Section 5: Scoring & Winning
Scoring a Hand
After the hand ends, each partnership calculates one combined score. Begin with bonuses, add the face value of every card in the partnership’s melds, and subtract the face value of every card remaining in both partners’ hands.
| Achievement | Score |
|---|---|
| Natural canasta | 500 points |
| Mixed canasta | 300 points |
| Going out | 100 points |
| Going out concealed | 100 additional points |
| Each red three, when the partnership has made at least one meld | 100 points |
| All four red threes, when the partnership has made at least one meld | 800 points total |
The cards within a canasta score their ordinary face values in addition to the canasta bonus. For example, a natural canasta of seven kings is worth 500 bonus points plus 70 points for its seven cards, for a total of 570 points before other cards and bonuses are counted.
Red-Three Penalties
If a partnership has exposed red threes but has made no meld by the end of the hand, the red-three score is negative instead of positive. Each red three costs 100 points, while possessing all four costs 800 points. Red threes do not count toward the opening meld requirement.
Cards Left in Hand
Every unplayed card is deducted at its ordinary card value. This includes wild cards, natural cards, and black threes. A red three that was mistakenly retained in a hand should be exposed when discovered and treated according to the group’s agreed error policy; for casual play, applying its normal red-three bonus or penalty is the simplest remedy.
Example Score
A partnership finishes with one natural canasta, one mixed canasta, two red threes, and the 100-point going-out bonus. Its melded cards have a combined face value of 420, and its partner holds 35 points in unplayed cards. The hand scores 500 + 300 + 200 + 100 + 420 − 35 = 1,485 points.
Winning the Game
Record cumulative scores after every hand. The game ends after a hand in which at least one partnership has 5,000 or more points. The partnership with the higher total wins, even if both crossed 5,000 during the same hand. Equal totals produce a tie unless the group agrees to play one additional hand as a tiebreaker.