A game of hand and foot

Every Tuesday and Thursday after lunch at the Hot Springs County Senior Center, a little known game called Hand and Foot is being played. While there are a few regular players, they are also plenty of empty seats available for those who want to give it a try.

Though rules might vary slightly, depending on who's playing, what follows will familiarize people with the basics.

The object of the game is to accumulate points by laying down sets (4's, 5's, 6's, etc.) of like cards to make books (seven cards only). Any excess of the book may either be burned/buried or saved to start a new book. In other words, you may have more than one book of a kind.

You must have a minimum of three cards the same (naturals) or two naturals and a wild card to open a set. Suit does not matter. Play is ended after acquiring a minimum of books required for the hand played, and playing all cards in both hand and foot.

When playing partners, one partner keeps the cards and both partners play on those cards. Either partner may meld, but both partners must be in their foot before going out and you must ask your partner before going out.

NEVER hold red or black 3's. Do not use red or black 3's as a set or book. When a 3 is discarded, the next player cannot pick up from the discard pile. Red and black 3's count AGAINST your total points.

Scorekeeper and the person to the left begin dealing consecutively left to right - 11 cards in piles in front of themselves corresponding to the number of players. Each play receives two piles of 11. One pile is the hand, the other the foot. Going clockwise the first dealer deals the hand - played first - and the second dealer deals the foot - laid down in front of the player. Remaining cards are placed faced down in the center of the players as the pickup pile, with one card turned over to start the discard pile.

The scorekeeper starts play. Each player draws cards per the hand playing - two for the first round, three for the second, four for the third and five for the fourth. Cards can be taken from the discard pile when there is a minimum five discarded. You must pick up five cards any time you pick from the discard pile, and you must be able to play the top card in a new set or to add to an open set.

To open a set, you must have two naturals just like the top card. If the discard pile is frozen with a wild card - a Joker or 2 - you MUST have two naturals in your hand to pick up from the discard pile. If the pickup includes the wild card used to freeze the pile, the pile is no longer frozen. Cards picked from the discard pile cannot be used in count when melding.

A meld has to have enough count in groups of three or more to make the required 90, 120, 150 or 180 points depending on the hand. After a meld is made, the other partner plays on cards already down, but may also lay down new sets. Cards are laid in sets in front of the player or partner keeping the cards. As books are completed, they are stacked above remaining open books. Put red cards on top of clean books - those made with all natural cards - and black cards on top of dirty books - those that contain a maximum of three wilds.

Both partners must get rid of the cards in their hands and picked up their feet before they can go out. When the last card of the hand is played without discard, the foot is picked up and played immediately. When the last card of the hand is discarded, the foot is picked up but cannot be played until the next turn.

Scoring is as follows:

Jokers - 50 points

2s - 20 points

8s, 9s, 10, Jacks, Queens and Kings - 10 points

4s, 5s, 6s and 7s - 5 points

Red 3s - 500 points AGAINST

Black 3s - 300 points AGAINST

Book Counts - 500 for clean, 300 for dirty