The 31 card game rules fit on an index card, yet the game keeps a whole table laughing and groaning for an hour. You hold three cards and try to collect the highest total in a single suit, with 31 as the perfect hand. When you think your hand is good enough, you knock, and everyone else gets one last turn. The player with the lowest hand loses a life. Families also call this game Scat, Blitz or Cars, and the rules below cover the standard version and the most common house rules.
Quick rules
- Each player starts with three lives (tokens) and is dealt three cards.
- Count only cards of one suit: ace is 11, face cards are 10, others are face value.
- On your turn, draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard one card.
- Instead of drawing, you may knock. Every other player then takes one final turn.
- After the final turns, the lowest hand loses a life. A knocker with the lowest hand loses two.
- Getting exactly 31 ends the round at once and everyone else loses a life.
- The last player with any lives left wins.
What you need
- A standard 52-card deck with jokers removed.
- Three tokens per player, such as coins, buttons or chips. You can also track lives on our scoreboard.
Setup
- Give every player three tokens. These are your lives.
- Choose a dealer. The deal passes to the left after each round.
- Deal three cards face down to each player, one at a time.
- Place the rest of the deck face down as the stock and turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
How to play
Scoring a hand
Your hand is worth the total of the cards you hold in your best single suit. Cards in other suits count for nothing.
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 |
| King, queen, jack | 10 |
| 2 to 10 | Face value |
| Three of a kind (any suits) | 30 (some groups score it 30.5) |
Examples: ace, king and 4 of hearts is 25. Ace of hearts, king of spades and queen of spades is 20, because the two spades beat the single heart. The best possible hand is ace plus two 10-value cards of the same suit, worth 31.
Taking a turn
- The player to the dealer's left goes first and play moves clockwise.
- Take either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
- Discard one card face up onto the discard pile. You always end your turn holding three cards.
- If the stock runs out, turn the discard pile over (keeping its top card) to make a new stock.
Knocking
- At the start of your turn, instead of drawing, you may knock on the table to say you are happy with your hand.
- Every other player gets exactly one more turn. The knocker's hand is frozen and cannot be changed.
- A player may not knock on the very first turn of a round in most house rules, so everyone gets at least one draw.
- When the turn returns to the knocker, everyone reveals their cards.
Hitting 31
If at any time you hold exactly 31, lay your cards down and announce it. The round ends at once, even in the middle of the final turns after a knock, and every other player loses one life.
Scoring
| Situation | Who loses lives |
|---|---|
| Someone knocks, another player has the lowest hand | Lowest player loses 1 life |
| The knocker has the lowest hand | Knocker loses 2 lives |
| Tie for lowest, knocker not involved | All tied players lose 1 life |
| Tie for lowest between the knocker and others | Knocker is safe, the others lose 1 life |
| A player shows 31 | Every other player loses 1 life |
Tie rules vary more than any other part of 31. The table shows the most common version, but some groups make every tied player lose a life, including the knocker. Settle this before you deal.
How to win
When you lose your last life you are out. Many groups give one extra chance: when your third token is gone you are "on the county" and keep playing until you lose once more. The last player still in the game wins.
Variations
- Blitz or Scat: the same game under regional names. Some versions use four lives instead of three.
- Blind 31: one extra hand of three cards is dealt face down as a widow. The first player may swap their whole hand for it.
- Three of a kind 30.5: this makes trips beat a 30 in one suit.
- Points version: instead of lives, each player scores their hand value every round and the first to a target such as 100 wins.
- Dealer reveal rule: if a player is dealt 31, the hand is shown at once before anyone draws.
Tips and strategy
- Commit to one suit early. Chasing two suits usually leaves you with a weak hand when someone knocks.
- Watch the discard pile. If the player before you takes hearts, they are probably collecting hearts too.
- A hand of 25 or more is usually safe to knock with in a group of four or more. With fewer players, aim higher.
- Knock early if your hand is decent and the others are still drawing a lot. A quick knock catches them with weak hands.
- Avoid discarding high cards in the suit the next player is collecting.
Common mistakes
- Adding cards from different suits together. Only one suit counts.
- Drawing after knocking. The knocker's hand is locked.
- Ending a turn with four cards. Always draw one, discard one.
Like quick drawing and discarding games? Try Golf, Screw Your Neighbor, 99, Trash or the adding game blackjack.
Questions people ask
What happens when you knock in the 31 card game?
Knocking replaces your draw and tells the table you are ready to compare hands. Every other player gets one last turn, and then all hands are shown. The lowest hand loses a life, and if the knocker turns out to be lowest, the knocker loses two.
What happens with a tie in 31?
If two or more players tie for the lowest hand and the knocker is not one of them, all tied players lose a life. If the knocker ties for lowest, the common rule is that the knocker is safe and the others lose. Some groups make everyone tied lose, so agree before playing.
Does three of a kind count in 31?
Yes, in most rules three cards of the same rank, such as three 7s, count as 30 points regardless of suit. Some groups count it as 30.5 so it beats a 30 made in one suit. It never beats an actual 31.
Is Scat the same as 31?
Yes. Scat, Blitz and 31 are names for the same game of drawing and discarding to build the best three-card hand in one suit. Small details such as the number of lives or the value of three of a kind change from family to family.
How many cards do you get in 31?
Each player gets three cards, and you always end every turn holding exactly three. You draw one card from the stock or discard pile and then discard one. One card is turned face up at the start to begin the discard pile.