Progressive Canasta

Progressive Canasta

The game of Couples Progressive Canasta, Glen Lakes style, is played with 5 decks of standard playing card. It consists of 3 hands. Please note: For the purposes of these instructions, from this point forward, “hands” will be refered to as “rounds”, Each round starts with two sets of 11 cards to be played by each player. The objective of the game is to outscore you’re the couple you are playing by acquiring 7 cards of the same value (canastas) and points through your individual cards’ point value.

Canastas Round Details

1. 50 (rarely played by the GL Couples Canasta groups).

1. 90

1. 120

1. 150

• Lay down 3 or more of the same cards face-up to acquire their card value points.
• Draw from the discard pile.
• Satisfy the point total needed to end a round.

Canastas defined: There are two types of Canastas, Clean and Dirty

Clean canasta = 7 cards of the same value, without wild cards. E.G. 7 - 9s, 7 – Kings, 7 5s etc.

Dirty canasta =7 cards of the same value, with wild cards. e.g. 5 - nines, and 2 Jokers

4 - Kings, and 3 Twos

5- 8s, 1 Joker and 1 two

Wild Cards used to make dirty canastas = 2s and Jokers

Scoring:

Canasta Points:

• Clean = 500 pts each
• Dirty = 300 pts each

Card point values:

• 4 - 7 = 5 pts each
• 8 - King = 10 pts. each
• Aces and 2s + 20 pts. each
• Jokers - 50 pts. Each

• Additionally the first team to go out (satisfies round point requirement, canasta number amount requirement, and plays all cards) = 100 pts for going out first.

Negative points:

• The point total of all cards remaining in the hands of all players who did not go out. The partner of the player who went out, also loses the point total of the cards left in their hand.

Red 3s = - 500 pts. (Yes, minus 500 SO DON’T GET CAUGHT WITH THESE!!!!)

Black 3s = -5 if in you hand when opponent goes out. + 5 each if you lay down 3 or more to go out.

General playing rules:

Starting the game:

In our Couples Canasta group, you have the option of starting with the 50 hand or skipping it and starting with the 90 hand. The predominate hand that starts our group games is the 90 hand.

All hands start with each player receiving 11 cards in both their hand and foot.

The hand

The cards in your hand, the 11 that you start with, and all drawn cards must all be played

The round is opened with the 11 cards in each player’s hand. When all of those cards have been used by the foot is then used. They cannot be played at the same time. With the cards in both the hand and the foot, and with the cards received through the draw/discard pile, canastas of 7 or more cards are created as well as points from acquiring three or more of the same cards that are displayed face up.

A hand ends when one partner has no cards in their hand or foot to play. Note, the last card in that player’s hand must be played on an existing run of cards that are laid down, or in a new run of three or more. The hand can not end on a discard. Important Couples Canasta note: Before one partner ends a hand, they have the option of asking their partner if they “want to go out”. The partner will then base their decision on how many points they are holding with the cards in their hand, and consider what may be in their foot if it has not been played.

Drawing and discarding cards: To make canastas and acquire points, each player

takes turns drawing cards as indicated for each hand above.

After drawing their cards the player then discards 1 card onto the discard pile.

The next player then has the option of taking that discard (See below), or drawing their cards.

Taking a discard: Instead of drawing cards upon your turn, you may take the last card discarded providing the following:

• You show and lay down 2 cards that are the same as the top discarded card
• You additionally pick up the four cards directly beneath the top discard.
• There are at least 5 cards in the discard pile

Got it ????

Let’s shuffle em up and let’s deal em out!!!