The game arrived with four decks of cards and thankfully very detailed instructions. My husband never played Canasta before either. We both read over the directions a couple of times, discussing them along the way to make sure we both fully understood the game. Honestly, it’s better to read the directions a couple of times and then jump right in and play and review the directions as you go along. If you already know how to play the game Canasta then I’m sure you’ll be able to play this game with no problem from the start.
Hand and Foot Canasta is called “Hand and Foot” because each player is dealt two sets of cards. One is the “hand”, which is played first, and the other is the “foot”, which is played when the hand has been used up. The game must be played with two teams consisting of 2-3 players on each time. I have a family of four so it worked out fine.
The game consists of four rounds. When you are done with each round you need to tally up the scores. Thankfully the cards are marked with their point value which made it easier for us to add up the scores. After the four rounds are completed the team with the most points wins.
Our first game had me and my daughter up against my husband and our son. Admittedly the first game was a fiasco. We were still trying to figure out the game and had to keep stopping and referring back to the directions. We goofed up a few times here and there but eventually we started to get it. The first game went to me and my daughter (yeah!).
Our second game consisted of me and my son against my husband and our daughter. By the time the second game started my son, whose the youngest, actually fully understood the game and had to keep helping me and my husband to “get it”. The second game went to me and my son (yeah again!).
We opted to play a third game, this time it was the parents verses the kids. By now we all pretty much understood the game (the kids more so then the adults), which made things more “smooth sailing”. The third game winners were our kids.
We have played the Canasta Hand & Foot game by Marina Games a few more times since then. Now that we fully understand it (I think! LOL) it’s really fun. I have to admit that at first it was hard to understand the game. The directions that come with it are very precise and covers everything you need to know. It’s certainly a game for older kids because it’s way too complex for the younger kids to fully understand. My son is 9 and he was able to get it right away for the most part but I think a child younger then that might have a harder time. The recommended ages are for people 8 and up.
We loved that this game was not only fun but educational too. We let the kids add up the points which was a great way to practice their addition skills. It’s great that the cards are marked with their point value so it made adding up the scores a lot easier. I’m sure you can use a calculator too but we thought it was better for the kids to practice their addition.
Marina Games packaged this game up in a nice compact box which fits the decks of cards perfectly as well as the instructions. It’s small size makes it easy to tote around in your pocket book or diaper bag, or even your luggage. You do need to have a table or flat surface to play on so I don’t recommend taking this with you while you wait in a doctor’s office.
For the fun factor our family gives this game a two thumbs up. For the ease of understanding how to play the game we are divided among thumbs up and thumbs down. It was a bit hard to understand at first, but, we eventually did figure it out. I’m sure if we had some experience playing Canasta then we would have been able to figure out the game a lot quicker.
To learn more about Canasta Hand & Foot you can visit Marina Games or purchase it from Amazon. Check out the other great games that Marina Games also has available.