31 Card Game Rules: How to Play Scat, Knocking and Lives

31 is the kind of game you can teach in one minute and play for an hour. It works for children who can add up to 31 and for adults at a holiday table. Pagat.com says it's played in the USA, the UK and elsewhere, with a long list of names. Here are the standard rules, plus the Bicycle version that swaps cards with a face up widow instead.

Other names: Scat, Blitz, Ride the Bus

If you learned this under another name, you're not imagining it. Pagat.com lists Scat, 31, Blitz, Cabbage, Cadillac, Kitty, High Hat and Geronimo in the USA, and Ride the Bus or Stop the Bus in some families. Two warnings from the same page: this Scat has nothing to do with the German game Skat, and this Blitz isn't Dutch Blitz.

What every card is worth

Card	Value
Ace	11
King, queen, jack	10 each
10 down to 2	Their number
Best possible hand	31: an ace plus two ten point cards in one suit

Here's the part everyone gets wrong on the first deal: you only count cards of one suit. Your hand's value is the best total in any single suit, or the single highest card if that's bigger. Pagat.com's examples make it clear:

Hand	Value	Why
King, 8, 5 all of one suit	23	All three count
Queen of one suit, 9 and 8 of another	17	The 9 and 8 together beat the queen
Ace of one suit, 6 and 4 of another	11	The ace alone beats 6 plus 4
Jack, 7 and 4 in three suits	10	No suit match, so the jack counts

Setting up a game of 31

Pick a dealer any way you like, and pass the deal clockwise after each hand. Deal three cards each, one at a time. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile and put the rest face down as the stock. Pagat.com's standard scoring gives each player three lives, often tracked with coins or counters in front of you.

How a turn in 31 works

1. The player on the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise.
2. Draw one card, either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
3. Discard one card face up onto the pile, so you're back to three cards.
4. If you took the discard, you can't throw that same card straight back. If you drew from the stock, you can discard the card you just drew.
5. If you reach 31, show your hand at once and claim it.
6. Instead of drawing at the start of your turn, you can knock to say you're ready.

Knocking: one last turn for everyone else

Knock when you think your hand isn't the lowest. Knocking ends your turn, you keep your current cards, and every other player gets one final draw and discard. Then everyone shows their hands. The lowest hand loses a life.

The knocker takes a risk. Pagat.com says that if the knocker's hand is lower than everyone else's, the knocker loses two lives, not one. If the knocker ties for lowest, the other tied players lose the life and the knocker is safe. So don't knock just because your hand looks decent. Knock when you think at least one player can't catch you in one more turn.

Declaring 31 and the undeclared 31 trap

Hit 31 after drawing and discarding and you show your cards straight away. Every other player loses a life, even if someone had already knocked. If you're dealt 31, you declare it before anyone plays and everyone else loses a life.

The trap: pagat.com says a 31 that isn't declared as soon as you make it can't be claimed later. It counts as 30, so if another player then declares 31, you lose a life along with everyone else.

Lives, being on the county and winning

Lose a life and you put one of your three coins or counters into the middle. When you've lost all three, pagat.com says you're on the county, or on your honour, or floating, depending on who taught you. You're still in, but lose one more hand and you're out. The last player standing wins. In Ride the Bus, players move from the back of the bus to the front, then onto the stairs, then off.

Thirty One the Bicycle way, with a widow

Bicycle's Thirty One plays a little differently. Three cards are dealt face down to each player and three more face up in the middle as a widow. On your turn you swap one of your cards for one from the widow, with no stock to draw from. Someone knocks, everyone gets one more swap, and the highest single suit total wins. If two hands tie, the higher ranking card wins, so king, queen, 6 beats queen, 9, 7 even though both make 26. Pagat.com says the German game Schwimmen works the same way.

If 31 goes down well, my guides to the card game Speed and two player games with one deck are good next steps for the same crowd.

My verdict on 31 for family nights

31 is one of my favourite games for mixed ages, because it's quick, the rules fit on a napkin, and young players get great adding practice without noticing. Use coins or sweets for lives so everyone can see who's close to going out. I'd add one house rule for beginners: no knocking on the very first round. The mistake to avoid is hanging on to two suits. Pick the suit you're building early and throw away everything else.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards do you get in 31?

Each player gets three cards. You draw one and discard one on every turn, so you always end your turn with three.

What's the best hand in 31?

The best hand is 31: an ace plus two ten point cards (any two of K, Q, J or 10) all in the same suit.

What happens when you knock in 31?

You keep your hand, every other player gets one more turn, then everyone shows. The lowest hand loses a life, and a knocker with the sole lowest hand loses two.

Is 31 the same as Scat or Blitz?

Yes. Pagat.com lists Scat, Blitz, Cabbage, Cadillac and Ride the Bus among the names for 31.

How many lives do you get in 31?

In the standard game you get three lives. When they're gone you're on the county, and losing one more hand puts you out.