Hand and Foot works best with 2-6 players. Anything beyond 6 players can become unwieldy.

Perform a riffle shuffle on the stack if a player knows how to do or learn how to do it[2] X Research source

If the player did not get 22 cards, add or discard as many cards from the selected pile into the central stack until you reach 22. [3] X Research source

Once you have your Hand and Foot decks, you’re now ready to begin the game.

The following cards are ‘Wild cards. ’ Jokers are worth 50 points. Aces and 2’s are worth 20 points. The rest of the cards are ‘Natural cards. ’ 8’s through Kings are worth 10 points. 4’s through 7’s are worth 5 points. A black 3 is worth -5 points. A red 3 is worth -300 points.

At the end of the game, natural melds are worth more points. A completed natural meld make up ‘Red Piles. ’ A clean meld is only legal when it meets a minimum point threshold. Each round in a game of Hand and Foot has an increasing point threshold to meet. Clean melds are easier to play at the start of a game of Hand and Foot.

At the end of the game, dirty melds are worth less points than clean melds. A completed dirty meld makes up ‘Black Piles. ’ Because dirty melds are easier to play, usually it’s wise to save these plays for later in the game.

In round 1, the point value must exceed 50. In round 2, the point value must exceed 90. In round 3, the point value must exceed 120. In round 4, the point value must exceed 150.

Remember, the aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards. Try to construct a meld every turn you can so that your hand is shrinking as a round goes on.

If possible, you can use multiple melds in a single turn to meet the minimum point threshold. Keep the melds on the table as you’ll need to assign point values to them later. Once you have made your play the player to the left of you begins.

Each red pile is worth 500 points. Each black pile is worth 300 points. Tally up the individual card values that constructed the melds as well. Once you have your total score, keep it to the side and continue into round 2. Put all the cards back into the central stack and reshuffle.