Draw two cards
Start your turn with two cards from the stock. A red three goes straight to the table beside your side's melds and is replaced from the stock.
Stock
Your handTwo cards from the stock, every turn.
Your table is ready
Take a seat.
Hand of 11, foot of 13. Build books of seven over four rounds.
Y
YouReady to play
0ptsHAND COMPLETE
Waiting for the host to deal.
FREE ONLINE CARD GAME
Hand and Foot Card Game
Play the hand.
Then the foot.
Play Hand and Foot, the Canasta cousin, free in your browser with no download or sign-up. Partner with a computer player against two more at Easy, Standard or Expert, or play head-to-head with 2 players. Build books of seven, pick up your foot, and score over four rounds.
Hand and Foot · 2–6 seats · Four rounds
Updated
New to Hand and Foot? Learn the rulesHOW TO PLAY
How to play
Hand and Foot
Two piles each: a hand of 11 cards and a face-down foot of 13. Play out the hand, pick up the foot, and build books of seven with your partner.
Four players play as two partnerships, partners sitting opposite. Five decks with jokers are shuffled together: 270 cards. Each round has the same three-step turn.
Your handMeld cards of one rank
A meld is three to seven cards of the same rank. Wilds (2s and jokers) can join a meld, but natural cards must always number at least twice the wilds. Threes never meld. Your side keeps one open meld per rank, and either partner may add to it.
Round minimum: your side's first melds each round must add up to 50 points in round 1, then 90, 120 and 150. Select every card for those first melds and press Meld once; the button counts the points as you select.
Naturals at least twice the wilds.
Close books of seven
A meld that reaches seven cards closes as a book. With no wilds it is clean (500); with one or two wilds it is dirty (300). Seven wilds together make a wild book (1,500). The table's book tracker counts them for each side.
Six kingsClean 1/2 → 2/2Clean 1/2 on the tracker.
Take the top seven
Instead of drawing, you may take the top seven cards of the discard pile (all of them if fewer) when you hold two natural cards matching the top card. The top card and your pair go straight to the table as a meld; the other six join your hand.
Your pair
Top discardMeld, plus six cardsYou cannot take the pile when a black three or a wild is on top. Discarding a black three blocks the pile for the next player.
A natural pair matching the top card.
Pick up your foot, then go out
When your hand runs out, the foot becomes your hand. Empty it by melding and you keep playing the same turn; empty it with your discard and you pick up the foot, then your turn ends.
Foot · 13
Your new handGoing out: meld or discard your last card from the foot. Your side needs two clean and two dirty books (the host can change this), and with a partner you ask “May I go out?” first. A yes lets you go out this turn; a no means keep playing.
Hand first, then the foot.
Discarding, threes, the stock and odd numbers of players
- End every turn by discarding one card. Once you are in your foot and cannot go out yet, keep at least one card to discard.
- Black threes cannot be melded and cost 5 if left in your hand. A wild on the pile stays untakeable until a natural card covers it.
- When a player has to draw and the stock is empty (or a red three cannot be replaced), the round ends there and is scored as it stands; until then the pile can still be taken. A red three still in an unplayed foot costs 100.
- Two players play head to head with three decks (162 cards), the same hand of 11 and foot of 13, and no partner question. Three and five players play alone; six players form three partnerships of two.
- Options: the books needed to go out (2 clean + 2 dirty, add a wild book, or 1 + 1), taking the top 7 or the whole pile, and whether partners must ask.
FOUR ROUNDS
Hand and Foot scoring
and card values
At the end of each round every side adds its books, red threes, the value of every card it melded and 100 for going out, then subtracts every card still in its players' hands and feet. An unplayed foot counts in full. The highest total after four rounds wins; a tie plays a fifth round at a 150 minimum.
Worked example: you and your partner close one clean book (500) and two dirty books (600), hold one red three (+100), melded cards worth 410 and go out (+100). Your partner is left with a jack and a 5 (−15). Round score: 1,695.
- Joker
- 50 points
- 2 and Ace
- 20 points
- 8 to King
- 10 points
- 4 to 7
- 5 points
- Black 3 in hand
- −5 points
- Clean book
- 500 bonus
- Dirty book
- 300 bonus
- Wild book
- 1,500 bonus
- Red three
- ±100 each
- Going out
- 100 bonus
PLAY AS A TEAM
Hand and Foot strategy
for winning rounds
Build the books you need first
Clean books are the hard part, so keep wilds out of melds that could still close clean. Put your wilds where they finish a dirty book: a meld of five or six natural cards becomes a 300-point book with one or two wilds.
Get to your foot
Thirteen unseen cards in your foot count against your side if the round ends first. Meld steadily, and empty your hand by melding rather than discarding so you can keep playing from the foot in the same turn.
Watch the pile
A big pile is worth taking with a natural pair. When the other side holds pairs of what is on top, a black three blocks them for a turn; a discarded wild keeps the pile frozen until a natural card covers it.
Ask to go out at the right time
Going out earns only 100, and it also stops the round with your partner's cards counting against you. If your partner holds a near-book or a heavy hand, a no can be worth more than the bonus. Expert computer partners weigh exactly that.
Choosing the computer level
Easy bots meld what they can, forget some plays and rarely take the pile. Standard bots build from their biggest ranks and play out their cards once the books are made. Expert bots take more piles, race to their foot, remember which ranks the next player throws away, and ask to go out only when they can play out. No level sees your hand, your foot or the stock.
QUICK ANSWERS
Hand and Foot FAQ: common questions
Can you play Hand and Foot with 2 players?
Yes. Choose 2 players in Options and each of you plays alone with three decks: the same hand and foot, the same books, and no partner question.
Can I play Hand and Foot online for free?
Yes, here, in your browser against the computer. No download, no account.
How many decks does Hand and Foot use?
One 54-card deck (with jokers) per player plus one: five decks for four players, 270 cards. Two players use three decks.
What is the difference between the hand and the foot?
You are dealt two piles. The hand (11 cards) is played first. The foot (13 cards) stays face down until your hand is empty, then it becomes your hand.
What are clean, dirty and wild books?
A book is a meld of seven cards of one rank. Clean has no wilds (500 points), dirty has one or two wilds (300), and a wild book is seven 2s and jokers (1,500). The tracker shows how many your side has made.
What is the meld minimum each round?
50 in round one, then 90, 120 and 150. Your first melds of the round must add up to at least that, and the Meld button shows the count as you select cards.
What do you need to go out?
Your side needs two clean and two dirty books by default (the host can require a wild book too, or only one of each; extra clean books count as dirty ones), you must have picked up your foot, and your partner must say yes.
Can you pick up the whole discard pile?
By default you take the top seven cards, and only with two natural cards matching the top card. The host can switch to taking the whole pile.
What do red and black threes do?
Red threes go to the table when drawn and score 100 each, or minus 100 if your side never melds that round. Black threes cannot be melded; discarding one blocks the pile for the next player, and one left in your hand costs 5.
How is Hand and Foot scored?
Each round, add your books, red threes, the value of your melded cards and 100 for going out, then subtract every card left in your side's hands and feet. The highest total after four rounds wins.
Can I print the rules?
Yes. Use “Print the rules” at the top of the rules: it prints the rules and scoring on their own, without the table, as a one-page summary to keep beside the cards.
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