Canasta - How to Play and Win: Including the Official Rules and Pointers for Play

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A GAME WAS BORN

Three or four years ago a new card game started in Uruguay. The players called it Canasta, which is Spanish for basket. As with all card games in their inception, it was at first imperfect and rudimentary. But from its humble beginnings in Uruguay it gradually spread all over South America, acquiring new refinements as its popularity grew. In every country, town and village the game had some special localisms added to it, and for two years the rules of play were constantly revised until Canasta finally attained its present perfection. When it was first introduced into the United States, the game spread like wild-fire, even hardened bridge addicts transferring their allegiance to it. But still the rules had not been finally codified; variant forms were still played in different localities. So, in response to popular request, the Regency Club of New York (which may be likened to the Portland Club or Crockford’s Club in London) decided to work out and issue a set of Standard and Official Rules for Canasta. It is these rules which form part of this book.

As players will soon discover, Canasta is a very fascinating and exciting game, where keen judgment is an important factor. It is as thrilling as poker and as skilful as Contract Bridge. Yet any card player can easily learn the basic principles within an hour. That is, perhaps, one of the chief attractions of Canasta: fundamentally it is a simple game, while its strategy and tactics offer infinite challenge to the skill of the player. Another attractive feature of Canasta is that it is an equally good game for two, three, four, or six players; though perhaps the four-handed game, played in partnership as in Bridge, offers the greatest pleasure to the expert