Canasta, << kuh NAS tuh, >> is the name of a high-scoring card game that originated in Uruguay. It is a variation of rummy and may be played by two to six people who form two opposing partnerships. The object of canasta is to score points by forming melds of three or more cards of the same rank, including at least one meld of seven cards. A player cannot build sequences of numbers as in other rummy games. A seven-card meld is called a canasta, which is Spanish for basket.
Canasta is played with two decks of cards and four jokers. The jokers and twos are “wild” cards, and can be used as substitutes for other cards in forming melds. The object of the game is to score 5,000 points.
