When friends asked Lisa Ruderman, 52, of Livingston, N.J., if she wanted to learn how to play canasta, at first, she declined. She wasn’t sure she had the spare time or any interest in the card game, which is a form of rummy. But with some minor prodding, she was convinced to give it a try. After a few lessons, she was playing and now several months later, enjoys her weekly Monday canasta night with her girlfriends.