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Three Handed Canasta Rules - How to Play Canasta with 3 People
Canasta
is played with two teams of two players, but there is a three handed
canasta variant. As the name might indicate, three handed Canasta gives
players all the challenge and strategy of the normal game of Canasta,
but without needing a fourth player. The good news is that unlike some
three player variants of popular card games, Canasta supports three
players with few rules changes. But one particular variant of three
handed Canasta makes the game more interesting and adds another layer of
strategy on top of an already complex game.
First, let’s talk about the basic variant of three handed Canasta. In the basic version, very little changes except the number of players. In fact, there are only two major differences. The first is that all players are dealt thirteen cards instead of eleven. Secondly, there are no teams. Each player can only score points for himself. That’s it.
You can now go play three handed Canasta. Go get ‘em!
Of course, that is kind of plain. Canasta is a game packed with rules, exceptions, and a lot of subtle strategy. Sure, if you play three handed Canasta you are going to have to adapt your strategy to not having a partner, but really with fewer players, the game can be easier. There is one less player to take the discard you want and one less player to be dealt cards you might need. After a few hands of plain three handed Canasta, most players should be able to adjust their normal strategies and that is that.
Cutthroat Canasta
Definitely vanilla and sort of a letdown for a game with Canasta’s depth. That’s why there was a different three handed Canasta variant created dubbed “cutthroat Canasta” which takes three handed Canasta and makes it more strategic and a whole lot more difficult.
For starters, cutthroat Canasta has the same basic set up as the plain version of three handed Canasta. At the start of each hand, there are no teams since there are only three players and each player is dealt thirteen cards instead of the standard eleven.
However, at that point, things start to get interesting because it is quite possible things are going to get nasty. See, in cutthroat Canasta, there are several things which you can do throughout the course of the game that will essentially cause the other two players to form a team and gang up on you. Hence the name “cutthroat.”
The first thing you can do which will let the other players form a partnership against you is to be the first player to take up the discard pile. The minute you grab all of the cards in the discard pile, it’s you and that mess of cards you picked up versus the other two players. Game on. (Note, in three handed Canasta terms, the player who is playing by himself is known as the lone wolf.)
Obviously, this makes picking up the discard pile more than just a play for more points. Suddenly you have to decide if the points you are going to pick up are worth letting the other players form a team, because once those other two players have formed a partnership, they receive all the benefits of being partners. For instance, they can play off each other’s melds to score points, which is important. Even more important, the partnership scores the total of both players’ scores which means that if you pick up that discard pile, you better be ready to score a lot of points quickly.
According to the rules, there is another thing you can do to get the other players to form a partnership against you. If you go out first without anyone picking up the discard pile, the other two players will form a partnership against you. So that means if the entire hand has gone without anyone picking up the discard pile and you decide it is in your best advantage to go out, the other two players are forced to be aligned against you. Again, this makes going out a far more strategic decision than in regular Canasta because you have to be fairly confident that by going out, you can outscore the other two players. If you are not sure, you would be better served by waiting and letting someone else go out or take up the discard pile.
More Cutthroat Canasta Rules
If that weren’t enough to make this three handed Canasta variant interesting, there are several more rules that add to cutthroat Canasta’s complexity. First of all, you need two Canasta’s instead of one. This does make it unlikely that anyone will go out after the first draw, but it is still possible. It also means that the discard pile will get large quickly, which will be an asset to the first player who decides to pick it up. In addition, this rule ensures that hands will continue to grow since each time someone draws from the stock, they are keeping one card.
Secondly, it should be noted that the point totals required for the first meld are dependent on each player’s score, not on the partnership’s score. This can lead to situations in which each player in a partnership requires a different point total to lay down their first meld.
Also under the topic of additional rules, red threes are scored for the individual in cutthroat Canasta, not for the team. Furthermore, it should be noted that if the stock (undealt card) supply is exhausted, play ends with the player who drew the last card. They can take their turn, but after that, the game is over. If no player ever became the lone wolf because they picked up the discard pile, then all players score for themselves.
Speaking of scores, in cutthroat Canasta, games are played to 7500 points instead of 5000 and each player has their own column in the scores. Just because two players were part of the same partnership does not mean their scores ever combine for the purposes of determining a winner. Partnerships are temporary and the next hand, all bets are off.
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