CANASTA 
     
     
          Canasta is a card game which was developed in South America 
     and   was imported  to the United States  in 1948.  It was known 
     originally  as  Argentine Rummy,  and supplanted both  Gin Rummy 
     and Bridge  as the most popular  card game in the U.S.  for some 
     time after its introduction. 
     
     
                                THE GAME
     
          Canasta  is  played  with  two standard  decks  of  playing 
     cards,  including  the  Jokers, to comprise a 108  card  playing 
     pack.  13  cards each are delt to two players, 11 cards each  if 
     more  are playing. Then the playing pack is placed face down  in 
     the middle of the table to form the stock and the top card faced 
     next  to  it to form the discard pile. If a deuce, red  trey  or 
     Joker is faced, it is turned 90 degrees to indicate its presence 
     and  the  next top card from the stock is faced on  the  discard 
     pile.  As soon as the discard pile is ready,  play can commence. 
     
     
                                  PLAY 
     
          Each player in turn to the left of the dealer faces any red 
     treys  in  his hand and draws from stock to replenish his  hand. 
     Each  faced  red trey is worth 100 points. A single  player  who 
     collects  and  faces  all four red treys gets 800  points.  Trey 
     points  go  against  a player if he fails to make  minimum  meld 
     before another player "goes out" and the hand ends. 
     
          After each player  has faced his red treys,  play continues 
     to the left.   A player takes either the entire discard pile  or 
     a single card from the stock.  If he has taken  the discard pile 
     he must meld;  otherwise he has the option  to meld  or discard. 
     A player must always discard a single card from his hand  to the 
     discard pile after his turn except when "going out", when he may 
     opt to  meld out  instead.  Play ends  when the playing stock is 
     depleted  or when  a player  who has made  at least  one canasta 
     has declared his intent to "go out"  and has melded or discarded 
     the last card from his hand,  at which point each player tallies 
     his score.  The game ends when  any player's score at the end of 
     a hand equals or exceeds 5000 points. 
     
     
                             MELDS AND MELDING 
     
          Minimum melds  are based  on  accumulated points:   A score 
     of  less than 1500 points  requires a minimum initial meld of 50 
     points;   1500 or more points,  but less than 3000,  requires an 
     initial  meld  of  90  points;  and a score  of  3000   or  more 
     requires a player to initially meld a minimum of 120 points. 
     
          A  meld consists of at least 3 of a kind.  One of the three 
     may  be a wild card - Joker or deuce.  Sequences are not used in 
     Canasta.    A meld becomes a Canasta - or "basket" - when  seven 
     cards have been melded, a maximum of three of which can be wild. 
     A pure,  "red" or  "natural"  Canasta,  consisting  of seven  or 
     eight  of  a  kind,  is worth 500 points.  A  mixed  or  "black" 
     Canasta is worth 300 points.  Up to 11 different canastas may be 
     made  by  a player.   A Canasta in threes  is not  allowed...and 
     the only time  black threes  may be melded is when "melding out" 
     in  lieu of a discard.  Black threes are used as "freeze" cards. 
     When a black three is discarded,  it "freezes"  the discard pile 
     to the  next player,  forcing him to draw from the stock.  Black 
     threes are not wild and are not used to make melds or canastas. 
     
     
                         THE "FROZEN" DISCARD PILE 
     
          The discard pile  is initially "frozen"...requiring  both a 
     natural pair in hand and,  including the top card,  minimum meld 
     to take it.   A player  may take the discard pile  only in turn. 
     The discard pile is again "frozen"  when a player elects to dis- 
     card a wild card, which is turned 90 degrees on the discard pile 
     to indicate its presence.  At times when the discard pile is not 
     frozen,  a single card with a wild card in hand is sufficient to 
     take the pile.  A meld on the table is considered "in hand" when 
     the pile is not frozen and allows the player in turn to take the 
     discard pile.  All cards in the pile must be taken into the hand 
     but  only  the top card  and the pair required  need be  melded. 
     Except for the top, cards taken into the hand may not be used to 
     make  minimum meld. The discard pile is frozen and may never  be 
     taken when a black three is the top card. When the playing stock 
     is depleted  and the discard pile remains,  frozen or not, it is 
     squared, turned over and becomes the new playing stock.  No card 
     is faced  to make the discard pile since the player who took the 
     last playing stock card will discard.  The new discard pile will 
     not be frozen unless the player discards a "freeze" card. 
     
     
                                 SCORING 
     
          At the end of play each player counts his cards, red treys, 
     and canastas.  All cards  are counted.  Pure canastas,  as noted 
     above,  are worth 500 points.  Mixed canastas are worth 300.  In 
     addition to this scoring each card in a canasta is counted.  The 
     player who went out to end play scores an additional 100 points. 
     A player who goes out  with  a "concealed hand" - by melding all 
     of his cards at once,  including the required canasta - scores a 
     bonus of 100 points.  All cards held in hand  at the end of play 
     are counted against a player's score. A player who has failed to 
     make minimum meld before play ends  is penalized 100 points each 
     of his  red treys,  800 points  if he has  all four.  Jokers are 
     worth 50 points each;  aces and deuces  are good for  20 points; 
     eights  through  kings  are worth  10 points;  and fours through 
     sevens are worth  5 points.  Black threes  count  5 points.  Red 
     treys, except as noted above, are worth 100 points each. 
     
     
                             USING THE KEYBOARD 
     
          VALUES - 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,1,J,Q,K,A,*.    SUITS - S,H,D,C,*. 
     "1" equals 10 and "*" equals Joker. Press <ESC> to quit midgame.
     
     
                            PLAYING THE COMPUTER 
     
          This  game is designed to allow the computer to act as both 
     tutor and player.  It does not look at your hand to make playing 
     decisions  and  doesn't remember any of the cards in  your  hand 
     when  it  does  check them.  It checks your hand  only  to  make 
     certain  that  you meld properly.  It never checks  the  playing 
     stock,   but is does remember all cards on the table and in  the 
     discard  pile.   It counts cards and keeps score for  the  game. 
     It  knows  all  of  the rules and their  applications  and  will 
     not  allow  you to break them.  When you are in a  rule-breaking 
     situation,    or  are not melding properly,  it will  display  a 
     message  to  help you get it right.  It also  displays  messages 
     to  direct  you  when to draw,  take the  discard  pile,   meld, 
     discard,    and  go out.  In addition, the computer  plays  with 
     a  certain  degree of sophistry and practices a few of the  more 
     bizarre  nuances  of the game. You may be certain that when  you 
     can  consistently  beat  the  computer you are  playing  with  a 
     good deal of skill.   Type CANASTA to start the program. 
     
sistently  beat  the  computer you are  playing  with  a 
     good deal of ski