The Hand Comes Before The Foot

The key fact that separates the game of Hand 'n Foot from other card games is that each player is basically dealt two hands.  However, there are limitations to how those two stacks of cards are played, which really can make the game interesting.  One stack is referred to as the "hand" while the other is the "foot".  Getting to play the foot is one of the tricks of the game.

There are a couple of ways to get into the foot.  The first way to start this second stack of cards is to play the entire stack of cards in the hand first.  In this method, you must play every single card in the hand and then discard. You may then pick up the foot, but you can't play it until your next turn.  If you can't play every single card in the hand, you may play all except one that is kept after you discard.  You can then pick up the foot, but again you can't play it until your next turn.  The only way to continue your turn by picking up the foot is play every single card out of the hand onto the board. This means that you have no card left for discarding. In this case you may pick up the foot and continue to play from the foot, and discard from this second stack.

Remember, you must play both your hand and your foot, and you aren't able to access the cards in the foot until you have successfully played your hand. With twists like this in the game, it is easy to see why it is so much fun to play again and again.