The name "Canasta" means basket in Spanish, signaling its Latin American roots, and it originated from the basket that was used to hold the stock and discard piles, which are essential in the Canasta set. The first Canasta set originated in Uruguay in the 1940's. The popularity of the Canasta set skyrocketed and it soon became a household name is Latin America. The second stop of the Canasta set was the United States, where it even overtook the popularity of Bridge. Though the popularity of the Canasta set declined in the following years, the Canasta set gained new popularity with the introduction of online Canasta. Now the Canasta set, which was once reserved for Latin American players, has become a true worldwide phenomenon. The popularity of the classic Canasta set as of its online rendition is attributed to its resemblance to the ever popular game of Mahjong and Bridge, yet this game is much easier to learn thus winning the heart of players worldwide.
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