Hand and Foot Rulebook

Table of Contents

- What Is Hand & Foot?
Singles Play
Team Play
Optional Alternate Rules

What Is Hand & Foot?

Hand & Foot is a variation of the card game Canasta and is often referred to as Hand & Foot Canasta. Why is Hand & Foot Canasta so much fun? Because it is the most flexible card game — with 2-8 players it is perfect for most size groups. You can play in teams or singles, and you can use a variety of house rules. While playing you can be losing by a wide margin and still have a legitimate chance to win.

The game is played with one more deck of cards than there are players. So 8 players would use 9 decks — that's a lot of cards, but it means you never need to reshuffle mid-round.

Singles Play

These instructions are for Singles Play games. For Team Play and alternate house rules, see the sections below.

How to Play – Singles

Singles games are played with 2 to 8 Players but are best with 3+.
One more deck of cards than the number of players is required.
The object of the game is to accumulate the most points, over 4 rounds, by laying down melds with the goal of creating books.

What Are Melds?

A set of 3+ cards of the same rank from 4 through Ace, played face up on the table.
Must always have one more natural card than wild.
Cannot be played on by other players.

What Are Books?

A meld of 7+ cards.
A Clean book is seven cards of the same value (e.g., seven 8s).
A Dirty book includes Wild cards (e.g., a book of four 8s and three wild cards).
Books cannot be made with 3s or entirely of wild cards.
To "go out" (end the round), you must complete at least one Clean and at least one Dirty book and play all cards in your Hand and Foot.

Card Values

Scores are calculated by adding the cards played, minus the remaining cards in the player's Hand and/or Foot.
Each card has the point value printed in the top left corner and they are shown below:

CARD	4-7	8-KING	ACE	RED 3	BLACK 3	WILD
POINT VALUE	5	10	20	100	-100	20 or 50

Bonus Points

Each player receives points for each book completed and for all individual cards played, including those in books, by the end of the round.
For example, a Clean book of seven 4s would be worth 700 points plus 5 points for each card in the book for a total of 735 points.
Red 3s are worth 100 points and should be immediately played, face-up at the top of the individual's play area and immediately replaced with a card from the draw pile.
Black 3s are -100 points and should be discarded before all other cards.

ACTION	CLEAN BOOK	DIRTY BOOK	GOING OUT	PERFECT DEAL
POINT VALUE	700	300	100	100

NOTE: Natural cards can be added to complete books, wild cards cannot. This will not increase the value of the book, but it will add the point value of the card to the final score.

Meld Requirements

Each round of play has a different minimum meld point value requirement. You cannot play any meld(s) until their combined point value equals the required minimum value. This applies to each player.
For example, three 4s would be worth 15 points and six 10s would be 60 points, for a total of 75 points. This would satisfy the requirement for Round 1.

ROUND	1	2	3	4
POINTS	60	90	120	150

NOTE: Complete book values and Red 3s do not count toward minimum meld requirements.

To Begin

Thoroughly shuffle the cards and place one or two draw piles in the center of the table.
Turn one card face up to start a discard pile. If this card is a 3 or a Wild it is mixed into the draw pile and replaced.
Each player then takes a small portion of the draw pile and, without looking at them, counts out two stacks of 11 cards each.
If a player picks up exactly 22 cards, a 100-point bonus is awarded for a "perfect deal."
The first stack is the player's "Hand." The second stack is passed to the player on the left and becomes that player's "Foot."
Each player begins with their Hand and sets their Foot aside, face down, in a location visible to the other players.
To determine the order of play, each player selects one card from the draw pile. The player with the highest card, Aces are high, begins the first round with play continuing clockwise. Cards are then mixed into the draw pile.

Game Play

To begin each turn, the player must pick up two cards and MUST discard one to end their turn.
You cannot go out without discarding.
You can continue to play with no cards in your hand but that does not end the round unless you've also completed your books.
The first card in the discard pile can be picked up as long as that card does not complete a book from an existing meld. For example, if you have six 8s played, you cannot pick from the discard pile if the top card is an 8.
A player cannot pick from the discard pile if they already picked from one of the draw piles.
Once a player obtains the minimum point value to play their melds, they may choose to play the cards by placing them face up on the table in front of them during their turn.
Our suggested table layout is included later in these instructions.
A player must play their Hand completely before they can play their Foot.
If, to clear their Hand, a player must discard, they must wait until their next turn to start playing their Foot.
If no discard is needed to clear their Hand, they can immediately begin playing their Foot.

Game Play (Continued)

There is no obligation to announce that you are playing your Foot. It is up to the other players to be aware of the game.
The first player to go out by playing or discarding all cards from their Hand and Foot, plus completing at least one Clean book and one Dirty book, receives a 100-point bonus for ending the round.
When a player goes out, all cards remaining in the other players' Hand and/or Foot are to be counted as negative points. Cards they have played are positive points.

How to Keep Score

At the end of the round, the score keeper will first record the points each player has in books and then the number of red 3s that have been played.
All red 3s are then discarded.
Players then total the values of the individual cards in their books and melds, subtract negative points from un-played cards, provide their total to the scorekeeper, and help shuffle for the next round.

Tip: The fastest and easiest way to calculate scores is to match, and discard, a positive card equal to any negative cards. With the remaining positive cards count out piles of 100 points each.

Suggested Table Layout

To ensure a fair game where all opponents can see what melds and books they each have, we suggest the following card placement:

Melds are placed in front of you, in ascending order, in a vertical row clearly showing how many cards of each value you have.
Clean books are neatly piled and placed horizontally above the melds next to the red 3s, if any.
Dirty books must have a Wild card placed vertically behind it to indicate it is dirty.

Team Play

These instructions are for Team Play games. For Singles Play, see the section above.

How to Play – Teams

Team games are played with 4 to 8 Players on 2 to 4 teams.
One more deck of cards than the number of players is required.
The object of the game is to accumulate the most points, over 4 rounds, by laying down melds with the goal of creating books.

What Are Melds? (Teams)

A set of 3+ cards of the same rank from 4 through Ace, played face up on the table.
Must always have one more natural card than Wild and cannot have more than 2 Wild cards.
Melds belong to the team, not the player. Once a player melds, all red 3s and additional cards/melds from other players are to be handed to the teammate who first melded for them to play.

What Are Books? (Teams)

A meld of 7+ cards.
A Clean book is seven cards of the same value (e.g., seven 8s).
A Dirty book includes Wild cards (e.g., a book of four 8s and two wild cards).
A Wild book contains 7 wild cards and cannot be used for the team's initial meld.
Books cannot be made with 3s.
To "go out" (end the round), the team must complete at least two Clean and at least three Dirty books and play all cards in one player's Hand and Foot.

Card Values (Teams)

Scores are calculated by adding the cards played, minus the remaining cards in the player's Hand and/or Foot.
Each card has the point value printed in the top left corner and they are shown below:

CARD	4-7	8-KING	ACE	RED 3	BLACK 3	WILD
POINT VALUE	5	10	20	100	-100	20 or 50

Bonus Points (Teams)

Each team receives points for each book completed and for all individual cards played, including those in books, by the end of the round. For example, a Clean book of seven 4s would be worth 700 points plus 5 points for each card in the book for a total of 735 points.
Red 3s are worth 100 points and should be immediately played, face-up at the top of the team's play area and immediately replaced with a card from the draw pile.
Black 3s are -100 points and should be discarded before all other cards.

ACTION	CLEAN BOOK	DIRTY BOOK	WILD BOOK	GOING OUT	PERFECT DEAL	IMPROPER MELD
POINT VALUE	700	300	1500	100	100	-500

NOTE: Natural cards can be added to complete books, wild cards cannot. This will not increase the value of the book, but it will add the point value of the card to the final score.

Meld Requirements (Teams)

Each round of play has a different minimum meld point value requirement. You cannot play any meld(s) until their combined point value equals the required minimum value. This applies to each team. For example, three 4s would be worth 15 points and six 10s would be 60 points, for a total of 75 points. This would satisfy the requirement for Round 1.

ROUND	1	2	3	4
POINTS	60	90	120	150

Once one teammate begins play, the other team member(s) hand all playable cards to them without meeting the minimum requirement themselves.
When passing cards to a teammate you must tell them how/where to play your cards. They cannot place them where they would prefer.
Complete books and red 3s do not count toward minimum meld requirements.
If you lay your cards down to meld and do not have the minimum required points, you must pick them up and your team will be penalized 500 points.

To Begin (Teams)

Team formation:

While generally played with two teams of equal numbers, you may have multiple teams of two players each.
Ensure teammates and not sitting beside each other.
No communication regarding the game can occur amongst teammates once play begins. Exceptions are made later in these instructions.
Thoroughly shuffle the cards and place one or two draw piles in the center of the table.
Turn three cards face up to start a discard pile. If the top card is a 3 or a Wild, it is mixed into the draw pile and replaced.
Each player then takes a small portion of the draw pile and, without looking at them, counts out two stacks of 11 cards each.
If a player picks up exactly 22 cards, a 100-point bonus is awarded for a "perfect deal."
The first stack is the player's "Hand." The second stack is passed to the player on the left and becomes that player's "Foot."
Each player begins with their Hand and sets their Foot aside, face down, in a location visible to the other players.
To determine the order of play, each player selects one card from the draw pile. The player with the highest card, Aces are high, begins the first round with play continuing clockwise. Cards are then mixed into the draw pile.

Game Play (Teams)

To begin each turn, the player must pick up two cards and MUST discard one to end their turn. The only exception is when "going out"—you must play your final card and cannot discard it. You must always have at least one card in your hand.
The top three cards in the discard pile can be picked up as long as the top card can immediately be melded with two cards in the player's hand, not already played on the table. For example, if the top discard is a 4 you must have two 4s in your hand and no 4s previously played.
A player cannot pick from the discard pile if they already picked a card from one of the draw piles.
A black 3 freezes the discard pile so the next player cannot pick up the top three cards.
Once a player obtains the minimum point value to play their melds, they may choose to play the cards by placing them face up on the table in front of them during their turn.
A player must play their Hand completely before they can play their Foot.
If, to clear their Hand, a player must discard, they must wait until their next turn to start playing their Foot. If no discard is needed to clear their Hand, they can immediately begin playing their Foot.
Optional: Some players announce they are picking up their Foot to ensure their teammate is aware.
To "go out" (end the round):
- One player on a team must play all cards in their Hand and Foot.
- All teammates must have played at least one turn with their Foot.
- The team must have completed at least two Clean books and at least three Dirty books.
- The player looking to go out must request, and receive, permission to do so from their teammate(s). This only needs to occur once, and the player can go out on their next turn without asking.
The first team to go out receives a 100-point bonus for ending the round.
When a player goes out all cards left in the other players' Hand and/or Foot are to be counted as negative points. Cards they have played are positive.

How to Keep Score (Teams)

At the end of the round, the score keeper will first record the points each player has in books and then the number of red 3's that have been played.
All red 3's are then discarded.
Players then total the values of the individual cards in their books and melds, subtract negative points from un-played cards, provide their total to the scorekeeper, and help shuffle for the next round.

Tip: The fastest and easiest way to calculate scores is to match, and discard, a positive card equal to any negative cards. With the remaining positive cards count out piles of 100 points each.

Suggested Table Layout (Teams)

To ensure a fair game where all opponents can see what melds and books they each have, we suggest the following card placement:

Melds are placed in front of you, in ascending order, in a vertical row clearly showing how many cards of each value you have.
Clean books are neatly piled and placed horizontally above the melds next to the red 3's, if any.
Dirty books must have a Wild card placed vertically behind it to indicate it is dirty.

Optional Alternate Rules

As previously mentioned, there are no official rules for Hand & Foot. Below are some of the more popular house rules that Hand & Foot Remastered players have reported to the publisher, as well as the rule changes for a version of the game commonly referred to as Triple Play or Hand, Knee & Foot.

Instead of Four Rounds

Add a fifth round requiring players to meld with a Clean book.
Play first to 10,000 points wins.
Play first to 20,000 points wins. This requires alternate minimum meld requirements.

Score	Minimum Point Value to Meld
Negative	15
0 - 4999	60
5000 - 9999	90
10000 - 14999	120
> 15000	150

Dealing

Rather than having everyone pick their own cards, each player gets a turn to deal a round.
If they pick up and deal the exact number of cards required for each player's Hand and Foot, they receive 1000 bonus points.
If they are one card over/under, they receive 500 points.
If they are three over/under, they receive 300 points.

Ending the Round – "Going Out" (For Singles Games Only)

Players must always have at least one card in their Hand and they must play out. Players may not discard their final card. This is standard in team play.

Melds/Books (Alternate)

Books cannot contain more than 7 cards. Additional melds of a complete book can be created with at least 3 natural cards.
Books can contain more than 7 cards, but players have the option of creating a second book.
Optional: If the player fails to complete the additional book, those cards become negative points.
In singles games, Wild books made of seven Wild cards can be created and are worth 1,000 or 1,500 points. This is standard in team play.
No 7s can be discarded until at least one player has completed a Clean book of 7s. This is the primary rule change for the game known as Sevens From Hell.

Examples of Alternative Scoring

Red 3s are -500 points when caught in a player's hand.
Black 3s are -300 points when caught in a player's hand.
Red 3s are -300 points and black 3s are +5 points.
Clean books are worth 500 points and Dirty books are 300 points.

Alternate Discard Pile Rules

If you pick from the discard pile, you must pick up the entire pile.
If picking from the discard pile, you must pick the top 5 cards. If the top card is a black 3, the pile is frozen and cannot be picked from.
Once a player has played all cards in their Hand, they must wait for their next turn to pick up their Foot. While waiting, the player must decide if they want the top discard or draw two cards before seeing their Foot.
The discard pile must have 8 cards before anyone can pick from it and players can only take the top 8 cards.
For singles games, players can only pick up from the discard pile if they have a natural pair of the card in their hand. They then take the top seven cards from the discard pile and must play the first card. If it is their initial meld only the top card counts toward the meld requirements.

To Speed Up the Game

To make it possible to meld faster, add additional cards to the Hand on each round.

	Hand Card Count	Foot Card Count
Round 1	13	11
Round 2	15	11
Round 3	17	11
Round 4	19	11

Players are not allowed to pick from the discard pile. This makes it possible for the next player to pick their two cards before the current player has completed their turn.

Optional Team Play Penalties

Attempting to go out without receiving permission or when a partner says no: –100 points.
Being unable to go out after having asked for, and receiving, permission: –100 points.
Drawing from the discard pile without being able to meld the top card: –50 points.

Hand, Knee & Foot

This game is essentially the same as team play Hand & Foot. It can be played with three players individually, four players in teams of two, or six players with two teams of three. We suggest using two more decks of cards than players in the game. Other differences are below.

In addition to the standard Hand & Foot, each player will also receive a stack of cards called a Knee. Card counts for each are:

Hand	Knee	Foot
15	13	11

Drawing

On each turn, the player either draws two cards or picks up the entire discard pile, as long as they can immediately meld the top card with two cards from their hand.
If this is the team's opening meld, the additional cards from the discard pile can be used toward the initial meld requirements.
Black 3s block the discard pile from being picked-up.
If a Wild card is the top card, the discard pile can only be picked-up if the player has two like Wild cards to play.
If a player starts their turn by picking up the discard pile, they do not discard to end that turn. They must knock on the table to indicate their turn is over and the next player must pick from the draw pile.
Melds of 5s or 7s cannot contain Wild cards.

Picking up the Knee and Foot

When a player completes their team's first book, they will pick-up their Knee and continue their turn.
Their partner will pick-up their knee on their next turn.
They must remember to do so on their own. Anyone who reminds them will receive a 1,000 point penalty.
Player's can go into their Foot as usual by playing/discarding all cards in their hand.

Going Out (Hand, Knee & Foot)

At least one teammate must play all their cards and the team must complete at least the following books:

One Clean book of 5s
One Clean book of 7s
One book of Wilds
One additional Clean book
One Dirty book

Item	Point Value
Wild book	2,500
Clean book of 7s	5,000
Clean book of 5s	3,000
Clean book	500
Dirty book	300
Going out	200
Red 3	100
7+ red 3s	300
Black 3	-500
Pick up Knee reminder	-1,000