How Many Decks for Hand and Foot?
Quick answer
How many decks for Hand and Foot? Use one more deck than there are players, with the jokers left in: 3 decks for 2 players, 5 for 4, 7 for 6. Each deck has 54 cards with its 2 jokers, so four players shuffle 270 cards.
The rule: one more deck than there are players
Every player takes two piles, a hand and a foot, so Hand and Foot eats cards fast. With 13-card piles, four players are dealt 104 cards before anyone plays. One more deck than players leaves a healthy stock, 165 cards for four players, so the round can run its course.
Chart: decks and cards for 2 to 8 players
| Players | Decks | Cards | Jokers | Stock, 11-card piles | Stock, 13-card piles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 162 | 6 | 117 | 109 |
| 3 | 4 | 216 | 8 | 149 | 137 |
| 4 | 5 | 270 | 10 | 181 | 165 |
| 5 | 6 | 324 | 12 | 213 | 193 |
| 6 | 7 | 378 | 14 | 245 | 221 |
| 7 | 8 | 432 | 16 | 277 | 249 |
| 8 | 9 | 486 | 18 | 309 | 277 |
“Stock” is what is left after everyone gets a hand and a foot and one card is turned up to start the discard pile. With 11-card piles each player holds 22 cards; with 13-card piles, 26.
Work it out for your table
Pick how many people are playing and how big your hands and feet are.
Hand and Foot deck calculator
- Decks
- 5
- Total cards
- 270
- Jokers
- 10
- Cards per player
- 26
- Cards dealt
- 104
- Left in the stock
- 165
4 players need 5 decks with jokers: 270 cards, 10 of them jokers. Dealing a 13-card hand and a 13-card foot to everyone uses 104 cards, so 165 are left for the stock after the first card is turned up.
Keep both jokers in every deck
Hand and Foot needs its wild cards. Each deck brings 2 jokers and 4 twos, so 5 decks give you 10 jokers and 20 twos. Take out only extra cards like ads or rule cards. If a joker is missing from an old deck, a spare card marked “joker” works fine.
Add a deck if your stock keeps running out
Some families add one more deck than the rule asks for, especially with 13-card piles or when rounds tend to run long. If the stock runs out, the round ends with no going-out bonus, so an extra deck keeps play going. You can also go the other way: Bicycle's rules deal 11-card piles, which leave more cards in the stock from the same decks.
Commercial sets: boxed Hand and Foot sets come with their own card count. pagat notes one with 262 cards. Use the set as it comes.
Shuffle a big pile in parts
- Split the cards into four or five stacks and let several people shuffle a stack each.
- Swap halves between stacks and shuffle again.
- Stack them back up, and let each player grab their hand and foot from the pile.
Or skip the shuffling: our Hand and Foot game deals 5 decks in a blink.
If you like Hand and Foot, try
Phase 10 rules
2–6 players · 60 min · Easy to learn
Rules, the list of all 10 phases and free score sheets.
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Gin Rummy
2 players · 20 min · Easy to learn
Build runs and sets, then knock when your leftovers are low.
Questions people ask
How many decks do you need for Hand and Foot with 4 players?
5 decks with jokers, 270 cards. Each player gets a 13-card hand and a 13-card foot (pagat's rules), so 104 cards are dealt and 165 stay in the stock.
How many decks for 2 player Hand and Foot?
3 decks with jokers, 162 cards. That leaves 109 cards in the stock after a 13-card hand and foot each.
How many decks for 6 players?
7 decks, 378 cards, following the same rule: one more deck than players.
Do you use jokers in Hand and Foot?
Yes. Keep both jokers in every deck: 2 per deck, 54 cards per deck. Jokers are wild and worth 50 points.
Do the decks need to match?
No. Mixed backs are fine, because you never need to tell whose deck a card came from. Many families use old decks for Hand and Foot.