Card rules · 2026-11-02
Classic Canasta: A Canasta Bonus Cannot Supply Opening Card Points
Initial meld requirements count card values, not the bonus for completing a canasta. Red-three bonuses are also outside that opening calculation.
Initial meld requirements count card values, not the bonus for completing a canasta. Red-three bonuses are also outside that opening calculation.
A partnership needs fifty points to open. Seven natural fours have a card value of thirty-five. Their natural-canasta bonus does not turn those thirty-five card points into a valid fifty-point opening by itself.
The team needs additional eligible card points in its opening melds. Keep bonus scoring separate from the test that determines whether the opening can be laid down.