Canasta glossary: A complete reference of Canasta terminology, from basic terms every beginner should know to advanced vocabulary used by competitive players.

A

Asking permission — Before going out, a player may ask their partner “May I go out?” The partner’s response is binding.

B

Base — The minimum number of natural cards required in a meld (at least two).

Black three — The 3 of clubs or 3 of spades. Cannot be melded during normal play, only when going out. Discarding a black three blocks the next player from picking up the pile.

Bonus cards — Red threes, which score (or penalize) automatically.

C

Canasta — A meld of seven or more cards of the same rank. Natural canastas (no wilds) earn 500 bonus points; mixed canastas (with wilds) earn 300.

Concealed going out — Melding your entire hand in a single turn without having previously melded. Worth 200 bonus points.

Count — The point value of cards, either in melds (positive) or remaining in hand (negative).

D

Deadwood — Cards in your hand that have not been melded. At the end of a round, deadwood counts against your score.

Discard pile — The face-up pile of discarded cards. Also called “the pile” or “the pack.”

Draw — Taking cards from the stock pile at the beginning of your turn (normally two cards).

F

Foot — In some Canasta variants (like Hand and Foot), the second hand dealt to each player.

Freeze — When the discard pile is frozen (by a wild card or at the start of the game), it can only be picked up with a natural pair matching the top card.

G

Going out — Playing or discarding your last card, ending the round. Requires your team to have at least one completed canasta.

H

Hand — The cards a player holds. Also refers to a single round of play.

I

Initial meld — The first meld your team makes in a round, which must meet a minimum point requirement based on your cumulative score.

M

Meld — A group of three or more cards of the same rank placed face-up on the table. Melds earn points and can be extended by either partner.

Mixed canasta — A canasta containing at least one wild card. Worth 300 bonus points.

N

Natural canasta — A canasta containing only natural cards (no wild cards). Worth 500 bonus points.

Natural card — Any card that is not a wild card (not a joker or two).

P

Pack — Another name for the discard pile. “Taking the pack” means picking up the entire discard pile.

Partnership — Two players working together, seated across from each other. Partners share melds.

R

Red three — The 3 of hearts or 3 of diamonds. Bonus cards worth 100 points each (200 each if your team collects all four). Placed face-up automatically when drawn.

Rank — The denomination of a card (Ace, King, Queen, etc.). Melds group cards of the same rank.

S

Stock pile — The face-down pile of undealt cards. Players draw from the stock at the start of each turn.

Safe discard — A card that opponents are unlikely to want, minimizing the risk that they pick up the discard pile.

T

Top card — The face-up card on top of the discard pile. To pick up the pile, you must be able to immediately meld this card.

W

Wild card — Jokers and twos. Can substitute for any natural card in a meld but cannot outnumber natural cards in any single meld.

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