or
Life Theory? This game is NOT designed for children. or
Life Theory? This game is NOT designed for children.
It is designed to be a PARTY type game, and was first played on a college campus during the Sixties. It has evolved since then, taking on new and ever changing facets.
As each change is made to the game rules (sometimes once every few months or so), I will try to keep the latest version posted for all of you that have learned it and are scattered all over the globe, now. Any new cheats can be submitted to larry@poolsetc.com. The people mentioned by name in the rules really exist, and if they deny their participation, remember, we have witnesses!
Canasty is not just a card game. It is a training ground to sharpen our sense of awareness, a therapy for the day to day anxieties. It forces us to use our Psychic talents in manners that would embarrass the Ancients that named the many arts used in the strategies for winning as CHEATING!
Printing a hard copy of these rules, is helpful to have when playing this game. Unless you are playing it with me. I am always happy to advise a newbie on which card to play & can inform you of any rule infraction that someone else might make.
This warning provided by:
Larry (The Honest One)
RULES OF CANASTY
UPDATED 7-1-2000
1. SCORING:
4 - 9 = 5 POINTS
10, J, Q = 10 POINTS
ACES = 15 POINTS
DEUCES = 25 POINTS + WILD
KINGS = 50 POINTS + WILD
RED 3 = 100 POINTS + TWO CARD DRAW (SHOWN WHEN DRAWN) (POSITIVE ONLY WHEN "DOWN" IS MADE) IF MORE THAN ONE BONUS DRAWN OR DEALT AT THE SAME TIME (NOT GETTING ONE THEN DRAWING ANOTHER) ONLY THE FIRST RED THREE GETS TWO BONUS CARDS AND ALL THE SUBSEQUENT BONUS CARDS ONLY GET ONE DRAW. EXAMPLE : DEALT TWO RED THREES AND A JOKER. YOU ONLY GET FOUR FREE CARDS. IF YOU GET A RED THREE AND DRAW TWO MORE, YOU ONLY GET THREE ADDITIONAL FREE CARDS. IF YOU DRAW A RED THREE YOU GET TWO CARDS, IF ONE OF THEM IS A RED THREE, YOU GET TWO MORE CARDS. IF ONE OF THOSE CARDS IS A RED THREE, YOU GET TWO MORE CARDS. ETC.
COMPRENDE?
BLACK 3 = NEGATIVE 25 POINTS
JOKER = 50 POINTS + ONE CARD DRAW (SHOWN WHEN DRAWN) (POSITIVE ONLY WHEN "DOWN" IS MADE)
SET OF 3 = TWO NATURALS (OR MORE) AND WILD CARD(S)
SET OF 7
NATURAL = 500 PTS. + FACE VALUE (CAN BE AS MANY MORE AS YOU CAN BE ABLE TO HAVE WITHOUT BEING SHOT FOR CHEATING)
WILD = 300 PTS. + FACE VALUE (CAN HAVE 8 NATURALS AND THE ONLY WILD CARD WAS USED GETTING THE "DOWN", IT IS STILL WITH A WILD CARD. AND IT DOES NEED TO HAVE AT LEAST 2 NATURALS, NOT JUST ONE NATURAL AND 6 WILD)
2.POINT SPREAD
SCORE ................... Points needed to show for getting (on board or) DOWN
495 OR LESS ......... 25
500 - 995 ................. 50
1000 - 1495 ............. 75
1500 - 1995 ............. 100
2000 - 2495 ............. 125
2500 ......................... GAME
ADVANCED PLAY EXTENDED SCORE SPREAD
2500 - 2995 ............. 150
3000 - 3495 ............. 175
3500 - 3995 ............. 200
4000 - 4495 ............. 225
4500 - 4995 ............. 250
5000 ......................... GAME
3.GOING OUT (BONUS 100 POINTS)
1. MUST BE ON THE BOARD (DOWN)
2. MUST HAVE DISCARD
3. CAN HAVE NO MORE THAN TWO AGAINST AFTER DISCARD
4. CAN GO OUT ON FIRST TURN (BUT A SPREAD OF 1000 pts. BETWEEN THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST SCORES MUST BE PRESENT AND ONLY THOSE WITH 1000 PTS. (OR MORE) LESS THAN THE LEADING SCORE CAN GO OUT (AT THIS TIME) ON THE FIRST ROUND) THIS IS A SISSY RULE AND CAN BE SUSPENDED AT ANY TIME. IT WAS PUT IN FOR FAFNIR'S BENEFIT BECAUSE HE GOT UPSET WHEN NICOLE BEAT HIM BUT HE'S REALLY RIGHT ABOUT IT BEING MORE FUN WHEN YOU CAN BUILD UP SOME POINTS... THE WIMP RULE.
5. GOING DOWN - (SELF-EXPLANATORY) (PERVERT!) GETTING ON THE BOARD. ALL POINTS IN YOUR HAND COUNT AGAINST UNLESS THE MINIMUM BOARD POINTS ARE ON THE BOARD (UNLESS CHEATING AND GOT ON THE BOARD WITH LESS) AND ARE COUNTED AS "Down". BONUS POINTS ONLY COUNT POSITIVE IF BOARD IS MADE. IF YOU SCREW UP AND DON'T GET YOUR "DOWN" BEFORE SOMEONE GOES OUT, EVERYTHING INCLUDING BONUS POINTS COUNT AGAINST YOU! IF NEEDED, OFFER TO GO DOWN ON SOMEONE ELSE TO KEEP THEM FROM GOING OUT BEFORE YOU GET ON THE BOARD (LIE!). THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN TO WORK ON LARRY AND SEVERAL OTHERS. IF YOU ARE PLAYING WITH A PRUDE, JUST SHOOT THEM TO KEEP THEM FROM GOING OUT IF YOU WANT. NO ONE WOULD MISS THEM ANYWAY. SEE MINIMUM POINT SPREAD FOR DETAILS ON HOW MUCH TO CHEAT.
fnord
5. "LEGAL CHEATING"
A. PUTTING "DOWN" WITH ONE NATURAL AND TWO WILD CARDS. OOPS!
B. PUTTING A 25 PT DOWN WHEN 50 PTS. (OR MORE) IS NEEDED. SORRY, I MISCOUNTED!
C. "TRANSPOSING" ONE CARD FOR ANOTHER. GEE, THAT 4 LOOKED LIKE A QUEEN TO ME!
D. USING "THE VOICE" TO TELL ANOTHER PLAYER TO MAKE A MISTAKE. DRAW THAT NEXT CARD!
E. TELEKINETIC MANIPULATION OF THE CARDS. THIS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTED FORM OF STACKING THE DECK
F. MISCOUNTING THE SCORE OR FORMS OF CHEATING THAT A SHARP EYE CANNOT CATCH ARE FORBIDDEN (SUCH AS HIDING RED 3'S UNDER THE TABLE LIKE [name deleted] DID. IF YOU WONDER WHY YOU HAVE NEVER MET [name deleted], REALIZE, THAT LARRY, IS WHO CAUGHT HIM AND GOT RATHER UPSET ABOUT IT AND, AND.....NEVERMIND) REMEMBER THAT CHEATING AT THIS GAME MUST BE KEPT TO HIGH STANDARDS AND SHOULD BE KEPT HONORABLE. ( The reason [name deleted] is used instead of the proper name, shortly after I typed this set of rules, [like within the hour!!] with HIS name in it, HE showed up at our house for the first time in 10 or 12 years! I was enraged and had to be restrained, but NO-ONE is allowed to speak HIS name again for fear HE will hear it and show up again! Screw superstitious nonsense but this is FACT!)
G. IF A "CHEAT" IS ATTEMPTED, IT MUST BE CAUGHT BEFORE THE NEXT PLAYER DRAWS HIS CARD, OR THE "CHEAT" BECOMES PART OF THE PLAY AND "ON THE BOARD".
H. The Mikal Maneuver - Regarded as one of the LOWEST forms of cheating, (see cheat rule "F" for the only cheat lower) it is ONLY PERMISSIBLE if the WIMP rule is in effect AND is agreed on BEFORE ALL PLAY BEGINS. Used as a discard strategy, several cards are placed together to give the appearance of only ONE card discarded. This maneuver MUST NOT be used in the presence of Bad Billy from the Bronx, anywhere in the Bronx, anywhere in Texas, or anywhere else that SHOOTS people for less reason than what this gives. Similar to the WIMP Rule, allowing to go out on the first round ONLY if you are 1000 pts. (or more) behind the lead score, this is ONLY ALLOWED IF 1000 PTS. (or more) BEHIND FIRST PLACE AND WAS AGREED ON BEFORE GAMEPLAY! This is a VERY difficult cheat to catch, and should be discouraged, after all, only Earth signs really need to cheat like that, and thereby should be watched closely to make sure they don't do it anyway!
I. TOO LAZY (or debilitated) TO FIGURE OUT DOWN. Lie to them. After a couple of games, if they don't know what their score is, tell them that they need more than they need for their "down" Remember, they would do it to you, and they probably deserve it. GEE, LOOKS LIKE YOU NEED 125 PTS. TO ME...
J. OOPS, I SEEM TO BE DYSLEXIC! If you can figure this one out, use it!
K. The Kris Maneuver Most insidious, but some effort is needed to plan this one out well before the game. One must find CARDS that have very strange designs to occupy the other combatants (oops), I mean players now observing your particular CHEAT! This does require TWO CHEATS AT THE SAME TIME to be successful, so I hope you feel really guilty sparkley and covered with gold) when you do this cheat because IT REALLY DISTRACTS YOU WHEN YOU'RE IN THE PROPER STATE OF MIND TO EVEN PLAY THE GAME! Enough said!
L. ATTEMPT TO LURE "NEWBIES" TO SIT NEXT TO YOU ON YOUR LEFT SIDE TO "HELP" THEM! ONLY WORKS ONCE, SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN STILL GET THEM TO TRUST YOU.
M. KATHLEEN'S PICK UP OF THE DECK - WHEN A BLACK THREE IS TOO INTIMIDATING (IN OTHER WORDS, A BLACK THREE IS IN THE DISCARD PILE. THE TOP CARD IS AN ACE. YOU HAVE 5 KINGS, 1 ACE, 1 FOUR, 1 JACK, 1 TEN, 1 FIVE, 1 SIX. YOU NEED 75 POINTS TO MAKE YOUR DOWN. IT IS THE THIRD TIME AROUND & ONLY GREED HAS KEPT YOUR CO-PLAYERS FROM GOING OUT. PLAY A KING, AN ACE, AND STICK THE FOUR SLIGHTLY UNDER THEM, SO IT LOOKS SORTA OF LIKE AN ACE, I MEAN FOUR. AFTER YOU DO HAVE A KING AND TWO NATURALS, DON'T YOU? SO WHAT IF THEY DON'T MATCH!) ATTEMPT TO PICK UP THE PILE WITH INCORRECT CARDS! YES IT IS RIGHT! THERE IS A KING AND ... OH MY GOODNESS!?! I THOUGHT THAT WAS A PAIR OF ACES!
N.TINA'S ‘MISTAKE' - OR "Oh, I thought I just had to have 25 points TOTAL" (a 10, a Jack, and a 6), act innocent. Attempt twice in the same game if you're ballsy enough!
O. 'Oh, I got 100 Points!' When you deal, even if you don't cut the cards correctly, announce that you did. The challenge is to keep the extra cards in your hand in front of everyone, so they can see them, and put them down like normal. If they decide to give you a hundred points and no one catches you before the draw, you announce 'Tag!' at the person to your left. If they still don't catch you, begin watching them very closely, they must be cheating!
SEE LARRY FOR ALL ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST, or sit next to him if you don't understand; he will help out with your understanding.
fnord After all, he is the only person who wouldn't cheat with your new cheat! He can be trusted! give him a chance, he's really a nice guy, not a cheater like other people that play this game.... end of fnord.
fnord DON'T BELIEVE THE TERRIBLE LIES EVERYONE IS TELLING ABOUT LARRY. end of fnord
6. GAME PLAY
PARTAKE OF THE CHOSEN PARTY FLAVOR BEFORE THE FIRST HAND BEGINS. THIS IS THE FIRST LAW OF CANASTY THAT THE ORIGINAL FOUNDERS STRESSED THAT MUST ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED. OUT OF RESPECT, WE SHOULD INSURE THE ORIGINAL FLAVOR OF THE GAME FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. And also is a good reason children should not play this game.
DEALER ATTEMPTS TO PICK UP EXACTLY 11 CARDS PER PLAYER, AND 1 CARD EXTRA FOR THE DISCARD PILE, AND DEALS. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE DEALER GETS 100 BONUS POINTS. 2 (two) decks of cards are needed for 2 - 5 people, 3 decks for 6-8 people, 4 decks for 9 -12 people, etc. however, expect an abundance of sets of seven with more than 2 decks, so lower the value of a set of seven by 50 points for each extra deck over the original two and use the WIMP (so named after the wimp that came up with it!) rule or someone will go out on the first round every time when 6 or more players are playing. as an example, though, for 3 players, the dealer attempts to pick up 34 cards to deal out exactly the correct amount. the dealer deals eleven cards (counted aloud, so the MENTALLY disabled can keep up with the game) and seems to have too many cards to finish correctly, but the first discard is a red three and has to be burned. the second one turns out to be a wild card that must be burned. a third card may be a joker and has to be put back also. at this point the dealer should tell the person to his left that these cards should have been theirs, just for the sake of rudeness. then the next card (THE LAST ONE) turns out to be a black three and can be left for a down to start (be sure to turn it from how the deck is to be laid for future visibility, AND MENTION ALOUD FOR THE PERSON TO YOUR LEFT "FOR YOU!") and the dealer laid down exactly how many cards were needed to start the game and gets 100 bonus points because he was psychic enough to correctly pick up how many cards were needed!
FIRST PERSON TO THE DEALER'S LEFT STARTS THE GAME AND THE GAME FLOW IS TO THE LEFT. PLAYER CHOOSES BETWEEN THE PILE OR DRAW. IF THE CHOICE IS THE PILE, THE TOP CARD ONLY IS AVAILABLE. IF NO BLACK THREE IS PRESENT (IF SO, TURN TO THE PERSON TO YOUR RIGHT AND UTTER AN APPROPRIATE PHRASE TO THEM), ONLY A NATURAL MATCH AND A WILD CARD IS NEEDED TO PICK UP THE PILE (ALL OF THE CARDS GO WHEN THE PILE IS PICKED UP). IF A BLACK THREE IS IN THE DISCARD PILE, BUT NOT ON THE TOP, YOU CAN'T PICK UP A BLACK THREE) THE ONLY WAY TO PICK IT UP IS TO HAVE TWO NATURALS IN THE HAND (NOT IN THE PILE NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY THEY CAN'T BE USED FOR GETTING THE DOWN OR GETTING THE PILE.. ONLY THE TOP CARD CAN BE USED IN ANY PLAY ON THE BOARD, OTHER THAN GOING OUT, AND CAN'T BE USED THEN, IF IT MEANS IT HELPS GETTING ON THE BOARD BY USING ANY OF THE PILE OTHER THAN THE TOP CARD. PERIOD. END OF THE SUBJECT.) AND THE CARDS MUST BE PLAYED AT THAT TIME ON THE BOARD REGARDLESS OF THE MANNER THEY WERE PICKED UP, ALL THREE FOR THE OTHER PLAYERS SIGHT. DISCARD ONE CARD FACE UP IN THE DISCARD PILE. IF THE DISCARD IS A BLACK THREE, IT IS TO BE TURNED 90 DEGREES TO THE PILE SO AS TO BE VISIBLE FOR FUTURE PICKUPS. GOES TO THE NEXT PLAYER. DON'T GET CAUGHT CHEATING AT THIS....
IF THE CHOICE IS THE DRAW, THE PLAYER TAKES THE TOP CARD OF THE FACE DOWN STACK (NEXT TO THE DISCARD PILE) THE PLAYER DECIDES IF THE CARDS HAVE A SET OF THREE (OR MORE THAN ONE SET OR WHATEVER NEEDED AT THAT TIME) OF SUFFICIENT VALUE TO INSURE THE NEEDED DOWN; OR TO GO OUT IF POSSIBLE; OR IF MORE TIME IS NEEDED TO FORMULATE THE GAME PLAN (YOU HAVE A SHIT HAND AND YOU HOPE SOMEONE ELSE GOES OUT AND SAVES YOU SOME DIGNITY OR YOU HAVE ALL OF THE WILD CARDS AND REALLY WANT 3 SETS OF SEVEN!). IF THE DOWN HAS NOT BEEN MADE YET, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, MAKE THE BOARD! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT EVERY TIME THAT YOU GET A SET, JUST DO IT ON THE FIRST ROUND IF YOU CAN, SO SOME SCHMUCK DOESN'T GO OUT ON YOU, AND STICK YOU FOR 1250 POINTS IN THE HOLE BEFORE YOU EVEN GET ON THE BOARD. IT CAN MAKE YOU WANT TO KILL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND YOU KNOW THAT THE REASON YOU DIDN'T GET ON THE BOARD WAS BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET A SET OF SEVEN AND GO OUT ON ALL OF THEM THE NEXT ROUND AND THEY BEAT YOU TO IT!!!!! REMEMBER, IF THE NEXT PLAYER DRAWS, YOUR TURN IS OVER AND DON'T SCREW UP THIS TIME......
NOW DISCARD A CARD FACE UP ON THE DISCARD PILE AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE BLACK THREES IN YOUR HAND (AFTER ALL, WHAT WOULD SHE DO TO YOU IF SHE HAD A BLACK THREE? SHE WOULD DUMP IT ON YOU! GIVE HER THAT BLACK THREE! AND TELL HER THAT IT IS BECAUSE SHE DID THE SAME THING TO YOU AWHILE BACK. SHE'S PROBABLY TOO MENTALLY DEFICIENT TO REMEMBER ANYHOW!) ..
PLAY GOES TO THE NEXT PLAYER TO THE LEFT. (P.S. If you don't have your "down", this is when you cheat! Who knows, you may get away with it! Maybe the only person who sees your cheat will be Kris and she's so Honest that she can't believe ANYONE could really cheat and she can't say anything because she is so shocked and the play goes on and you get away with it! Who knows?) *
fnord
fnord
IF A PLAYER GOES OUT, THE DISCARD IS FACE DOWN ON THE DISCARD PILE. IF THE BOARD HAS BEEN MADE, ALL CARDS THAT CAN BE MATCHED AT THIS TIME SHOULD BE DONE. COUNT ALL CARDS THAT DO NOT MATCH ANYWHERE (INCLUDE BLACK THREES) AND SUBTRACT FROM THE POSITIVE. THE PLAYER WHO WENT OUT CAN HAVE NO MORE THAN TWO UNMATCHED CARDS WHEN GOING OUT ( OTHER THAN THE DISCARD). BUT MUST HAVE AT LEAST ONE DISCARD! IF THE DOWN WAS NOT MADE, ALL POINTS IN THE HAND INCLUDING WILD AND BONUS CARDS, COUNT IN THE NEGATIVE, REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL MATCHED THEY WERE.
REMEMBER, IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE, ITS HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME. (AND SOME OF US JUST PLAY BETTER THAN OTHERS, WHO ARE VERY LITTLE BABIES THAT YELL "CHEATER! CHEATER!" AND PROBABLY STILL WET THEIR PAMPERS!!!) IF WE PLAY AMONGST EQUALS, WE ACCEPT THAT THEY ALSO CAN WHAMMY THE CARDS AS GOOD AS WE CAN, SO, WE JUST DON'T DO IT IF IT'S NOT OUR TURN. AFTER ALL, FAIR IS FAIR, AND ONE SHOULD NOT MUDDLE IN THE WAYS OF LIZARDS, FOR THEY ARE SUBMARINE AND QUACK TO LANGUOR! AND, LETS STOP "CUTTING" THE CARDS WITH ONE'S ATHAME, SOME OF US ARE SERIOUS ABOUT OUR CARD-PLAYING. NOW CHOOSE YOUR CORNER (PREFERABLY ONE WITHOUT A MIRROR BEHIND IT!) AND COME OUT DEALING.
* iT IS A DOCUMENTED FACT THAT YOU CANNOT READ ANY STATEMENT MADE BETWEEN TWO FNORDS AS PROVEN BY THE FOLLOWING SECRET TO ALWAYS WINNING AT CANASTY.
FNORD Summoning all the magical poweress of the Silver Dragon, Guardian of the Temple of the Valar, then use the Voice upon thine enemies (opponents, whatever) while telekinetically manipulating the deck (just like your Tarot deck when you want to read the future you want to see for yourself), then strike without mercy, position all of your oppents into sitting in front of ... and .. what do you mean that you can read this!?!
FNORD