What Is the “Hand and Foot” Card Game?
The Hand and Foot card game is a game invented in North America, which is often compared to Canasta. The objective of the game is to get rid of the two sets of cards in your hand, known as the hand and the foot.
Typically, the Hand and Foot card game is played by four people in partnerships, although it can also be played by six people divided into two teams of three. To start, a total of five decks of cards are mixed together and each pair of players sit opposite from each other. From this point, one partner will take a portion of the deck, distribute four face-down stacks of thirteen cards and pass them around the table in a clockwise direction until each player has one stack.
Meanwhile, the partner of the other dealer takes a portion of the deck and repeats the action of the first dealer so that each player has two stacks of cards. The leftover cards are put face-down in the middle in order to start a “stock” pile. Then, a “discard” pile is formed by taking the top card of the “stock” pile and placing it face-up right next to it. After this has been completed, play starts with each player using their first stack, with the second stack placed face-down in front of them.
Once the game starts, each player tries to get rid of their cards. This is done by attaining a set of three to seven cards of equal rank placed face-up on the table. An example of this would be an Ace followed by a King and then a Queen. Once this is done, either player of the partnership can add on cards until the total is seven. Some exceptions to the rules are red and black three cards which cannot be used, and twos and jokers can be used as a substitute for any card.
Points are awarded for however many cards are put together, and points are taken away for the amount of cards that are left in a players hand at the end of a turn. The game ends when a player is “going out,” which means they have discarded all of the cards in their two sets originally distributed from the beginning.