This is definitely more my cup of tea, and the reason this site was formed. I have searched for hand and foot canasta rules online and have yet to find a main set of rules, similar to what you find for classic canasta. I have also never found the set of rules that was taught to me. For these reason, I have decided to present in this section the rules I am most familiar with, and also present some of the variations I have found online.
The basic objective of Classic Canasta, making melds and canastas, is the same in Hand and Foot Canasta. The main differences between the two are:
- Hand and Foot players are given two hands, also called a hand and a foot; Classic players are given only one
- One red or dirty canasta and two black or clean canastas are required to go out in Hand and Foot; one canasta of any type is required in Classic
- Hand and Foot uses five decks of cards; Classic uses two
The rules given in the following pages are for four players, but there is no variation in the rules if your are playing with less or more players. This will be discussed more in the Number of Player Variations page.