Melds and Their Requirements

The Hand 'n Foot game is based around the melding of the cards played. Since this is the case, it is very important to understand melds as well as their initial requirements. By fully understanding this process as a whole, you will surely have an advantage over your opponent(s).

A meld is the combination of three or more cards that are of the same rank. All the melds will be placed face up by one player and then played (built) on by their partner. If you are playing with only two players, you would build on the melds you laid out. After the initial meld is laid out, single cards following rank and/or suit can be played onto that meld. Additionally, "Wild Cards" can be played as well, but there should NEVER be more wild cards than suit cards. Jokers and Jesters are considered wild cards and can be played with any suit or rank.

Now we'll go over what these initial melds' requirements are.

1. The initial meld for the first round must consist of at least 50 points. This can be accomplished by making all the points in one or more group melds during a turn to achieve the minimum score.

2. Only the face value of the cards laid out for a meld can be counted for the initial meld. If a Group (7 cards, same suit) is within the initial meld, you should NOT count the base count value.

3. After any one on the team has laid out the initial meld, play is open to all other partners when it is their turn.

4. Although you may pick up from the discard pile at the time of the meld, the top card and ONLY the tops card may be counted in the meld.