<p>Yes, you can add to a Canasta just like you can add to any other meld.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/canasta/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Additional cards may be added to a canasta to score their point values, but these do not affect the bonus - except that a wild card added to a natural canasta reduces it to a mixed canasta.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Other rules sources aren't as straight-forwardly clear on that point, but they say you can add to a meld on the table, and a Canasta is defined as a meld of 7 or more cards.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T09:23:26.853Z
Thanks. And thanks for posting the source of your answer - can I ask where that comes from? I'd like to read the whole thing.
Richard Prestage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T13:05:07.780Z
The word “source” is a link to the page. :)
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T23:13:44.030Z
@RichardPrestage another resource is https://www.pagat.com/rummy/canasta.html
Andrew Savinykh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T01:18:14.703Z
2018-07-04T01:18:14.703Z
GendoIkari
<p>I understand that you can pick up the top discard (and then the whole discard pile) if the pile is not frozen, and the top card matches a meld you have on the table.</p>

<p>I have some friends who play that you <em>cannot</em> do this if the meld is already a canasta. That makes a matching card a much safer discard - the opponent could conceivably still take the pile with matching cards from their hand, but if they already have a canasta of the same cards on the table, this is much less likely.</p>

<p>Any opinions, or definitive rules on this?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T01:14:55.403Z
Related: https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/42422/can-you-play-a-wild-card-on-an-existing-canasta-to-go-out
GendoIkari
<canasta>
Using an existing Canasta to pick up the discard pile
Richard Prestage
# Using an existing Canasta to pick up the discard pile

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-04)

I understand that you can pick up the top discard (and then the whole discard pile) if the pile is not frozen, and the top card matches a meld you have on the table.

I have some friends who play that you *cannot* do this if the meld is already a canasta. That makes a matching card a much safer discard - the opponent could conceivably still take the pile with matching cards from their hand, but if they already have a canasta of the same cards on the table, this is much less likely.

Any opinions, or definitive rules on this?

**Tags:** canasta

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Related: https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/42422/can-you-play-a-wild-card-on-an-existing-canasta-to-go-out  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-07-04. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Yes, you can add to a Canasta just like you can add to any other meld.

[Source](https://www.bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/canasta/):

> Additional cards may be added to a canasta to score their point values, but these do not affect the bonus - except that a wild card added to a natural canasta reduces it to a mixed canasta.

Other rules sources aren't as straight-forwardly clear on that point, but they say you can add to a meld on the table, and a Canasta is defined as a meld of 7 or more cards.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks. And thanks for posting the source of your answer - can I ask where that comes from? I'd like to read the whole thing.  
> **username_1**: The word “source” is a link to the page. :)  
> **username_2**: @username_0 another resource is https://www.pagat.com/rummy/canasta.html  

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