Canasta is a classic partnership rummy game, and this version lets you play Canasta free online right in your browser with no download and no sign-up. You and your computer partner sit across from two AI opponents and share a combined score, racing to be the first team to reach 5000 points. Each turn you draw from the stock or scoop up the entire discard pile, lay down melds of three or more cards of the same rank, then discard to end your turn.
Canasta was invented in 1939 in Montevideo, Uruguay, by attorney Segundo Santos and architect Alberto Serrato, who wanted something quicker than bridge but deeper than basic rummy. It swept through South America and then exploded in the United States in the early 1950s, when for a few years it overtook bridge as the most popular card game in the country. The name means "basket" in Spanish, after the tray the inventors used to hold their cards.
What makes Canasta special is the discard pile: unlike most rummy games you can capture the whole pile at once, so a single well-timed pickup can swing an entire hand. Twos and jokers are wild, black threes freeze the pile, and red threes are automatic bonus cards — a rule set with real texture once you know it.
Partner with the computer to reach 5000 points before the opposing team. Score by melding cards, completing canastas of seven for big bonuses, and going out to claim extra points.
Click the draw pile to take one card, or click the discard pile to grab it when you can use the top card. Select three or more cards in your hand and press Meld, then select a single card and press Discard to end your turn. Press Go Out once you hold a completed canasta.
Jokers are 50 points, wild twos and aces 20, eights through kings 10, and low cards 5. A natural (all-card) canasta is worth 500 and a mixed canasta 300. Going out adds a bonus, while cards left in hand are subtracted from your team total.
Hold back a natural pair so you can capture the discard pile when it grows fat, and do not rush to go out while your team still has big melds left to play. Spend wild cards carefully — using them early on small melds can leave you unable to complete a canasta later.
What is a canasta?
A canasta is a meld of seven or more cards of the same rank. A natural canasta uses no wild cards and scores 500 bonus points; a mixed one includes wilds and scores 300.
How many points do you need to win Canasta?
The first team to reach 5000 points wins. Your team must also complete at least one canasta before it is allowed to go out.
Is Canasta free to play here?
Yes — play unlimited hands free in your browser against computer opponents, with no download or sign-up.
More classic games: Gin Rummy, Golf, Crazy Eights, Hearts, Spades, plus all 100 free games.