Hand and Foot scoring follows the same basic logic as Canasta — you score points for the cards in your melds, bonuses for completed books, and a bonus for going out. Cards left in hand or foot at the end of the round count against you.
The main difference from Classic Canasta is that the game is played over four rounds, each with its own minimum meld requirement, and the going-out requirements change each round.
This page covers everything you need to count your score correctly.
When Does Scoring Happen?
Scoring happens at the end of each round, once a player has gone out. Both partnerships count their scores at the same time.
Running totals are kept across all four rounds. The partnership with the highest combined score after four rounds wins. If both partnerships reach 10,000 points in the same round, the higher score wins.
Card Point Values
Every card has a point value. Cards in completed melds count in your favour. Cards remaining in your hand or foot when the round ends count against you.
| Card | Point value |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Two (wild card) | 20 |
| Ace | 20 |
| King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 | 5 |
Book Bonuses
Completing a book — a meld of seven cards — is the most important scoring event in Hand and Foot. Books come in two types:
Red book (clean book): Seven natural cards with no wild cards — worth 500 points
Black book (dirty book): Contains one or more wild cards — worth 300 points
These bonuses are added on top of the card values already counted in the meld.
A single wild card in a book makes it a black book. Adding a wild card to a completed red book converts it to a black book and reduces its value by 200 points — so think carefully before doing this.
Red Three Bonuses
Red threes are placed face up on the table as soon as they are drawn. They score at the end of each round if your partnership has completed at least one book.
| Red threes declared | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 200 |
| 3 | 300 |
| All 4 | 800 (doubled) |
If your partnership made no books during the round, red three values are subtracted from your score instead of added.
Going Out Bonus
When a player goes out and ends the round, their partnership earns 100 points.
To go out, your partnership must have played through both the hand and the foot, and completed the required number of books for that round.
Books required to go out by round:
| Round | Red books needed | Black books needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 |
Cards Left in Hand or Foot — Penalties
Any cards remaining in a player’s hand or foot when the round ends are subtracted from that partnership’s score at face value.
This is the most painful part of Hand and Foot scoring for new players. High-value cards — jokers, aces, wild cards — that are caught in an unplayed foot can cost a partnership hundreds of points in a single round.
This is why tracking how close your opponents are to going out matters so much. If they are about to finish, it is sometimes better to meld aggressively and accept an incomplete book than to sit on a full foot of unplayed cards.
Initial Meld Requirements by Round
Before your partnership can lay down any meld, the first meld of that round must meet a minimum point value. In Hand and Foot, this changes each round rather than being based on your score.
| Round | Minimum first meld |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 points |
| 2 | 90 points |
| 3 | 120 points |
| 4 | 150 points |
How to Count Your Score at the End of a Round
Add up the following for your partnership:
- Card values in all completed melds
- Book bonuses — 500 per red book, 300 per black book
- Red three bonuses — 100 each, 800 for all four
- Going out bonus — 100 points
Then subtract:
- Card values of any cards remaining in hand or foot
- Red three values if your partnership made no books (rare)
Add the result to your running total and move to the next round.
Scoring Example
Partnership A finishes round 2 with:
- One red book: 500
- Two black books: 2 × 300 = 600
- Cards in melds: 220
- Two red threes: 200
- Going out bonus: 100
- Cards remaining in opponent’s foot: −150
Total for the round: 1,470 points
Complete Scoring Quick Reference
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Red book (clean — no wild cards) | +500 |
| Black book (dirty — contains wild cards) | +300 |
| Each red three | +100 |
| All four red threes | +800 |
| Going out bonus | +100 |
| Joker (in meld) | +50 |
| Wild card / two (in meld) | +20 |
| Ace (in meld) | +20 |
| K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 (in meld) | +10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 (in meld) | +5 |
| Cards left in hand or foot | −face value |
Tracking Four Rounds
It helps to use a simple score sheet to track each round separately. Keep a running total after each round so both partnerships always know where they stand going into the next deal.
The partnership that reaches 10,000 points first wins. If both reach 10,000 in the same round, the higher total wins.
Related Guides
- Hand and Foot Rules
- Hand and Foot vs Classic Canasta
- Canasta Scoring Explained
- Canasta Rules — Complete Guide
- Wild Cards & Jokers in Canasta
Written by Carol Vance — Last updated 2026