This glossary covers every term you will encounter when reading Canasta rules or playing the game. Entries are in alphabetical order. Each definition links to the relevant full guide where more detail is available.
A
Asking to go out
Before going out, a player may ask their partner “May I go out?” The partner must answer honestly — yes or no — and the asking player is bound by the answer. This rule does not apply in the 3-player game.
B
Black book
In Hand and Foot, a completed meld of seven cards that contains at least one wild card. Worth 300 points. Also called a dirty book. See also: red book.
Black three
The 3♠ and 3♣. Black threes cannot be melded. When discarded, they block the discard pile for one turn — the next player cannot take it. Black threes left in hand at the end of the round count against your score at 5 points each.
Book
In Hand and Foot, a completed meld of seven cards. Equivalent to a canasta in Classic Canasta. See: red book, black book.
C
Canasta
A completed meld of seven cards of the same rank. Your partnership must complete at least one canasta before you are allowed to go out. A natural canasta (no wild cards) scores 500 points. A mixed canasta (containing wild cards) scores 300 points. The word canasta is also the name of the game itself.
Card value
The point value assigned to each card for scoring purposes. Joker = 50, two = 20, ace = 20, K/Q/J/10/9/8 = 10, 7/6/5/4/black three = 5. Card values count toward your score for cards in melds, and count against you for cards remaining in hand.
D
Deal
The distribution of cards to players at the start of each round. In the standard four-player game, each player is dealt 11 cards. In the two-player game, 15 cards. In the three-player game, 13 cards.
Dirty book
Another name for a black book in Hand and Foot — a completed meld of seven cards that contains at least one wild card. Worth 300 points.
Discard
The card a player places face up on top of the discard pile at the end of their turn. Every turn must end with a discard.
Discard pile
The face-up pile of cards beside the draw pile, built up by players discarding one card at the end of each turn. Players may take the entire discard pile under certain conditions instead of drawing from the draw pile.
Draw pile
The face-down stack of undealt cards in the center of the table. Players draw two cards from it at the start of their turn (in the standard game).
F
Foot
In Hand and Foot, the second pile of cards dealt to each player. The foot may not be looked at until the player has played through their entire hand. When the hand is empty, the player picks up the foot and continues playing.
Freeze / Frozen pile
The discard pile is frozen when a wild card has been discarded onto it. A frozen pile can only be taken by a player holding two natural cards matching the top card — a wild card in hand does not count toward claiming a frozen pile. The pile stays frozen for the rest of the round.
G
Going out
Ending the round by playing your last card — either as part of a meld or as a discard. To go out, your partnership must have completed at least one canasta and met the initial meld requirement. Going out earns a 100-point bonus.
Going out concealed
Going out in a single turn without having previously melded anything during that round. Earns a 200-point bonus instead of the standard 100.
H
Hand
The cards held by a player during play. Also used in Hand and Foot to refer to the first pile of cards dealt — as distinct from the foot.
Hand and Foot
A popular variant of Canasta played with five decks, where each player is dealt two piles — the hand and the foot. Played over four rounds with escalating going-out requirements.
I
Initial meld requirement
The minimum point value that a partnership’s first meld of the round must reach before any cards can be laid down. The threshold depends on the partnership’s current score, ranging from 15 points (if negative) up to 120 points (at 3,000+ points).
J
Joker
One of the four jokers included in the 108-card Canasta deck. Jokers are wild cards — they can substitute for any natural card in a meld. Each joker is worth 50 points in a meld, or −50 points if left in hand at the end of the round. Discarding a joker freezes the discard pile.
👉 Wild Cards & Jokers in Canasta
M
May I go out?
The question a player asks their partner before going out. The partner’s honest answer — yes or no — is binding.
Meld
A set of three or more cards of the same rank, placed face up on the table. Melds are built up over the course of a round, working toward canastas of seven cards. Both partners share the same melds on the table.
Mixed canasta
A canasta of seven cards that contains one or more wild cards. Worth 300 points. Contrast with natural canasta (500 points).
N
Natural canasta
A canasta of seven cards containing no wild cards. Worth 500 points — the highest-value standard canasta in Classic Canasta. Contrast with mixed canasta.
Natural card
Any card that is not a wild card — i.e., any card that is not a two or a joker. Natural cards must always outnumber wild cards in any meld.
P
Partnership
In the standard four-player game, players compete in two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other and share melds on the table. Both partners contribute to and benefit from the same canastas and scoring.
R
Red book
In Hand and Foot, a completed meld of seven natural cards with no wild cards. Worth 500 points. Also called a clean book. Contrast with black book (dirty book).
Red three
The 3♥ and 3♦ from each deck — four red threes in total. Red threes must be declared immediately when drawn and placed face up on the table. They score 100 points each at the end of the round if the partnership has melded, or count against the partnership if no melds were made. All four red threes held by one partnership score 800 points.
👉 Canasta Red Threes Explained
Round
One complete cycle of play, from the deal to when a player goes out. Scores are counted at the end of each round and added to each partnership’s running total. The game continues over multiple rounds until one partnership reaches 5,000 points.
S
Score sheet
A running record of each partnership’s total across rounds. Useful for tracking the initial meld requirement, which rises as your score increases.
T
Taking the pile
Claiming the entire discard pile instead of drawing from the draw pile. Requires two natural cards in hand matching the top card of the pile, an immediate meld using those cards and the top card, and the partnership having already met its initial meld requirement.
Two (wild card)
All four twos across the two decks are wild cards in Canasta — eight twos in total. Twos can substitute for any natural card in a meld. Each is worth 20 points in a meld, −20 points if left in hand. Discarding a two freezes the discard pile.
👉 Wild Cards & Jokers in Canasta
W
Wild card
Jokers and twos are wild cards. They can substitute for any natural card in a meld, subject to the rule that natural cards must always outnumber wild cards and no meld may contain more than three wild cards.
Wild canasta
In Modern American Canasta only — a canasta formed entirely of wild cards (jokers and twos). Worth 1,000 points — the highest-value canasta in that version of the game.
Related Guides
- Canasta Rules — Complete Guide
- How to Play Canasta
- Canasta FAQ
- Canasta Scoring Explained
- Wild Cards & Jokers in Canasta
- The Discard Pile in Canasta
- Canasta Red Threes Explained
Written by Carol Vance — Last updated 2026