Hand and Foot Card Game Rules
Play your hand, then your foot, and build clean, dirty and wild piles of seven: how to play the partnership game related to Canasta.
Hand and Foot is a North American rummy game related to Canasta. Each player is dealt two packets of cards: the hand, which you play first, and the foot, which you pick up when your hand is used up. You meld cards of the same rank into piles of seven, and the side that scores the most over four rounds wins. It is usually played by four people in two partnerships with five decks of cards, and there are many house rules and no single official version. This guide covers the most common Hand and Foot card game rules, the scoring, the main variations, tips and the odds.
Hand and Foot Rules at a Glance
| Hand and Foot | |
|---|---|
| Players | 4, in two partnerships sitting opposite. Any number from 2 to 6 can play (see Variations). |
| Cards | Five 52-card decks plus their 10 jokers: {S[“N”]} cards. Use one more deck than the number of players. |
| Deal | 13 cards to each player as a hand and 13 as a foot. |
| Wild cards | Twos and jokers. Threes cannot be melded. |
| Melds | 3 to 7 cards of the same rank. Seven cards make a complete pile. |
| Your turn | Draw two cards (or take the top seven of the discard pile), meld, discard one. |
| To go out | Two clean piles, two dirty piles and one wild pile, partner in their foot, and partner’s permission. |
| Game | Four rounds. Highest total wins. |
Card Values
Every card has a value. Cards you meld count for your side; cards still in your hand or foot when the round ends count against you.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker (wild) | 50 |
| Two (wild) | 20 |
| Ace | 20 |
| King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 |
| Black three | 5 |
| Red three | +100 if laid on the table, −100 if not |
Setting Up and Dealing
- Sit opposite your partner and shuffle all five decks together.
- Deal the hands. One partner of the dealing side takes part of the cards and deals four face-down stacks of 13, passing them clockwise until everyone has one.
- Deal the feet. The other partner does the same with four more stacks of 13. Each player puts their foot face down in front of them without looking at it.
- Start the discard pile. The rest of the cards form the stock. Turn its top card face up. If it is a red three or a wild card, bury it in the stock and turn another.
- Play starts with the player to the left of the person who dealt the hands, and goes clockwise. The deal passes to the left each round.
Melds: Clean, Dirty and Wild
A meld is three to seven cards of the same rank, from aces down to fours, laid face up. Melds belong to the partnership, so either partner can add to them. When a meld reaches seven cards it is a complete pile: square it up and put a card on top to show its type.
- Clean pile: no wild cards. A red card goes on top.
- Dirty pile: one or two wild cards. A black card goes on top.
- Wild pile: seven wild cards (twos and jokers). A joker goes on top, or a two if it has no joker.
A meld needs 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. Your side may have only one unfinished meld of each rank: once a pile of sevens is complete you can start another.
How to Play a Turn
- Draw two cards from the stock. If you draw a red three, lay it face up with your melds and draw a replacement. (Lay any red threes from your hand down the same way before your first turn.)
- Meld cards, or add them to your side’s melds, if you want to.
- Discard one card face up on the discard pile.
Picking up the pile. Instead of drawing, you can take the top seven cards of the discard pile (or all of it, if it has fewer). To do this the top card must not be a three, you must hold two natural cards of the same rank, and you must meld those three cards straight away. Then you finish your turn as usual.
Black threes block. When you discard a black three, the next player cannot pick up the pile. A discarded wild card can only be taken with two matching wild cards.
The Opening Meld
The first time your side melds in a round, the cards you put down must add up to a minimum value. You can lay down several melds at once to reach it.
| Round | Minimum card points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 |
| 2 | 90 |
| 3 | 120 |
| 4 | 150 |
Only the value of the cards counts: red threes and pile bonuses do not, so seven sixes (35 points) cannot open. If you open by picking up the pile, only the top discard and cards from your own hand count, not the other six you are about to take. For example, in round one, if the player before you discards a nine and you hold two nines and a two, you can take the pile and open with three nines and the two: 50 points.
Picking Up Your Foot
When your hand runs out, you move on to your foot. There are two ways to get there:
- Meld every card in your hand. Pick up your foot straight away and carry on with the same turn, discarding at the end.
- Meld all but one card and discard it. Your turn ends, and you start playing from your foot on your next turn.
If the round ends before you reach your foot, every card in it counts against you, and each red three inside costs 100.
Going Out and Ending the Round
To go out, your partnership must have two clean piles, two dirty piles and one wild pile, each exactly seven cards; your partner must have picked up their foot and played at least part of a turn from it; and you must ask your partner, “May I go out?” If they say yes, you meld all your cards, or all but one and discard the last. If they say no, you must keep playing, and while you cannot go out you may not leave yourself without cards.
The round also ends if the stock runs out and a player needs to draw. Both sides score what they have, and nobody gets the bonus for going out.
How to Score Hand and Foot
At the end of each round, both sides add up:
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Each complete clean pile | 500 |
| Each complete dirty pile | 300 |
| Each complete wild pile | 1,500 |
| Going out (the side that went out only) | 100 |
| Each red three on the table | +100 |
| Each red three still in a hand or foot | −100 |
| Cards in your melds | + their card values |
| Cards left in hands and feet | − their card values |
The bonuses alone for the five piles you need to go out, plus the going-out bonus, come to 3,200 points, and the wild pile is the biggest single item: 1,500 points before its cards, which add another 140 (seven twos) to 350 (seven jokers). Keep a running total over the four rounds; the side with the higher total wins.
Hand and Foot Variations
Hand and Foot is a family game passed around by word of mouth, so agree the rules before you start. These are the differences you are most likely to meet:
| Variation | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Bicycle’s rules | 11 cards in each hand and foot, five or six decks. A clean pile (“red book”) scores 500 and a dirty pile (“black book”) 300, and you need one of each to go out. |
| Saskatchewan | 11 cards in the hand and 13 in the foot. Piles are called canastas and can grow past seven cards, up to three wild cards are allowed in a canasta, and you take the whole discard pile. Round four needs a canasta built in your hand to open; going out needs one clean, one dirty and one wild canasta. |
| Without partners | Two or more players each play for themselves, with one more deck than players. In Steve Simpson’s version each player grabs about 22 cards from the stock (exactly 22 scores 100), clean piles score 300, dirty piles 100, and red threes always count −500. |
| Other numbers | Any number from 2 to 6 can play with one more deck than there are players. Four or six play in partnerships; with two, three or five, everyone plays alone. |
| Live up-card | If the first card turned up is a wild card or a red three, it stays put and goes to whoever first takes the discard pile. |
Hand and Foot vs Canasta
Hand and Foot grew out of Canasta and keeps its card values, wild cards and red and black threes, but plays quite differently:
| Canasta | Hand and Foot | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | 2 decks + 4 jokers (108) | 5 decks + 10 jokers (270) for four players |
| Cards per player | 11 | 13 in the hand plus 13 in the foot |
| Draw | 1 card, or the whole discard pile | 2 cards, or the top seven of the discard pile |
| Complete meld | Canasta: 7 or more cards | Pile: exactly 7 cards |
| To go out | At least one canasta | Two clean, two dirty and one wild pile |
| Game length | First side to 5,000 | Four rounds |
If you know Canasta, the card values and the threes will be familiar. What changes is the second packet, the fixed seven-card piles and the bigger target for going out: you cannot finish until your partner has reached their foot too, so the two of you have to plan together.
Hand and Foot Strategy Tips
- Watch your partner. Notice what they meld and discard, and help with the melds they are building.
- Don’t race ahead. If you reach your foot first, avoid completing melds your partner needs to get rid of their own hand. The exceptions: complete as many piles as you can when the other side is close to going out, and finish the wild pile as soon as you can.
- Keep pairs. Holding pairs of ranks the other side may discard gives you chances to pick up the pile.
- Don’t burn wild cards. Use them in dirty melds only when you must. Save one to help you get into your foot.
- Go for high-value melds such as aces when the cards are running your way.
- Use black threes to block. They cannot be melded and cost 5 each if you are caught with them, and discarding one at a time is the only way to lose them, so play them when stopping the next player taking the pile helps you.
Hand and Foot Odds
How often a player’s own cards are enough to make the opening meld, across 100,000 simulated deals with the five-deck partnership rules above:
| Round (minimum) | From the 13 cards dealt | After your first draw (15 cards) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (50) | 78% | 88% |
| 2 (90) | 50% | 67% |
| 3 (120) | 26% | 43% |
| 4 (150) | 10% | 22% |
- Round four is the hard one: only 22% of players can open from their own cards after the first draw, so expect to wait, or to need the discard pile.
- Wild cards: 30 of the 270 cards are wild. A 13-card hand holds at least one 79% of the time and at least two 44%; the average is 1.4.
- Red threes: a 13-card packet contains at least one 39% of the time, which is why getting into your foot matters: one left there costs 100.
- The up-card: 1 deal in 7 starts with a red three or wild card turned up, which goes back into the stock.
The opening figures count every legal meld you could make from your cards, including an all-wild meld, and leave out picking up the pile.
More Rummy Games
If you enjoy Hand and Foot, try Canasta, the game it comes from, or Five Crowns and Phase 10 for more family rummy. For two players, see Gin Rummy and Rummy 500, or start with our rummy rules guide.
Hand and Foot: frequently asked questions
How do you play the Hand and Foot card game?
Which is harder, Canasta or Hand and Foot?
What is the best strategy for winning Hand and Foot?
Why is it called Hand and Foot?
How many decks do you need for Hand and Foot?
How many cards are dealt in Hand and Foot?
Can you play Hand and Foot with 2 players?
What happens to red threes in Hand and Foot?
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
