Editing Canasta (section)

====Melds and canastas====
Each player/team keeps separate melds of the various ranks of cards. A player may never play to an opponent's meld. A legal meld consists of at least three cards of the same rank, and there is no limit on how large it can grow. Suits are irrelevant except that black threes are treated differently from red threes. Wild cards can be used as any rank except for threes. Threes may never be melded in ordinary play, although three or more black threes may be melded in the final turn of a player going out.

A meld must consist of at least two [[natural card]]s, and can never have more than three wild cards. Examples: {{cards|5h|5c|2h}} and {{cards|9h|9c|9s|2c|Jkr}} are legal melds. {{cards|5h|2c|2h}}  is not a legal meld; it contains only one natural card. {{cards|9h|9c|9d|2h|2c|2d|Jkr}} is not legal; it contains more than three wild cards. One team/player cannot have two separate melds of the same rank. If more cards of the same rank are melded, they are automatically merged into the preexisting meld.

A canasta is a meld of at least seven cards, whether natural or mixed. A natural canasta is one that comprises only cards of the same rank. A mixed canasta (or; dirty, unnatural, or black canasta) is one that comprises both natural and wild cards. Once a canasta is assembled, the cards are stacked, or "squared," up, and one of the natural cards forming it is placed on top – a red one to indicate a natural canasta or a black one to indicate a mixed canasta.