To set up a Hand and Foot card game, the dealer will give each player two sets of cards. This article is designed to teach you how to play this fun and challenging speed card game. For that reason, most people feel the Hand and Foot card game is suitable for beginning players. The large number of playing cards makes forming piles much easier in the Hand and Foot card game than with the standard version of Canasta. So, for example, if you have six players, use six to seven decks of cards. Other variations call for equal numbers of players and decks. In some versions, the number of decks used is one more than the number of players. That said, the game can still work with up to three or four teams. The game uses between four and seven full decks of cards and is designed to be played in teams.Įach team is normally made up of two players with only two teams playing at a time. This differs from traditional Canasta, which uses just a hand pile. It originated in North America and is played with two piles of cards called a “hand” and a “foot,” hence the name. The Hand and Foot card game is a variation of Canasta.