Canasta Master Trivia Quiz

Answer: 20

All twos are worth 20 points in canasta regardless of suit. They also serve as wild cards in the game. In a canasta game where two decks have been mixed together, there are eight twos. Twos and jokers can be used to "freeze" the discard pile, blocking your opponent (and yourself) from claiming the discarded cards that lie below it.

Answer: 10

All the cards, irregardless of suit, between eight and king are valued at ten points. When two decks are used to play the game, there are 48 cards that are valued at 10 points. In the early hands of the game (when your score is 0-1499 points), you would need to have an initial meld of at least 50 points. Laying down five kings would be one way to do this.

Answer: 5

The four black threes (spades and clubs) are worth five points each. These cards are unusual in canasta in that they can only be played by a player who is going out on the final turn. Otherwise they serve as more of a block. The player after you can not take the discard pile when you place one of these on top of the discard pile.

Answer: 100

There are four red threes (diamonds and hearts) in a two-deck game and each is worth 100 points. These cards can be laid individually unlike other cards which are initially laid out in melds of at least three. On your turn, if you have this in your hand (at the beginning) or draw this card (later) you place it in your meld and immediately draw another card. If you are unfortunately enough, however to only play a red three in your hand (and nothing else) in a particular hand, it counts as a NEGATIVE 100 points.

Answer: 20

Though it is not a wild card like a two, the ace (of any suit) is worth 20 points. This can be a helpful card in later rounds when your initial meld needs to be at least 90 points (when your score is 1400-2999) or 120 points (3000 points or more). Like the twos, there are eight aces in a two deck game.

Answer: 50

In a two deck game of canasta, there are four jokers. Each is worth 50 points. In later rounds, when your initial meld must be at least 90 points or 120 points, jokers will often be used with twos or aces to reach that initial meld. Like a two, the joker could be used to "freeze" the cards below it in the discard pile. Since you would not get the 50 points in your meld if you did this, you would probably not prefer to use your joker this way.

Answer: 5

All cards numbered four through seven (plus the black threes) are worth five points each. In a two deck game, there are 32 cards (36 with the black threes) that are worth five points. If a player/team has a negative score (below zero) at any point in the game, the initial meld needed for the next hand is only 15 points (which can be earned with a set of three cards (four through seven).

Answer: 800

In a two deck game of canasta, there are four red threes (diamonds and hearts). While one of these cards is worth 100 points by itself, the fortunate player who plays all four in the meld will earn 800 points. The unfortunate player, however, who has only these cards in meld at the end of the plan will lose 800 points.

Answer: 300

This is known as a mixed canasta. The canasta or "basket" is the set of seven cards for which the game is named. In classic canasta, a player needs to have at least one canasta in their meld in order to go out. A melded set (from three to seven cards) must have fewer "wild" cards (jokers or twos) than the natural cards (fours through aces) to be valid. Whether a canasta has one, two, or three wild cards, it is worth 300 points.

Answer: 500

A natural canasta is formed when seven cards of the same rank (fours through aces) are in the canasta. In a two deck game, the canasta would have all four suits (clubs, hearts, diamonds, spades) and be worth 500 points. In some circumstances, a canasta (whether natural or mixed) can have more than seven cards.