How do you go out in Canasta?
Going out is how a Canasta hand ends. It sounds simple, but the timing decides who profits, because going out too early or too late can cost your side hundreds of points.
The one hard rule
You may only go out if your side has at least one completed canasta of seven cards. Without a canasta on the table, you are not permitted to shed your last card, no matter how empty your hand is. This rule is why partners often nurse a meld up to seven cards before they even think about ending the hand.
The mechanics of going out
On the turn you go out, you play every remaining card. You can start new melds, add cards to your side's existing melds, lay off, and then discard your final card, though some house rules let you go out without a final discard. The moment your hand is empty the hand stops, and no one else gets another turn. Going out is worth a 100-point bonus.
Asking permission
In partnership play it is customary, and in many rule sets required, to ask your partner may I go out before doing so. Your partner answers yes or no, and you must abide by the answer. This lets a partner who is holding valuable cards or hoping for a second canasta veto an early finish that would cost the team points.
The surest way to make this stick is to play a few hands. Try Brazilian Canasta or Italian Canasta against the computer, keep the Canasta rules and glossary handy for anything unfamiliar, and browse the rest of the Canasta FAQ for more answers. When you are ready, put it to the test on the daily deal.
Related questions
Can you go out concealed in Canasta?
Yes. Going out concealed means laying down your entire hand in a single turn, including a complete canasta, when your side has made no previous melds that hand. It doubles the going-out bonus to 200 points but is difficult, since you must build a canasta from your hand in one move.
What is a canasta (natural vs mixed)?
A canasta is a meld of seven or more cards of the same rank. A natural or clean canasta contains no wild cards and scores a 500-point bonus. A mixed or dirty canasta includes at least one wild card and scores 300. Your side must complete at least one canasta before anyone can go out.
How do partnerships work in Canasta?
In partnership Canasta, two players sit across from each other and play as one side. Their melds are shared, canastas and red threes count for the team, and either partner may lay off onto the shared melds. Partners cannot show or describe their cards, but one asks the other permission before going out.
How is Canasta scored?
At the end of each hand you add the point values of the cards your side melded, plus bonuses: 500 for each natural canasta, 300 for each mixed one, 100 for going out, 200 for going out concealed, and 100 per red three. You then subtract the value of cards still in hand. Games run to 5,000 points.