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How to play Hand and Foot (2026) — Hand and Foot is a North American card game related to Canasta, best known as a partnership game for four. Each player gets two stacks of cards: the hand, played first, and the foot, picked up once the hand runs out. Partners build melds of the same rank into seven-card piles, and the team that goes out first earns a bonus. There is no single official rule set, so this guide follows the most common partnership version, with the usual house variations noted.
The cards you need: Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards (12-pack)
The four-player game uses five standard decks including jokers, which is 270 cards. A 12-pack covers that with decks to spare for a six-player game.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $25) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Hand and Foot at a glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 in two partnerships (also 2 to 6; six can play as two teams of three) |
| Decks | One more deck than players: five decks with jokers for four players |
| Cards dealt | Two stacks of 13 cards each: the hand and the foot |
| Game length | Four deals |
| Goal | Score the most points from melds, piles and going out |
Setting up and dealing
Partners sit opposite each other. Shuffle all five decks together. One player deals four face-down stacks of 13 cards, one per player (the hands), while their partner deals four more stacks of 13 (the feet). The rest of the cards become the stock, and the top card is turned up to start the discard pile; if it is a red three or a wild card, bury it in the stock and turn another. Leave your foot face down until you have played every card in your hand.
Melds, piles and wild cards
- Melds are three to seven cards of the same rank, from aces down to fours. Melds belong to the partnership, and either partner can add to them.
- Twos and jokers are wild. A meld must have at least twice as many natural cards as wild cards, so a meld of three to five cards can hold one wild card and a meld of six or seven can hold two.
- A wild meld is made entirely of twos and jokers.
- A pile is a completed meld of exactly seven cards. Clean piles have no wild cards, dirty piles have one or two, and wild piles are all wild.
- Threes cannot be melded. Red threes go face up on the table for a bonus; black threes block the discard pile.
A turn in Hand and Foot
- Draw two cards from the stock. (If you draw a red three, lay it down and draw a replacement.)
- Meld any cards you can, starting new melds or adding to your team’s melds.
- Discard one card onto the discard pile.
Instead of drawing from the stock, you may take the top seven cards of the discard pile, but only if the top card is not a three, you hold two natural cards of the same rank, and you immediately meld those three cards together.
Minimum first meld
Each partnership’s first meld of the deal must add up to a minimum card value, and it rises every round.
| Round | Minimum first meld |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 points |
| 2 | 90 points |
| 3 | 120 points |
| 4 | 150 points |
Picking up your foot
When your hand is gone, pick up your foot. If you meld every card in your hand, pick up the foot immediately and keep playing. If you meld all but one card and discard it, pick up the foot at the start of your next turn.
Going out
A player may go out by melding all remaining foot cards, or all but one and discarding the last, but only when all three conditions are met: the team has at least two clean piles, two dirty piles and one wild pile; the partner has picked up their foot and played from it; and the partner says yes when asked, “May I go out?”
Hand and Foot scoring
| Card or bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 each |
| Two or ace | 20 each |
| Eight through king | 10 each |
| Four through seven, black three | 5 each |
| Clean pile | 500 bonus |
| Dirty pile | 300 bonus |
| Wild pile | 1,500 bonus |
| Going out | 100 bonus |
| Red three | +100 if laid down, −100 if still in hand or foot |
Cards you melded count for you; cards left in your hand or foot count against you. Add up all four deals; the higher team total wins.
Hand and Foot strategy
- Save a wild card to help you get into your foot.
- Complete the wild pile early when you can; it is worth 1,500 points.
- Hold pairs of ranks your opponents are likely to discard so you can pick up the pile.
- Discard black threes to block an opponent who is collecting the discard pile.
- Watch your partner. If you get into your foot first, avoid finishing piles your partner needs to play their hand.
Common house rules and specialty decks
- Smaller hands: some groups deal 11 cards to the hand and 13 to the foot.
- Whole discard pile: some versions take the entire discard pile, not just seven cards.
- Unlimited piles: some groups allow more than seven cards in a meld.
- Dedicated decks: Hand & Foot Remastered (about $47) has special cards marked with point values, a scorepad and decks for up to eight players.
New to the Canasta family? See how to play Canasta and our best trick-taking card games for more classic card games.
Hand and Foot questions
How many decks do you need for Hand and Foot?
One more deck than the number of players, including jokers. Four players use five decks.
Can you play Hand and Foot with two people?
Yes. Use three decks and play as individuals.
What do you need to go out in Hand and Foot?
Two clean piles, two dirty piles and one wild pile, your partner in their foot, and your partner’s permission.
What cards do I need?
Several standard decks with jokers. A Bicycle 12-pack covers up to a six-player game.
