Board Game Arena

Bump

Hello Mealsy,

In all the years I have played Canasta and Hand & Foot the 2 questions you are allowed to ask are; May I go out, and may I dirty the ___. This means if there is a clean meld of 5 or 6 cards and you want to know if you can finish it with a wild card. Not I want to put down 5's but I have to do it with a wild card. This allows your partner, who may have just picked up their foot, to say yes or no.

My understanding of the forums is to make suggestions, but they are not rules for the game? If it says in the games rules I would just like to find them. I am not arguing about whether it should be a rule or not.

I have tried many times to find the rules on table talk in the rules section, and I can't find anything that covers table talk. I would appreciate your thoughts.

The following I looked up online.

Is it generally allowed in Hand and Foot to ask your partner if you can dirty a meld?

Yes, asking your partner for permission, "May I go out?" is a standard and accepted rule in Hand and Foot, but asking to "dirty a meld" or "dirty a book" usually falls under table rules or general communication limits rather than a formal permission request.

Rules on Asking to Go Out vs. Talking: Going Out Permission: In most official and house rule sets for Hand and Foot, you must ask your partner's permission ("May I go out?") before playing your final cards to end the round. Your partner must answer "Yes" or "No," and you are bound by their response.

Table Talk and Steering: While Hand and Foot is a social game, general partnership rules forbid "steering"—meaning you cannot ask your partner which canastas to make, what cards to discard, or give explicit strategic advice about the cards in your hand during play.

Creating a Dirty Meld: Asking if you can add a wild card to dirty an existing clean meld depends on your specific group's house rules. Generally, you manage your own side's melds on your turn, but checking if your partner is ready for a book to be closed or dirtied often overlaps with local table customs rather than a mandatory official protocol.

Hi Rockie Fan,

The Rules as currently posted here on BGA do not cover Table talk nor asking to go out.

Previous versions that did include these topics can be found here:

https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/index ... on=history


Table talk may or may not be explicitly stated in any given rule set for any game, as it is more of a general "fair play" concept.

I personally grew up being told that Table talk was not acceptable and my understanding of Table talk is as follows:

"Table Talk is communication that influences your partner's play. This is considered cheating."

When googling- "official hand and foot card game rules table talk" I get the following info:

In traditional partnered Hand and Foot, strict "no table talk" rules apply, meaning teammates cannot discuss the cards in their hands, suggest specific plays, or guide strategy during active play.
Because Hand and Foot features many house-rule variations rather than a single governing body, communication norms can vary by group, but standard table talk guidelines remain clear.
Standard Table Talk Rules
General Silence: Players must never share information about the specific cards held in their hand or reserve foot.
Illegal Hints: Teammates cannot offer suggestive advice, such as asking or telling a partner which meld to play on, reminding them to hold or finish specific cards, or coaching them on strategy mid-turn.
The Only Official Exception ("Going Out"): In standard team play, the single piece of permitted communication happens when a player is ready to end the round. The player must ask their partner, "Can I go out?" and the partner is strictly restricted to answering "yes" or "no".
Post-Hand Discussion: General banter, score reviews, and strategy discussions are fully allowed only after the round or hand has completely ended.


Based on the above I would consider asking "may I dirty the ___" to be Table talk as if nothing else it is indicating to your partner that you have at least one wild card.

Hope this helps