Going Down by Round
"Going down" is the moment your team puts its first meld on the table for the round. Each of the four rounds enforces a different opening minimum, and a few subtle rules govern what counts toward it.
The Four Minimums
Each round raises the bar. The numbers below come straight from the rules engine — they govern the first meld(s) your team puts down each round. Once you have opened, subsequent melds in the same round have no minimum.
Round
Minimum
Round 1
60 pts
Round 2
90 pts
Round 3
120 pts
Round 4
150 pts
Round 1 example
Three Aces (3 × 20 = 60). Or four Kings + a wild (4 × 10 + 20 = 60).
Round 2 example
Three Aces + three 10s (60 + 30 = 90). Or three Aces + four 8s (60 + 40 = 100).
Round 3 example
Three Aces + three 10s + three Kings (60 + 30 + 30 = 120). Exactly enough to open.
Round 4 example
Three Aces + three Jokers + three 10s (60 + 150 + 30 = 240) — comfortable over 150.
What Counts Toward the Minimum
Face value, not bonuses
The threshold is satisfied by the sum of card face values in the meld(s) you open with. Canasta bonuses (clean +500, dirty +300) and the going-out bonus pay out at round end and never help you open.
Red 3 melds do not count
A red 3 melded as part of opening still pays its +100 per card at scoring, but its face value is excluded from the threshold sum. You cannot use red 3s to satisfy the opening minimum.
Multiple melds combine
You can lay down more than one meld on the turn you open. Their face values add together to clear the minimum — three Aces (60) plus three 10s (30) is enough to open in Round 2 (90).
Wild cards count, dirty melds too
A wild card sitting in a dirty meld contributes its full value — Jokers add 50, deuces add 20. The meld's clean / dirty status only affects the eventual canasta bonus, not the threshold sum.
Penalty cards still apply
Cards left in your hand or foot at round end are subtracted from your team's score regardless of whether you opened — including red 3s and black 3s. Going down early avoids the worst of it.
Worked Examples
Round 1 — opens cleanly
Opens
You lay down three Aces (60 points). The Round 1 minimum is 60 — you have opened. Anything you meld later in this round has no minimum.
Round 2 — red 3s do not help open
Rejected
You try to open with three Aces (60) plus a red 3. The red 3 melds for a +100 bonus at scoring, but red 3 melds do not count toward the opening minimum. You have only 60 of the required 90 and the play is rejected.
Round 3 — bonuses do not help open
Rejected
You assemble three Aces + three Kings (60 + 30 = 90). Round 3 needs 120. The clean-canasta bonus you might earn later does not count toward opening — only the face value on the table. The play is rejected until you add another natural meld.
Round 4 — opening then growing
Opens
You open with three Aces + four Jokers (60 + 200 = 260). You comfortably clear the 150 minimum. Later in the same round, you add a meld of three 4s (15 points) — perfectly legal, because the round-4 minimum only applies to the first meld(s).
Related
Rules
The full Hand and Foot rules — setup, melding, going out.
Scoring Chart
Card values, canasta bonuses, penalties, and a worked total.
Variants
How Ranked monthly variants will tweak the rules.
Strategy: Going-Out Timing
Round-by-round opening tees up the closing math — when to actually go out.