Hand and Foot

About this board game

Hand and Foot is a set-building card game for 2–6 players, typically played over about 120 minutes. Released in 1982, it is commonly played with four people in two teams and is also known as Clean and Dirty.

The game uses four or five regular poker decks, including the jokers. Each player starts with two separate piles of eleven cards: one is the hand, and the other is the foot. Managing these two piles is central to the game’s progression.

On a turn, a player draws two cards, plays cards if they choose, and then discards one card. Once every card in the hand has been played, the player picks up their foot and continues from that pile. A player who wants to go out must play every card.

• Sets: Groups contain seven cards of the same number.
• Wild cards: Twos and jokers may be included in sets.
• Clean sets: A set without wild cards remains clean.
• Dirty sets: A set containing wild cards is considered dirty.

To go out, a team needs two clean sets and two or three dirty sets. This requirement gives every turn a clear purpose as players build toward the combination their team needs while handling cards across both piles.

With its familiar cards, large set-building goals, and distinctive hand-and-foot structure, Hand and Foot offers a substantial card-game experience for groups who enjoy planning around shared team objectives and deciding when to play or discard.