How Hand and Foot scoring works
Hand and Foot is a partnership rummy game played with several decks over a set number of rounds, scored with big bonuses for books of seven cards plus the value of the cards melded.
Hand, foot and the decks
Each player is dealt two piles: a hand to play first and a foot to pick up once the hand is used up. Several decks are shuffled together with their jokers, often five or six for four players.
Books
A book is a meld of seven cards of the same rank. A clean (natural) book has no wild cards and is usually worth 500. A dirty book includes wild cards, usually no more than three, and is worth 300. Some tables allow a book made entirely of wild cards, worth 1,500 or more.
Card values
Jokers are usually 50, twos and aces 20, kings down to eights 10, and sevens down to fours 5, with black threes 5 too. At the end of the round each team adds the cards it melded and subtracts the cards still held in hand and foot.
Red threes
Most tables count red threes as 100 each for the team that laid them down; others count them against you. In Score All the value of a red three is one setting, positive or negative.
Going out
A team usually must complete a set number of books, such as two clean and two dirty, before a player can go out, and the player going out earns a bonus, often 100.
Rounds and minimum melds
The game is usually four rounds, and each round has a higher minimum for a team's first meld: 50, 90, 120 and 150 points is the most common ladder. The highest total after the last round wins.
What Score All does with these rules
Books and card points per team
At the end of each round enter each side's clean books, dirty books, red threes and card points (melded minus what is left in hand and foot). A clean book is 500 and a dirty book 300 by default; change either to match your table.
Meld minimums by round
The console shows the minimum first meld for the round you are on: 50, 90, 120 and 150 by default over four rounds. Type your own list if your table uses different numbers; the last value repeats if you play more rounds.
Wild books, red threes and going out
Wild-card books are off unless you give them a value (1,500 is common). Red threes are worth 100 each by default and can be set to a negative value if your table counts them against you. Pick who went out for the going-out bonus.
After the last round
The game ends after the last round and the highest total wins. Two teams of two is the usual game; two players, or three or four each for themselves, also work. On the Pro plan a game can be saved and finished another night.
Hand and Foot scoring FAQ
How many points is a clean book in Hand and Foot?
Usually 500. A dirty book is usually 300.
What are the meld requirements in Hand and Foot?
Most tables use 50 in the first round, 90 in the second, 120 in the third and 150 in the fourth.
How many rounds is Hand and Foot?
Usually four, one for each meld minimum. Some tables play five.
Is there a free Hand and Foot score keeper?
Yes. Score All keeps the Hand and Foot score sheet for free on any phone, with the meld minimum for each round and the book bonuses added for you.
Can I change the book values?
Yes. Clean books, dirty books, wild books, red threes, the going-out bonus, the number of rounds and the meld minimums are all settings.