Canasta History

Most people believe that the game of Canasta was invented in 1939 in the area of Montevideo, Uruguay. Of course, the game did not stay localized for very long. Shortly after being invented, the game spread to nearby Argentina. From there, it did not take long for those in the United States to pick up on Canasta.

During the 1950’s in the history of Canasta the game began to become very popular. During this time, efforts were made to standardize the rules, which would have definitely made things easier. In fact, both the Association of the American Card Manufacturers and the Manhattan Regency Club attempted to do so. Neither was successful in making this happen, so in today’s day and age there are several variations and rules that are played amongst different groups of people.

As the 20th century wore on, more and more variations of Canasta were invented. Common changes included adding more cards to the game, adding more melds, and allowing players to draw two cards per turn instead of just one, among others.

Generally speaking, there are four common Canasta variations. They include: Classic, Samba, Hand and Foot, and Modern American. Even though there are many rules shared within each variation, there are minor changes that make each one unique. Trying to decide what variation of Canasta to play can often times be difficult. This is especially true if some players are used to one variation whereas others are more interested in another. It can often times be difficult to remember which rules go along with which variation. This can be especially challenging to players who are just begining to understand how to play Canasta.

Canasta is a card game that has come a long way in a short period of time. Even though it has only been around for just about 70 years, millions of people have taken a liking to this game. This is due in large part to its fast growth during the 1950’s. At the time, Canasta was spreading like wild fire, and was almost as popular as Bridge; a similar card game.