Wild card discard in Canasta

Question

I have 3 remaining cards in my hand. 1 Ace and 2 wild cards. At my turn, I place the Ace on the table to complete my second Canasta and then discard a wild card. The other players say I cannot do this, I must discard the Ace first. When I have only wild cards left in my hand I can then discard a wild card. Is this rule true?

Answer 1

This depends on which type of Canasta you are playing. Classic Canasta, which in my experience is the most common and what you will find rules for in most sources, does not have any such restriction. Discarding a wild card is a common strategy to freeze the discard pile, and there are no restrictions about when you can do so.

However, in Modern American Canasta, it is true that you cannot discard a wild card, unless you are either going out, or you have no choice. In this version of Canasta, you cannot freeze the discard pile.

Source:

It is illegal to discard a wild card, except in the following cases:

You may discard a wild card as your final discard, when going out.

In rare cases, you may reach a situation where your hand consists entirely of wild cards. If on your turn you then draw yet another wild card, you may discard a wild card of your choice. The next player is not allowed to take the pile (since there are no natural cards that can match your discard). If requested by an opponent, you must show your hand to prove that you had only wild cards.

There are many other difference between the two versions; so you need to be sure you and your play group are clear on which version you are playing.