Oh, my hand and foot! Canasta!

When my mom moved in with us we spent some time playing a very fun game, Hand & Foot, which is a type of Canasta card game. We really enjoyed it, but it was a bit difficult for the younger kids to pick up.

So when Marina Games and Family Review Network offered me a set of Canasta Hand & Foot to try out that is geared toward families with children, I was so excited!

I tested it out with the ladies at Ladies Night Out. It was really a fun game, and easy to learn. Only two of us had played Hand and Foot before. Now, if you know anything about Canasta games, everyone has their own rules, so that was fun, deciding which of our rules applied, lol. The game does have a very complete set of rules, and they are easy to follow and learn. When Paula and I had a difference of opinion, and we didn't remember seeing it in the rules, we'd look, and there it was! Yet the rules easily fit on a paper, not in a booklet.

Everyone enjoyed it. I know that it is going to be fun with the kids because we don't have to go through the points each hand. The cards have the points right on them! You only pick up 5 cards from the discard pile instead of the ENTIRE pile. Much more manageable for children's small hands. It is also a team game, so it plays faster and is easier for children when paired with an adult.

Rules

• Each player deals two piles of eleven cards

• Draw and try to play cards in rows of 3

• Meet minimum points to begin laying down

• With your partner, try to make the rows into books of 7 or more cards

• Teams must have to clean and two dirty piles to go out

• Collect points for going out, for books, and for card values

• Highest scoring team at the end of the five rounds win

• Watch out for the infamous mammoth forfeit cards

This is a great game for the game loving family on your list!