31 is an easy to learn card game. It is also popular with other names like Blitz, Cadillac, High Hat, Kitty, Scat, and Cabbage. Don’t worry if you do not anything about 31 card game. We have covered all the information from the very basic in our guide on How to Play 31. So, Let’s start with How to Play 31.
Required
Deck
The 52 cards standard deck is used.
**Checkout These Cool Cards on Amazon**
Players
Two or more players can play this game.
The Object of The Game
The main objective of the game is to make a hand worth 31 points of the cards of the same suit.
Rank and Value of Cards
| Cards | Value |
|---|---|
| A | 11 |
| K, Q, J, 10 | 10 |
| 9 | 9 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 6 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 |
Dealing the Cards
There are no specific rules for determining the first dealer. But after the first round, the turn to deal transfers in a clockwise manner. After determining, the dealer deals one card at a time starting from the player on his/her left till every player gets a hand of three cards.
Then, the dealer places the remaining cards on the table face-down in a pile. This is the “Stockpile”. After that, the dealer picks one card from the top of the stockpile and put it face-up next to it. This is the start of the “Discard pile”.
The Gameplay
The player on the left of the dealer takes the first turn. A player takes his/her turn by drawing a card from the top of the Stockpile or Discardpile and after that discarding a card to the discard pile. However, a player cannot discard the same card drawn from the discard pile. The subsequent players take their turns in a clockwise manner.
During the game at any time if a player thinks that he/she has enough points to beat at least one player even if all the other players are allowed one more turn, then he/she can Knock. A player can knock during his/her turn only. When a player wants to knock, he/she cannot draw a card. Knock takes place of drawing and discarding. After the knock, all other players get one more turn.
After finishing the turns, all players show their cards. The player with the lowest points loses the game.
Rules for Specific Situations
- During the game, if any player obtains a hand of 31 points, he/she can knock immediately and all other players lose.
- If 2 or more players have the lowest points then the one with the lowest card loses the game.
Some other Variations
Some players who want a longer game can give lives to each player. Like every player gets 3 or 5 lives at the beginning of the game and every time a player loses the game, he/she losses a life and when a player has no lives left then he/she will be out of the game. In this variation the player who remains in the game till the end wins the game.
In other variations, some players may play the game with poker chips. At, the beginning all players contribute some poker chips to the pot and the winner takes all the pot value.
Now, you know how to play 31. So, play with friends and family and enjoy!
Also, check out our guide on some other fun games like Crazy Eights and Kemps.
Thank you.