Canasta Score Sheet
Updated
A Canasta score sheet keeps the two partnerships' scores hand by hand: bonuses for canastas, red threes and going out, the points of the cards melded, minus the cards left in hand, and a running total to 5,000. The free sheet prints on Letter paper with the first meld minimums and card values at the foot.
How to score a hand
- Write the bonuses in each side's Bonuses box: 500 for each natural canasta, 300 for each mixed one, 100 for each red three and 100 for going out, or 200 if the hand went out concealed.
- Count the cards in each side's melds, canastas included, and write the total under Cards. The usual way is to stack them in piles of 100.
- Count the cards left in both partners' hands and take that off. Bonuses plus cards, minus the cards left, is the hand score.
- Add the hand score to the running total. Before the next hand, check the total against the first meld table.
The first meld depends on your score
The higher a side's total, the more its first meld of each hand must be worth. That is why the sheet keeps a running total after every hand, not only at the end.
| Side's total | First meld |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | 15 points |
| 0 to 1,495 | 50 points |
| 1,500 to 2,995 | 90 points |
| 3,000 or more | 120 points |
Bonuses and card values
| Bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Natural canasta (no wild cards) | 500 |
| Mixed canasta (one to three wild cards) | 300 |
| Going out | 100 |
| Going out concealed | 200 |
| Each red three | 100 (800 for all four) |
| Red threes of a side that has not melded | -100 each (-800 for all four) |
| Cards | Points each |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| Ace, two | 20 |
| Eight to king | 10 |
| Four to seven | 5 |
| Black three | 5 |
These are the classic rules on Pagat, the card game rules site run by John McLeod. Pagat also covers Modern American Canasta and other versions, which change the target, the minimums and the bonuses; the sheet's boxes are blank, so it works for those too.
Source: Pagat, Canasta, checked November 2, 2026.
Canasta questions
What score do you play Canasta to?
5,000. When one or both sides reach it at the end of a hand, the game ends and the higher total wins.
How much is a canasta worth?
A natural canasta, seven cards with no wild card, is worth 500 on top of its cards. A mixed one, with one to three wild cards, is worth 300. Seven natural kings score 570: 500 for the canasta and 70 for the kings.
Can a team's score be negative?
Yes. Cards left in hand count against you, and red threes count -100 each if your side has not melded. A side below 0 needs only 15 points to make its first meld.
Do red threes count toward the first meld?
No. Red threes, canasta bonuses and the going out bonus never help meet the minimum: only the values of the cards you lay down count.