Hand and Foot rules
Hand and Foot is a rummy game for partners, played with several decks and plenty of wild cards. Every player gets two sets of cards: a hand to play first and a foot to play after it. Teams build books of 7 cards over 4 rounds. Households play it in many ways, so the usual alternatives are listed too.
Also called Hand and Foot Canasta.
- Players
- 4, in 2 teams of 2. Also 2, 3, 5 or 6, with one more deck than players.
- You need
- 5 standard decks with their jokers (270 cards), plus paper and a pencil
- Deal
- 11 cards for your hand and 11 face down for your foot
- Each turn
- Draw 2 cards from the stock or take the discard pile, meld, then discard 1
- Goal
- Build books of 7 cards, then go out by playing every card in your hand and foot
- Game ends
- After 4 rounds. The team with the higher total wins.
- Playing time
- About 2 hours for all 4 rounds
Quick start
- Four players form 2 teams, partners across. Shuffle 5 decks with their jokers. Deal each player 11 cards for the hand and 11 face down for the foot.
- Draw 2 cards from the stock, or take the top 7 discards if you hold 2 natural cards matching the top card and it is not a black 3. Lay down red 3s at once.
- Meld 3 to 7 cards of one rank. Jokers and 2s are wild. Your team’s first meld must reach 50, 90, 120 or 150 points, depending on the round.
- A meld of 7 cards is a book: 500 points if clean, with no wild cards, or 300 if dirty. Discard 1 card to end your turn.
- When your hand is used up, pick up your foot. To go out, your team needs a clean and a dirty book and your partner’s OK. Discard your last card.
- Score books, bonuses and melded cards, minus cards left in hands and feet. After 4 rounds, the higher total wins. Groups differ on many rules, so agree first.
Rule sheet and score sheet
Print the whole game on one page, and a score sheet made for Hand and Foot. Both are free PDFs for Letter paper.
Setup
4 players in 2 teams of 2, partners sitting across from each other. Versions for 2, 3, 5 and 6 players are further down.
You need: 5 standard 52-card decks shuffled together, each with its 2 jokers.
| In the set | Count | Worth when scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Jokers | 10 | 50 each. Wild. |
| 2s | 20 | 20 each. Wild. |
| Aces | 20 | 20 each |
| Kings, queens, jacks, 10s, 9s and 8s | 120 | 10 each |
| 7s, 6s, 5s and 4s | 80 | 5 each |
| Black 3s | 10 | 5 against you if left in your hand or foot |
| Red 3s | 10 | 100 each when laid down, 100 against you if not |
| Total | 270 |
- Some groups use 6 decks for 4 players. With other numbers of players, use one more deck than there are players.
- Shuffle 5 decks together, each with its 2 jokers: 270 cards. Partners sit across from each other.
- Deal each player 11 cards for the hand, to pick up and look at. Then deal each player 11 more, face down, for the foot.
- Stack the rest face down as the stock. Turn its top card face up to start the discard pile. If it is a red 3, a 2 or a joker, bury it in the stock and turn another.
- The player on the dealer’s left goes first. The deal passes to the left each round.
Your hand
11 cards, picked up and looked at
Your foot
11 cards, face down until you need them
Stock
181 cards, face down
Discard pile
Starts with one face-up card
- Some groups deal 13 cards for the hand and 13 for the foot. Agree on the deal before you start.
- In one common way of dealing, one partner deals the hands and the other partner deals the feet.
How to play
A game is 4 rounds. In each round, play goes clockwise until one player goes out or the stock is too low for a player’s draw. Melds belong to the team, so partners build them together.
-
Draw 2 cards
Draw the top 2 cards of the stock. Whenever you hold a red 3, lay it face up and draw a replacement.
- This goes for red 3s you were dealt, red 3s you draw and red 3s you find in your foot.
- Laying down a red 3 is not a meld. It does not count toward your team’s first meld.
-
Or take the discard pile
Instead of drawing, you may take the top 7 cards of the discard pile. You need 2 natural cards matching the top card, which cannot be a black 3. Meld those 3 at once. The rest go into your hand.
- If the pile has fewer than 7 cards, take them all. You never take more than 7.
- Wild cards cannot stand in for the 2 matching cards.
- You may add more cards from your hand to the new meld.
- If your team has not made its first meld yet, the melds you lay down this turn must reach the minimum for the round. The top card and cards from your hand count. The other cards you pick up do not.
-
Make your team’s first meld
A meld is 3 to 7 cards of one rank, laid face up. Your team’s first meld each round must be worth at least 50 points in round 1, 90 in round 2, 120 in round 3 and 150 in round 4. Several melds laid at once count together.
- Add up the card values of the melds you lay down. Red 3s and book bonuses do not count toward the minimum.
- Once your team has met the minimum, either partner may lay down new melds and add cards to the team’s melds.
- Melds belong to a team. You add only to your own team’s melds.
- Your team may not start a second meld of a rank while it still has an unfinished meld of that rank.
-
Use wild cards and build books
Jokers and 2s are wild. A meld may hold wild cards only if it has at least 4 natural cards. 3s are never melded. A meld of 7 cards is a closed book: clean with no wild cards, dirty with some.
- A natural card is any card that is not wild.
- A meld made only of wild cards is not allowed.
- Because a dirty book needs 4 natural cards, it holds at most 3 wild cards.
- A book cannot take an 8th card. Start a new meld of that rank instead.
- Rules on wild cards differ more than any other rule in this game. Some groups allow 1 wild card with only 2 natural cards. See the variants below.
Clean book
No wild cards. 500 points.
Dirty book
4 natural cards and 3 wild cards. 300 points.
Not allowed
A wild card needs at least 4 natural cards with it
Two finished books and a meld that is not allowed. -
Discard 1 card
End your turn by discarding 1 card face up. A black 3 on top of the pile stops the next player from taking it.
- Black 3s cannot be melded. The only way to get rid of one is to discard it.
- You may discard a wild card.
-
Pick up your foot
When your hand is used up, pick up your foot. If your last hand card went into a meld, keep playing from the foot and discard to end your turn. If it was your discard, play from the foot on your next turn.
- Lay down any red 3s in your foot at once and draw a replacement for each one.
- Some groups let you keep playing from the foot in the same turn either way. Agree on this first.
-
Go out
To go out, your team needs at least 1 clean book and 1 dirty book, and you must be playing from your foot. Ask your partner first. If they agree, you must go out: meld your cards and discard the last one. This ends the round.
- If your partner says no, you cannot go out this turn. Play so that you still hold at least 1 card after your discard.
- Many groups ask for more books before a team can go out. Agree on the number before you start.
- The last card must be a discard. Running out of cards by melding them all does not count as going out.
-
If the stock runs out
If a player wants to draw from the stock and it has too few cards, the round ends at once. Nobody gets the going-out bonus.
- Both teams score what they have on the table, minus the cards left in their hands and feet.
-
Score the round
Each team adds its bonuses and the value of its melded cards. Then it takes away the value of every card left in its players’ hands and feet.
| Round | Your team’s first meld must be worth at least |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 points |
| 2 | 90 points |
| 3 | 120 points |
| 4 | 150 points |
Example: playing out your hand and picking up your foot
It is round 2 and your team has already made its first meld. On the table it has five kings and three 7s. You hold the king of hearts, the 2 of clubs, and the 9 of spades and 9 of diamonds. You draw the 9 of clubs and the 7 of spades. You add the king and the 2 to the kings, which makes 7 cards: a dirty book. You lay down the three 9s as a new meld and add the 7 of spades to the 7s. Your hand is empty and your last card went into a meld, so you pick up your foot now. You lay down any red 3s from it, meld what you can, and discard 1 foot card to end your turn.
Your team’s kings
5 natural kings
Your team’s 7s
Your hand
K♥ and 2♣ finish a dirty book. 9s make a new meld. 7♠ goes on the 7s.
Your foot
Picked up the moment your hand is empty
Scoring
Both teams score in every round, not only the team that goes out. A team scores for its books, red 3s and melded cards, and loses points for cards still in its players’ hands and feet. A round score can be below zero.
| Card | Points in a meld | Points if left in your hand or foot |
|---|---|---|
| Joker | 50 | Minus 50 |
| 2 or ace | 20 | Minus 20 |
| King, queen, jack, 10, 9 or 8 | 10 | Minus 10 |
| 7, 6, 5 or 4 | 5 | Minus 5 |
| Black 3 | Cannot be melded | Minus 5 |
| Red 3 | 100 when laid face up | Minus 100 |
| What your team did | Points |
|---|---|
| Each clean book (7 cards, no wild cards) | 500 |
| Each dirty book (7 cards, with wild cards) | 300 |
| Went out | 100 |
- The cards inside a book count too, on top of the book bonus.
- Cards still in a foot that was never picked up count against the team.
- Groups play many different values for red 3s, books and going out. The variants below list the usual ones.
After 4 rounds, add up each team’s round scores. The team with the higher total wins.
Use a sheet with a column for each team and a row for each round. For each round, write the book and going-out bonuses, the card points (melded cards minus cards left in hands and feet) and the round total, then the running total.
A worked example: one team’s score for a round
Your team went out. On the table it has a clean book of 8s, a dirty book of kings made of 6 kings and a 2, a meld of three 9s, a meld of four 7s and 2 red 3s. Your partner has already picked up their foot and is left holding the queen of spades, the 5 of hearts and a black 3. Your team scores 1,280 for the round.
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Clean book of 8s | 500 |
| Dirty book of kings | 300 |
| Going out | 100 |
| 2 red 3s laid down, 100 each | 200 |
| Cards in the book of 8s: 7 cards at 10 each | 70 |
| Cards in the book of kings: 6 kings at 10 and a 2 at 20 | 80 |
| Three 9s at 10 each | 30 |
| Four 7s at 5 each | 20 |
| Left in your partner’s foot: queen (10), 5 (5) and black 3 (5) | −20 |
| Your team | 1,280 |
Scorekeeper
Two teams, 4 rounds. Enter each team’s score for every round: book bonuses, red 3s and going out, plus melded cards minus cards left in hands and feet. Scores can be below zero. Each row shows that round’s first meld minimum. The higher total after round 4 wins. It works in this browser, keeps the game if the page reloads, and needs no account.
Other ways to play
Hand and Foot for 2 players
Use 3 decks with their jokers. Each player plays alone with a hand and a foot, and has no partner to ask before going out. The rest of the game is played as usual. One rule source asks a single player for 1 clean book and 2 dirty books before going out. Agree on the number first.
Hand and Foot for 3 or 5 players
Use one more deck than there are players: 4 decks for 3 players, 6 decks for 5. Everyone plays alone, with no partner to ask before going out. The rest of the game is played as usual.
Hand and Foot for 6 players
Use 7 decks and play as two teams of three. Each team builds its own melds and has its own score. Groups that always play in teams of two can make three teams of two instead. With teams of three, agree before you start which teammate you ask before going out.
Hand, Knee and Foot
This version adds a third set of cards, the knee. One card maker’s rules call it Triple Play. Use 6 decks with 12 jokers. Deal each player a 15-card hand, a 13-card knee and an 11-card foot. The player who finishes their team’s first book picks up their knee at once and adds it to their hand. Their partner picks up their own knee on their next turn, after drawing. The foot works as usual. To go out, a team needs 5 books: a clean book of 5s, a clean book of 7s, a wild book, another clean book and a dirty book. A book of 7s scores 5,000, a book of 5s 3,000 and a wild book 2,500. Going out scores 200, and other scores change too.
House rules and other versions
- More books to go out
- Many rule sets need more than 1 clean and 1 dirty book before going out. Some ask for 2 clean and 2 dirty books, some for 2 of each plus a wild book, and some for 3 clean and 4 dirty. One version asks for 2 of each in rounds 1 to 3 and 4 of each in round 4.
- Wild books
- A book can be made of 7 wild cards. It scores 1,500 points. In this version a team also needs a wild book, along with 2 clean and 2 dirty books, before it can go out.
- Fewer natural cards with wild cards
- Wild cards may go into smaller melds. In one version a meld needs at least twice as many natural cards as wild cards: at most 1 wild card in a meld of 3 to 5 cards, and at most 2 in a meld of 6 or 7. In another, natural cards need only outnumber the wild cards.
- 13 cards in the hand and foot
- Deal 13 cards for each hand and 13 for each foot instead of 11. Some groups deal 11 for the hand and 13 for the foot.
- Go out without a discard
- With your partner’s OK, you may go out by melding every card you have left. You do not need a final discard.
- Partner in the foot first
- You may not go out until your partner has picked up their foot and played at least part of a turn from it.
- Red 3s as a penalty
- Some groups never score red 3s as a plus. In one version they cannot be laid down at all, must be discarded one at a time, and count minus 300 each. In another, every red 3 counts 500 against its team.
- A different pickup
- Some groups take only the top 5 cards of the discard pile. Others take the whole pile.
- Lower book values
- A clean book scores 300 and a dirty book 100. Going out still scores 100.
- Leave a wild turn-up card
- If the card turned up to start the discard pile is a red 3 or a wild card, leave it there. The first player to take the pile gets it along with the cards on top of it.
Rule questions
How many cards do you deal in Hand and Foot?
22 cards to each player: 11 for the hand and 11 for the foot. You pick up and play the hand first. The foot stays face down until your hand is used up. Some groups deal 13 and 13.
How many decks do you need for Hand and Foot?
5 decks with their jokers for 4 players, which is 270 cards. With other numbers of players, use one more deck than there are players. Some groups use 6 decks for 4 players.
Do you keep playing after you pick up your foot?
Yes, if your last hand card went into a meld. Pick up the foot, keep playing and discard from it to end your turn. If your last hand card was your discard, pick up the foot but wait for your next turn to play from it.
How many cards do you take from the discard pile?
The top 7, or all of them if there are fewer. You need 2 natural cards matching the top card, and you meld those 3 at once. The rest go into your hand and do not count toward your first meld.
How many wild cards can be in a meld?
Under the rules on this page, wild cards go only into a meld that has at least 4 natural cards. So a dirty book holds at most 3 wild cards. Many groups allow wild cards in smaller melds, such as 1 wild card with 2 natural cards. Agree on this before you start.
Can you make a book of all wild cards?
Not under the rules on this page. A meld must have natural cards in it. Some groups allow a wild book of 7 wild cards, worth 1,500 points, and make it one of the books a team needs to go out.
What are red 3s and black 3s worth?
A red 3 scores 100 when it is laid face up and costs 100 if it is still in your hand or foot at the end. A black 3 cannot be melded and costs 5 if you are left holding it. Groups score red 3s in several ways.
Do red 3s count toward the first meld?
No. Only the cards in the melds you lay down count. Red 3s and book bonuses do not.
Do you have to ask your partner before going out?
Yes. Ask before you lay down your last cards. If your partner says yes, you must go out. If they say no, you cannot go out this turn and must keep at least 1 card after your discard.
Do cards left in your foot count against you?
Yes. When the round ends, every card still in a player’s hand or foot counts against that player’s team, including a foot that was never picked up. A red 3 still in a hand or foot costs 100.
What happens when the stock runs out?
The round ends as soon as a player wants to draw from the stock and it has too few cards. Both teams score their melds minus the cards left in hands and feet. Nobody gets the bonus for going out.
Can you add cards to a book that already has 7 cards?
No. A meld holds at most 7 cards, and a finished book is closed. Start a new meld of that rank instead. Your team may not start a second meld of a rank while it has an unfinished one of that rank.
Words used in Hand and Foot
- Hand
- The first 11 cards you are dealt. You pick them up and play them first.
- Foot
- The second 11 cards you are dealt. They stay face down until your hand is used up.
- Knee
- A third set of cards dealt in Hand, Knee and Foot.
- Meld
- 3 to 7 cards of the same rank laid face up on the table. Melds belong to the team.
- Book
- A finished meld of 7 cards. Also called a pile or a canasta.
- Clean book
- A book with no wild cards. Also called a red book or a natural book. Worth 500 points.
- Dirty book
- A book with at least 1 wild card. Also called a black book or a mixed book. Worth 300 points.
- Wild card
- A joker or a 2. It can stand for a card of any rank in a meld, except a 3.
- Natural card
- Any card that is not wild.
- First meld
- The first meld a team lays down in a round. It must reach the minimum for that round: 50, 90, 120 or 150 points.
- Stock
- The face-down pile that players draw from.
- Discard pile
- The face-up pile where each turn ends. A player can take its top 7 cards under the pickup rule.
- Going out
- Getting rid of your last foot card with your partner’s OK. It ends the round and scores 100.
What you need
- Standard decks of playing cards5 decks for 4 players, each with its 2 jokers. Decks with matching backs make shuffling easier.Find it on Amazon (Standard decks of playing cards, opens in a new tab)
- A card shufflerOptional. 270 cards are hard to shuffle by hand.Find it on Amazon (A card shuffler, opens in a new tab)
- Card holdersOptional. Hands grow large after a pickup from the discard pile.Find it on Amazon (Card holders, opens in a new tab)
- A score pad and pencilOne page holds a whole game of 4 rounds.Find it on Amazon (A score pad and pencil, opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. How the site is paid for.
Checked against
These rules are written in our own words from Bicycle Cards and checked against Pagat. Sources last checked on October 12, 2026.
- First source: Bicycle Cards, Hand and Foot. The 11-card hand and foot, the turn-up card, drawing 2, taking the top 7 discards, the first meld minimums, card values, the 4-natural-card rule for wild cards, no all-wild melds, clean and dirty books at 500 and 300, going out with a clean and a dirty book and a final discard, and the winner.
- Second source: Pagat, Hand and Foot. Four players in partnerships, 5 decks with 2 jokers each, card values, red 3s at plus or minus 100, black 3s, the going-out bonus of 100, picking up the foot, asking partner, the pickup details, the stock running out, scoring hand and foot cards, other player counts, and most variants.
Other sources we used (2)
- Wikipedia, Canasta: Hand and Foot. Teams of two with three or four teams, the 11-card piles, picking up the foot, the 100-point going-out bonus, 3 clean and 4 dirty books to go out, 1 clean and 2 dirty for singles, the 5-card pickup and red 3s at minus 300.
- Denexa Games, Triple Play (Hand, Knee, and Foot). Hand, Knee and Foot: 6 decks with 12 jokers, the 15, 13 and 11-card piles, when the knee is picked up, the 5 books needed to go out and the book and going-out scores. A playing-card maker’s published version..
Where the sources differ (16)
| Topic | Bicycle Cards | Pagat | This page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cards in the hand and foot | 11 and 11. | 13 and 13. | 11 and 11, which Wikipedia also gives. 13 and 13 is a variant and a setup note. |
| Number of decks | 5 or 6 decks with jokers, not tied to a player count. The page header says 5 or more players. | 5 decks with 2 jokers each for 4 players. With 2 to 6 players, one more deck than there are players. | 5 decks for 4 players, with a note that some groups use 6. One more deck than players for other counts. |
| Wild cards in a meld | Wild cards can be used in a meld along with at least 4 natural cards. A dirty book has at least 4 natural cards. | A meld needs at least twice as many natural cards as wild cards. A regional version on the same page says natural cards must outnumber wild cards. | Follows Bicycle. The other rules are a variant and appear in a rule question. |
| Books made of wild cards | Melds should not be all wild cards. | A wild pile of 7 wild cards is allowed, scores 1,500 and is needed to go out. | Not allowed. Wild books are a variant. |
| Books needed to go out | A clean and a dirty book. | 2 clean, 2 dirty and 1 wild pile, and the partner must have played from their foot. Regional versions on the same page ask for 2 and 2 (4 and 4 in round 4) or 1 clean, 1 dirty and 1 wild. | At least 1 clean and 1 dirty. The larger requirements, including Wikipedia’s 3 clean and 4 dirty, are a variant. |
| The last card when going out | Must be discarded. Running out of cards by melding does not count. | With partner’s permission you may meld every card or discard the last one. | Follows Bicycle. Going out without a discard is a variant. |
| Asking partner | Not mentioned. | Required. If partner says yes you must go out. If no, you may not, and must keep cards back. | Follows Pagat. Wikipedia also says to ask. |
| Going-out bonus | Not stated. | 100. | 100, which Wikipedia also gives. |
| Red 3s | A drawn red 3 is laid down at once and replaced. Its card values give 3s through 7s 5 points each, with no separate value for red 3s. | Laid down at once and replaced, from hand, foot or stock. Plus 100 each if laid down, minus 100 if not. | Follows Pagat. Wikipedia’s rule (cannot be laid down, discarded, minus 300) and a regional rule of minus 500 are a variant. |
| Picking up the foot | Announce that you are playing your foot and keep playing. | Keep playing in the same turn only if the hand was used up by melding. If the last hand card was discarded, play the foot from your next turn. | Follows Pagat, which Wikipedia matches. The page notes that some groups always keep playing. |
| Cards counted against you | Cards left in the player’s hand. The foot is not mentioned. | Cards left in hands and feet. | Hand and foot, as Pagat says. |
| Cards taken from the discard pile | The top 7. | The top 7, or all if fewer, never more than 7. | The top 7, or all if fewer. Wikipedia’s top 5 and a regional rule of taking the whole pile are a variant. |
| Turn-up card | A red 3, 2 or joker turned up goes back and another is turned. | A red 3 or wild card turned up is buried in the stock. Leaving it face up is listed as a variation. | Bury it and turn another. Leaving it is a variant. |
| Stock running out | Not stated. | Play ends when someone wants to draw from the stock and there are too few cards. No going-out bonus. | Follows Pagat. |
| Winning the game | The player or team with the highest score wins. | A game is four deals. The winner is not stated. | The higher total after 4 rounds wins. |
| Six players | Not covered. | Two teams of three, with 7 decks. | Pagat’s two teams of three, with three teams of two as another way. Wikipedia plays in teams of two, with two, three or four teams, and does not name 6 players. |
What on this page is our own
- The playing time of about 2 hours is our estimate.
- The example turn, the scoring example and the cards pictured in diagrams are our own. So is the total of 1,280.
- The equipment counts by rank (for example 120 cards from king down to 8) are our arithmetic from 5 decks with 2 jokers each.
- The stock of 181 cards after the deal is our arithmetic.
- That a dirty book holds at most 3 wild cards is our arithmetic from Bicycle’s 4-natural-card rule.
- That the rest of the game is unchanged for 2, 3, 5 and 6 players is our reading of Pagat, which names only the decks and the partnerships for other player counts.
- That you add only to your own team’s melds is our reading of both main sources saying melds belong to the team.
- That the player going out must be playing from their foot follows from both main sources giving the object as using up the hand and then the foot.
- Keeping at least 1 card after your discard when partner says no restates Pagat’s rule of keeping 2 cards after melding: one to discard and one to keep.
- That a foot never picked up counts against the team follows from Pagat’s rule that cards in hands and feet count.
- The score sheet layout and the advice on keeping score are ours.
- The notes under What you need describe products and are not rules.
- The pieces pictured at the top of the page are our own example.
- That 6 players can make three teams of two is our reading of Wikipedia, which plays in teams of two with two, three or four teams.
- That wild cards cannot stand in for the matching pair when you take the discard pile is our reading of the pickup rule.
- That the other cards picked up from the discard pile go into your hand is our reading of the sources’ instruction to pick them up.
Spotted a mistake? Email contact@familygamerules.com and we'll check it against the sources.