Editing Canasta (section)

===Cards and deal===
The classic game is for four players in two partnerships of two. Variations exist for [[#Canasta for two or three players|two and three player games]] wherein each plays alone, and also for a six-player game in two partnerships of three. If partners are chosen, they must sit opposite each other. Canasta usually uses two complete decks of 52 [[French-suited]] playing cards with two or three [[joker (card)|Joker]]s per deck, making a total of 108 or 110 cards. (The number of Jokers varies depending on the deck.)

{| class=wikitable
|+ Card functions
|-----
! Card               !! align="right" | Value
|-----
| 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A || align="right" | [[natural card|Natural melding cards]]
|-----
| Deuce (2), Joker  || align="right" | [[Wild card (card games)|Wild melding cards]]
|-----
| Red Trey (3) || align="right" | Bonus points
|-----
| Black Trey (3)  || align="right" | Safe discard (may be melded when going out)
|}

The initial dealer is chosen by any common method, although in Canasta there is no privilege or advantage to being the dealer. The deal then rotates clockwise after every hand. The dealer shuffles the pack, the player to the dealer's right cuts, and the dealer deals out a hand of 11 cards to each player. The remaining cards are left in a stack in the center of the table. One card is taken from the top of the stack and placed face up to start the discard pile. If that card is wild or a red three, the card is rotated 90 degrees and another card is turned and placed on top of it.<ref name=":0" /> That continues until a natural card or a black three is turned up. The rotating of the wild card freezes the deck (see [[Canasta#Picking up the discard pile|picking up the discard pile]], below).

If a player was dealt red threes, they must instantly play them face up in front of them and draw the same number of replacement cards.