Here’s a number worth remembering: 2,000. That’s roughly how many points a handful of 3s can swing, depending on how many you’ve melded and how many Canastas your team has closed.
The stakes:
If your team never closes a Canasta, everything counts against you: your 3s, all your melded cards, and everything left in your hand.
Close just one Canasta, Natural or Unnatural, and the picture changes. You score the Canasta and the face value of your melded cards, while your 3s are neutralized and count for 0 points. As always, any cards left in your hand still count against you.
Close a second Canasta, and those same 3s become positive, earning their bonus points.
Eight threes, no exceptions:
Every deck holds exactly eight 3s, and they keep getting replaced even after the Turn Card. Once you reach it, count the 3s already on the table and subtract from eight — that’s how many are still hiding in the Draw Pile.
Each one shaves a turn off the Hand, which matters when you’re deciding whether to Pick the Pack, especially from a Toxic pack.
When to take the risk:
Late in the Hand, imagine your team has 800 points in 3s but no Canastas yet, and you’re in a position to Pick a large Pack.
Taking the risk on 7s or Aces may be worth it if that Pack is likely to help you close two Unnatural Canastas. Two Unnatural Canastas are worth 600 points, and closing the second one turns those 800 points in 3s positive as well — already giving you at least 1,400 points before even counting the face value of your melded cards.
Without a Canasta, those 800 points in 3s would count against you, along with your other negative points. Even with a 1,500-point penalty on Aces or 7s, the risk can sometimes leave you in a much better position.
That’s why, late in the Hand, the value of a big Pack can be much greater than it first appears.
