: 3+ cards of same rank; NATURAL/CLEAN meld = no wilds; DIRTY/MIXED = includes wilds
Signature clean vs. dirty meld types.
CANASTA = 7-card meld; CLEAN (no wilds) = 500 pts; DIRTY (with wilds) = 300 pts
Signature 500/300 canasta values.
MINIMUM INITIAL MELD: hand 1 = 50 pts; hand 2 = 90; hand 3 = 120; hand 4 = 150
Signature per-hand rising minimums.
WILDS: JOKERS + 2s; RED 3s = special bonus (100 each; but you can never meld them)
Signature wild + bonus 3 rules.
GO OUT: play LAST card from your foot after making 2+ CANASTAS + partner agrees ('go out?')
Signature end condition.
Scoring
Card values (A=20, K-8=10, 7-4=5, 2/joker=20/50 as melded); canastas 300/500; red 3s 100 each; going out 100.
Win condition · Highest cumulative score after 4 hands wins the game.
Equipment
5-6 standard 52-card decks + jokers (270-324 cards total)
Signature multi-deck stack.
Scoresheet + pencil (scoring is complex)
Careful score tracking required.
Terminology
- Hand
- First stack of 11 cards played.
- Foot
- Second stack of 11 cards, opened only after Hand emptied.
- Canasta
- 7-card meld — 500 pts clean, 300 pts dirty.
- Clean canasta
- Canasta with NO wild cards.
- Dirty canasta
- Canasta including wild cards.
- Red three
- Bonus card worth 100 pts each; cannot be melded.
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Hand and Foot— Wikipedia
- Pagat.com — Hand and Foot— Pagat