A meld is a set of from three to seven cards of equal rank placed face up on the table. The aim is to get rid of cards from your hand, and then from your foot, by melding them. Each player picks up their 'hand' stack, and play begins with the player to the left of the one who dealt the hands.Īfter the end of the play, the turn to deal passes to the left. The players' 'foot' stacks are placed face down around the stock and discard piles - the players are not allowed to look at them until they have played all the cards in their hands. If this is a red three or wild card (two or joker) it is buried in the stock and a new card turned up. The top card of the stock is turned face-up and placed next to it to start a discard pile. The remainder of the undealt cards are put in a face-down pile in the middle of the table to form a stock. Meanwhile the partner of the hand dealer takes another part of the deck and deals another four stacks of 13 cards each and passes them also in a clockwise direction until each player has a second stack - the foot. After the cards have been thoroughly mixed, one partner takes part of the deck, deals four face-down stacks of 13 cards and passes them around the table in a clockwise direction until each player has a stack - the hand.

Five decks of cards are used, including two jokers per deck (270 cards in all).Ĭhoose which partnership will deal first. (based on a contribution from Bill Whitnack) Players, Cards, Deal Partnership Hand and Foot for Four Players A number of variations are then given - I would like to thank Barbara Bain, Dave Petrie, Brian Brouillette and Steve Simpson for providing information about these.Īlthough most people say that Hand and Foot is best played by four people in partnerships, it can also be played by six in two teams of three, or by any number of people playing as individuals. The most usual version is for four players in partnership, and this will be described first these rules were contributed by Bill Whitnack. There are numerous variations of this game and no standard rules. Hand and Foot is a North American game related to Canasta, in which each player is dealt two sets of cards - the hand, which is played first, and the foot, which is played when the hand has been used up. Hand and Foot Software and On Line Games.Brian Brouillette's Hand and Foot Rules.Partnership Hand and Foot for Four Players.

Play hand and foot card game