Samba card game scoring: a cheat sheet
Samba is a Canasta cousin played with three decks and six jokers, and it's a favorite in many Florida card clubs. It scores much like Canasta, with one big extra: the 1,500-point samba. Here's how to score a hand, with a worked example.
Samba scoring at a glance
- Samba (7 in sequence, one suit) 1,500 · natural canasta 500 · mixed canasta 300 · going out 200
- Red 3s: 100 each (1,000 for all six) if you have two sambas or canastas; otherwise minus 100 each
- Add melded card values, subtract cards left in hand
- First side to 10,000 wins
Card values
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 50 |
| 2 or Ace | 20 |
| K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 | 10 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4 | 5 |
| Black 3 | 5 |
Bonuses
| Bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Samba: 7 cards in sequence in one suit, natural cards only | 1,500 |
| Natural canasta: 7 of a rank, no wild cards | 500 |
| Mixed canasta: 7 of a rank with wild cards | 300 |
| Going out | 200 |
| Each red 3, if your side has two sambas or canastas | 100 |
| All six red 3s, if your side has two sambas or canastas | 1,000 |
| Each red 3, if your side doesn't have them | −100 |
How to score a hand of Samba
- Add your bonuses. Count 1,500 for each samba (seven cards in sequence in one suit), 500 for each natural canasta, 300 for each mixed canasta, and 200 if your side went out.
- Add the cards you melded. Add the point value of every card in your side's melds, including the cards in your sambas and canastas.
- Score your red 3s. If your side has its two sambas or canastas, each red 3 is worth 100 (1,000 for all six). If not, each red 3 counts minus 100.
- Subtract the cards left in hand. Subtract the value of every card still in your side's hands.
- Keep a running total. Add the hand score to your running total. Your total sets your first-meld minimum for the next hand, and the first side to reach 10,000 wins.
Worked example
Side A went out with one samba and one natural canasta. Side B has one mixed canasta.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| One samba | 1,500 |
| One natural canasta | 500 |
| Going out | 200 |
| Value of all melded cards | 760 |
| Two red 3s (side has a samba and a canasta) | 200 |
| Cards left in partner's hand | −35 |
| Hand score | 3,125 |
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| One mixed canasta | 300 |
| Value of all melded cards | 410 |
| One red 3 (side lacks two sambas or canastas) | −100 |
| Cards left in hands | −85 |
| Hand score | 525 |
On the next hand, Side A (3,125) needs 120 points for its first meld, and Side B (525) needs 50.
First-meld minimums
Your side's first meld of each hand must add up to at least this many card points, based on your running score:
| Your side's score | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Below zero | 15 |
| 0 to 1,495 | 50 |
| 1,500 to 2,995 | 90 |
| 3,000 to 6,995 | 120 |
| 7,000 or more | 150 |
How Samba differs from Canasta
- 2 to 6 players. With 4 or 6, play in partnerships. With 2, 3 or 5, everyone plays alone.
- Three standard decks plus 6 jokers (162 cards). Deal 15 cards each (13 each with 6 players).
- Draw two cards from the stock each turn, meld if you like, then discard one.
- Two kinds of meld: groups of 3 or more of a rank (no more than 2 wild cards, and at least twice as many natural cards as wild ones), and sequences of 3 or more in one suit with no wild cards. Seven in sequence is a samba, and nothing more can be added to it.
- The pile: take the whole discard pile only with a natural pair matching the top card, or take just the top card if it extends a sequence your side already has. Nobody can take the pile when the top card is a 3, a 2 or a joker.
- Going out needs two sambas, two canastas, or one of each.
House rules vary. Super Samba and club versions differ (more decks, different bonuses, different red-3 penalties). Write your club's version down before the first deal.
Keep score the easy way
The Canasta & Samba Score Pack has a Samba running-score sheet to 10,000 and scoring cheat sheets. The Host Kit adds Samba rules, table cards and a Samba house-rules sheet for your club.
Questions people ask
How much is a samba worth?
A samba, seven cards of one suit in sequence with no wild cards, is worth a 1,500-point bonus, plus the value of its seven cards.
What do red 3s count in Samba?
Each red 3 is worth 100, or 1,000 for all six, if your side has melded the two sambas or canastas it needs to go out. Otherwise each red 3 counts minus 100.
What do you need to go out in Samba?
Your side needs two sambas, two canastas, or one of each. Until then, you must keep at least one card in your hand. Going out is worth 200.
How many points do you need to win Samba?
The first side to reach 10,000 points wins.
Can you use wild cards in a samba?
No. Sequences, including sambas, are natural cards only: no 2s, no jokers and no 3s. Wild cards may go in groups, at most two per group.
Is Super Samba scored the same way?
Not always. Super Samba and club versions differ from club to club, with more decks or different bonuses, so write your club's version down before you play.
From GameNightKits by Steven Zee. Printable Samba score sheets: https://gamenightkits.co/clubhouse-card-games/