Canasta Scoring Rules, With a Hand Score Calculator
Quick answer
Canasta scoring rules in short: at the end of each hand, each side adds its bonuses, 500 for each natural canasta, 300 for each mixed canasta, 100 for each red three (800 for all four) and 100 for going out (200 if concealed). Then it adds the value of every card it melded and subtracts the cards left in its hands. The first side to 5,000 wins.
This page goes deeper than our canasta rules: every scoring item, when it turns negative, a calculator for your own hands, and two hands scored line by line.
Every card has a value that counts twice: plus in a meld, minus in your hand
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace, Two | 20 |
| King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 |
| Black three | 5 |
| Red three | bonus only |
A joker you melded adds 50. The same joker stuck in your hand when someone goes out takes 50 away. Black threes are only melded by the player going out, so they usually count against you.
Bonuses are scored first, and they are the big numbers
| Bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Natural canasta (7+ cards, no wild cards) | 500 |
| Mixed canasta (7+ cards, 1 to 3 wild cards) | 300 |
| Each red three | 100 |
| All four red threes | 800 |
| Going out | 100 |
| Going out concealed | 200 |
A meld only earns a canasta bonus once it reaches seven cards. Six Queens earn nothing extra, just their 60 card points. Add a natural Queen and the meld jumps by 510.
Red threes count plus, unless your side made no meld
Red threes are laid face up as soon as you get them. At the end of the hand they are worth 100 each, and all four together are worth 800, not 400. But if your side has not melded a single card when the hand ends, they turn into a penalty.
| Red threes | Your side melded | No meld at all |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +100 | −100 |
| 2 | +200 | −200 |
| 3 | +300 | −300 |
| 4 | +800 | −800 |
Going out is worth 100, or 200 when you go out concealed
The player who goes out earns 100 for the side. You may only go out once your side has a canasta (two in the two-player game).
Going concealed means you meld your whole hand in one turn, including a complete canasta, when your side had melded nothing before. That adds 100 more, 200 in all. If the stock runs out and nobody goes out, nobody gets the bonus.
Count your own hand with the calculator
Count your cards by group, set your canastas and red threes, and say whether you went out. It starts with an example: a natural canasta of seven 8s, a mixed canasta of five Queens, a two and a joker, three 5s, two red threes, and going out. That hand scores 1,305.
Canasta hand score calculator
Enter one side's hand. Count the cards by group; the calculator does the adding. It starts with an example hand.
This hand scores 1,305 points.
- 1 natural canasta × 500+500
- 1 mixed canasta × 300+300
- 2 red threes+200
- Going out+100
- Cards melded+205
Bonuses +1,100, cards +205.
Scoring a whole game? The canasta score sheet keeps a running total for both sides and shows each side's next minimum.
Two hands, scored line by line
Hand 1: going out concealed
Your side has melded nothing and has one red three. You draw, then lay down your whole hand at once: seven 8s, and three Jacks with a two. You discard your last card.
| Your side | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 natural canasta × 500 | +500 |
| 1 red three | +100 |
| Going out | +100 |
| Concealed going out | +100 |
| Cards melded | +120 |
| Hand total | 920 |
Hand 2: the other side is caught with cards
The other side has three 5s and three Kings with a joker on the table, no canasta, and one red three. They still hold an Ace, a two, a 7, a 9 and a Queen.
| The other side | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 red three | +100 |
| Cards melded | +95 |
| Cards left in hand | −65 |
| Hand total | 130 |
Notice the two in their hand: a wild card is worth 20 when melded, but it costs 20 when you are caught holding it.
A hand, and a running total, can go below zero
Say your side never melds, holds two red threes, and is caught with a joker, two Aces, a King, a Queen, a 9, a 7 and a 4. The red threes count minus because there is no meld, and the cards count minus too.
| Your side | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 red threes — no melds, so negative | −200 |
| Cards left in hand | −130 |
| Hand total | −330 |
If that was the first hand, your side starts the next one at −330. Write the minus sign on the score sheet; it matters.
Your score sets the minimum for your next first meld
Your running total at the start of a hand decides how many card points your side's first meld needs. Only card values count toward it, never bonuses.
| Your side's score | First meld needs |
|---|---|
| Below zero | 15 |
| 0 to 1,495 | 50 |
| 1,500 to 2,995 | 90 |
| 3,000 or more | 120 |
After the bad hand above, your side is below zero, so the next first meld needs only 15 points. That is pagat's “no minimum”: any legal meld of three cards is worth at least 15.
The game ends when a side reaches 5,000
Add each hand to the running totals. When one side or both reach 5,000 at the end of a hand, the game is over and the higher total wins. A game usually takes several hands, because the minimum for the first meld keeps rising as you climb.
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Questions people ask
How many points is a canasta worth?
A natural canasta (seven or more cards, no wild cards) is worth 500 points. A mixed canasta, with one to three wild cards, is worth 300. On top of the bonus, every card in the canasta also counts its own value.
What are red threes worth in canasta?
100 points each, and 800 if one side has all four. If your side made no meld at all in the hand, the same red threes count minus: minus 100 each, or minus 800 for all four.
How much is going out concealed in canasta?
Going out earns 100 points. Going out concealed, melding your whole hand in one turn when your side had melded nothing before, earns 100 more: 200 in all. You still need a canasta among those melds.
Do the cards in a canasta count as well as the bonus?
Yes. A natural canasta of seven Kings scores the 500 bonus plus 70 for the seven Kings themselves.
Can you have a negative score in canasta?
Yes. If the cards left in your hand are worth more than your melds and bonuses, your hand score is below zero, and so can your running total be. With a total below zero, your first meld needs only 15 points.
How many points do you need to win canasta?
5,000. Play whole hands until a side reaches 5,000 or more at the end of a hand. The side with the higher total wins.