It was always in the cards

After nearly two decades of thought, aspiration and patience, Bill and Kim Diener - who’ve been married for roughly the amount of time - were able to create a remastered version of “Hand and Foot,” a variant of the card game Canasta, which itself became popular in the United States around the 1950s.

Here’s what the Diener’s had to say when asked for some more information on the topic:

What’s the main objective of the game?

Bill Diener: Trying to collect as many points as you possibly can by building what are called books, which are a collection of seven cards, and ending the round with sticking your opponent with negative points.”

How does the remastered version of Hand and Foot stands out from the original?

Kim Diener: “What we’ve essentially done is taken how we were taught the game, and created a game which simplified things and the rules.”

Bill Diener: “We created cards which have point values on them...and we created wildcards in place of the 2’s and jokers from the original books (among other tweaks). I’ve been thinking about it (remastering the game) for 19 or 20 years. But in reality the changes that need to be made were pretty obvious. I went out and printed and bookmarked all of the instructions which I could find online, and I wanted to make a version with the most common instructions.” “We wanted the game to remain true to its play and essence, but we also wanted to make it more enjoyable and easier.”

Kim Diener: “This is a game that’s been passed down from generation to generation. There’s certainly documented rules out there and rules to play, but it really comes down to how you were taught to play.”

A renewed nostalgia in action

Kim Diener: “Getting the word out has been a really interesting journey.”

Bill Diener: “We just started shipping in November, so we’ve been doing what you’d expect; Facebook ads and Google ads...to the people who know the game it’s a beloved game. It could be because they play it every weekend or because they remember ‘I totally forgot that Granny and Papa taught us this game’, and that because of this, people have loved sharing their posts about the remastered cards game.”

Kim Diener: “We want to work locally, and see what local stores would be interested in storing our game,” as well as to see what other nearby establishments who have local game nights would be interested.”

The impact of COVID-19

Bill Diener added that in 2019 he “was traveling just about non-stop.”

When the world slowed down beginning in 2020, he didn’t have to constantly commute to his work (including via flight), which left him with a more free time.

“Something in me said ‘now’s the time,’” he said. “If I didn’t have the lockdown which - forced me to be home quite, frankly - I never would’ve been able to do this.”

Then he added: “I never could have done it without Kim as my partner.”