A player is not permitted to go out, however, unless there's at least one canasta. A player 'goes out' when no cards are left after a meld or discard. If the card drawn from the stock is a red three, the player must play it immediately and draw another card. A turn begins either by drawing the first card from the stock into the player's hand or by picking up the entire discard pile. The player to the dealer's left has the first turn, and play then proceeds clockwise. The remaining cards are left in a stack in the center of the table. The dealer shuffles the pack, the player to the dealer's right cuts, and the dealer deals out 2 hands of 11 cards to each player. The initial dealer in canasta is chosen by any common method, although it should be remembered that there is no privilege or advantage to being the dealer. Canasta uses two complete decks of 52 playing cards (French Deck) plus the four Jokers. Canasta for two players is the same as four-handed Canasta, in a two player game, each player plays for himself. Players attempt to make melds of seven cards of the same rank and 'go out' by playing all cards in their hand.

Although many variations exist for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two partnerships with two standard decks of cards. Canasta is a card game of the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 Rum. The principal objective of canasta is to form melds - combinations of three or more cards of the same rank - with or without the help of wild cards. In fact, the accuracy of play demanded by the rules adds drama to the game. The rules are intricate but not difficult to follow. The game play is fast and is full of exciting twists. Canasta, and its variations, appeals to card players of all skill levels. It is an exciting mix of strategy, luck and skill. Canasta is the most traditional and loved card game by all.

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