Hand & Foot: play online for free (solo & multiplayer)

Hand & Foot is a captivating rummy-style card game that adds unique twists to the classic Canasta formula. This 4-player partnership game challenges you to work through two separate hands of cards while creating melds and completing books. With its distinctive wild book mechanic and multi-round structure, Hand & Foot offers deep strategic gameplay that rewards careful planning and teamwork.

Play free Hand & Foot online against the computer, team up with other players online, or create a private table for you and your friends.

Hand & Foot by the numbers

Real totals from every game of Hand & Foot played on World of Card Games, updated October 2026.

Rules

Here's everything you need to play your first game. For the complete reference and an interactive tutorial that walks you through a real game, see our guide on how to play Hand & Foot.

Objective

Hand & Foot is a partnership melding game from the Canasta family. You and your partner lay down melds of same-rank cards and grow them into seven-card books. A game lasts four rounds and the team with the higher total score at the end wins. A tie plays one more round.

The deal and the two hands

Four players in two teams of 2 play with five full decks plus Jokers shuffled together, 270 cards in all. Each player gets an 11-card "hand" and a separate 13-card "foot" that stays face down. You play your hand first and can't look at your foot until every card in your hand is gone. After the deal, one card is turned face up to start the discard pile. If it is a red 3 or a wild card, it goes back into the stock and the next card is turned up instead.

The play

On your turn you draw two cards from the stock or take the top seven cards from the discard pile if you can immediately meld its top card with two matching natural cards from your hand. Then you may lay down melds of 3 to 7 cards of the same rank. Wild cards (2s and Jokers) can fill in, but a mixed meld needs at least twice as many natural cards as wilds. The one exception is a meld made entirely of wilds. Your team's first meld of each round must be worth a minimum that rises from round to round, 50 points in round 1, then 90, 120 and 150. You end your turn by discarding one card.

A few cards behave differently. Red 3s go straight to the table the moment you draw one and you draw a replacement card. Black 3s can never be melded. While a black 3 is the top card of the discard pile, no one can take the pile. When your hand runs empty you pick up your foot and keep playing.

Scoring and winning

A meld that reaches seven cards becomes a book and closes. A clean book (no wilds) scores 500 points, a dirty book (one or two wilds) scores 300, and a wild book (seven wilds) scores 1,500. To end a round by "going out", your team needs at least 2 clean books, 2 dirty books and 1 wild book, both you and your partner must have picked up your feet, and your partner has to give you permission. Going out is worth a 100-point bonus. Teams then add the value of every card they melded. Each red 3 adds 100 if the team has melded and takes off 100 if it hasn't. They subtract the value of cards left in hands and feet. After four rounds the higher total wins and a tie is settled with one extra round.

How to win at Hand & Foot

These tips come from real games on this site. The two big skills are pacing your two hands and spending wild cards at the right moment.

Your hand and your foot:

• Keep pairs of natural cards together. Two naturals matching the top discard are what let you take the seven-card pickup.
• Try to reach your foot by melding the last card of your hand during your turn. You pick up the foot immediately and keep playing. Discard it instead and the foot waits until your next turn.
• Save wild cards for later in the round when you can. They're often more useful once you're into your foot and know what you're working with.
• If your team can't go out yet, you must keep at least two cards while playing from your foot, so don't meld yourself into a corner at the end of a round.

Wild cards and books:

• Track the going-out requirements from the first turn. Your team needs 2 clean books, 2 dirty books and 1 wild book every round, so know which ones are still missing.
• The wild book alone eats seven wild cards. Every 2 you spend propping up an ordinary meld is a card that book won't get, so coordinate with your partner on who collects wilds.
• Finish melds clean when you can. A clean book is worth 500 points against 300 for a dirty one, but a well-placed wild completes a book faster, so weigh the extra points against the speed.
• Melds of up to five cards can hold only one wild. The second wild has to wait until the meld reaches six cards.

Partnership and the pile:

• Watch your partner's melds and discards. Melds belong to the team, so add to ranks you've already opened instead of scattering points across new ones.
• Taking the pile hands you up to seven cards, but it also refills a hand you may be trying to empty and shows opponents what you're collecting. Make sure the extra cards are worth it.
• Discard a black 3 to block the pile when it's grown valuable and an opponent looks ready to take it.
• Don't rush to go out. Every card left in your team's hands and feet counts against you, so if your partner is still loaded, the answer to "May I go out?" is often no.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between hand and foot?

Your "hand" is the first set of 11 cards you play. Your "foot" is a second set of 13 cards that remains face down until you've played all cards from your hand. You cannot look at your foot until your hand is empty.

How do wild books work?

Wild books consist of exactly seven wild cards (2s and/or Jokers) and are worth 1,500 points. You must complete at least one wild book to go out. They're valuable but require collecting many wild cards.

What are the going-out requirements?

To go out, your team must have completed at least 2 clean books (no wilds), 2 dirty books (with wilds), and at least 1 wild book. Both you and your partner must have picked up your feet and you must ask for and receive their permission.

How does scoring work across rounds?

Your score carries over from round to round. After each round, your team adds points for completed books, melded cards, and bonuses, then subtracts the value of cards left in hands and feet. The team with the highest total after 4 rounds wins.

Can I pick up the entire discard pile?

No, unlike Canasta, you can only take the top 7 cards from the discard pile (or all cards if fewer than 7 are present). You must be able to immediately meld the top card with two matching cards from your hand.

How do I play Hand & Foot with friends?

Host a private table and invite your friends. Click the round yellow Play button at the table's top left to open the Play menu. Choose "Host table", turn on "Private table" and type a table name. At your new table, click "Invite players" and copy the link for your friends. Friends can also choose "Join private" in the same menu and type the same name.

Can I play Hand & Foot against the computer?

Yes. This page starts you in a game against three bots right away, with one bot as your partner and two as opponents. For another game, click the round yellow Play button to open the Play menu and choose "New game".

Can 2 people play Hand & Foot?

Hand & Foot is a 4-player partnership game, so two people can't play it alone. You and a friend can share a private table and fill the two empty seats with bots. Sit across from each other to play as partners or side by side to face each other with bot partners. Send your friend the invite link so they can pick their seat.

How long does a game of Hand & Foot take?

About an hour on average across the games played on this site. A full game runs four rounds, plus a tiebreaker round after a tie. Every player works through both a hand and a foot in each one.

Is Hand & Foot free to play here?

Yes. Hand & Foot is free in your browser with no download and no signup. You only need an account if you want to keep long-term stats or play ranked games.

What games are similar to Hand & Foot?

If you enjoy Hand & Foot, try the site's other rummy games, such as Gin Rummy, Rummy and Canasta.