Breaking Down The Game Of Hand and Foot

Games of Hand n Foot consist of four different rounds, each of which are played slightly differently.  Everyone knows that each player is given two different sets of cards, one called the Hand and one called the Foot.  In order to “go out” a player must play both sets of cards, and the Hand must be played before the Foot.  This means that a player must play a total of 22 cards.

During play the partners are attempting to create melds, which consist of three or more cards that have the same value.  In these melds there might be groups, which are 7 cards of the same suite.  Points are established based on face values of the cards and also on bonus points that can be earned by accomplishing certain tasks.  In the center of the table there are also two other stacks of cards, one from which players can draw a card and one on which cards may be discarded.  Discarded cards can also reenter the field of play if a player picks them up in order to use the top card in a meld.  If the discard stack is picked up, only the top card is available to be used in a meld.

During the first round of play a team must meld a total of 50 points in order to get on the board.  Play continues as players draw two cards and discard one, and build groups of 7 cards each in order to earn as many points as possible.  The end of the first round comes when one of the players asks permission of his partner to go out, which can be done after 2 dirty groups and 1 clean group have been established.  Once permission has been granted, the round is over.  For the second round of play, a team must meld a total of 90 points to get on the board.  After this has been accomplished, play continues as in the first round until permission has been granted for a player to go out.  In the 3rd round, teams must gain 120 points and in the 4th round they need 150 points.  After a player has received permission to go out in the 4th and final round, the points are tallied and the game is over.