Starting the game - first plays

"Going down" is when a member of your team first starts your first canasta by playing cards with point values that meet the minimum requirements to begin play. These strategies help to reach that goal - and do it smartly.

Discarding low point cards

At the beginning of a game, it's always good to discard low-point cards. You don't want the other team to be able to pick up a 10-point card that you threw away and be able to complete their minimum requirement to go down. Don't even give them the chance.

If play has gone around the table a couple of times, you hopefully paid attention to the cards that were discarded by the player to your left. This could show you the cards that they don't feel like they need, at the same time signaling you that it may be safe to discard that number.

Example: No one at the table has done down yet. Play has been around the table two or three times. You've been discarding 5-point cards so that you don't help the other team by throwing out 10-point cards. But now you're out of 5-point cards and you have to discard a 10-point card. Luckily, you noticed that the player to your left discarded a Jack on their last turn. You have a Jack in your hand and can reasonably assume that it's a safe discard that they won't pick up.

Holding Jokers

You have been dealt enough Jokers to go down immediately. But should you? Maybe not.

Suppose that your team needs 50 points to go down and you were dealt two jokers and a 2. Right away, you know that you have 150 points and can put them down on your turn to start your team's first wild card canasta.

If your partners haven't played yet, you should wait a round or two (letting everyone play more than once) because one of your partners may be able to go down with something other than jokers. Maybe they have three Jacks and three Queens (60 points). If they play first, it lets you hold onto your three jokers.

Why hold the jokers? Because your team could potentially get stuck and not be able to get into the foot by completing your first canasta. In this situation, the other team may get their first canasta, get into their Foot, and be playing point after point while your team is paralyzed and unable to get anywhere. If you had a joker or two, you might be able to complete a canasta (making your first dirty canasta) and everyone on your team would be able to immediately get into their foot - a big boost to your ability to catch up and make progress.

Summary: Hold on to jokers for several rounds before playing them. See what happens. You don't need to be in a hurry if the other team is in the same boat as your team and still isn't down.

Wait for the Discard Pile

If you have the points needed to go down (but haven't) and everyone at the table has had a few turns, you may want to watch the discard pile. You might get an opportunity to not only go down, but to scoop up quite a few extra cards at the same time.

Let's say that you need 120 points to go down, and you were dealt two 5's, two 6's, four Kings and three wildcards (2, 2, and a Joker). You already have 40 (Kings) + 90 (wilds) = 130 points. You're watching to see what other people are discarding, and after it's gone around the table two or three times the person before you discards a 5. There may already be a few 5's or even some King's discarded that are underneath that 5.

On your turn, you show your Kings, your wildcards, and your two fives - and pick up the pile. Now you're down (like you could have done earlier), but you have a new advantage: all of the cards in the discard pile!

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