Thirty-One
What Is Thirty-One?
Thirty-One — also called Scat or Blitz — is a quick and tense card game where each player holds three cards and tries to get as close to 31 points as possible. The catch: only cards of the SAME suit add up. So if you hold an Ace of Hearts, a King of Clubs, and a 9 of Spades, your best total is just 11 — only the Ace counts because the others are different suits. When you feel confident your hand is good enough, you knock. The player with the lowest total when the round ends loses a life. Lose all your lives and you’re out.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Three to nine players
- Three coins, chips, or tokens per player — these represent your lives
Card Values
- Ace: 11 points
- Face cards (King, Queen, Jack): 10 points each
- Number cards 2 through 10: face value
The Key Rule About Counting
Only cards of the same suit add up. Look at your three cards and find the suit you have the most points in. That is your hand total. Example: you hold Ace♥ (11), King♣ (10), 9♠ (9). Your best suit total is 11 — only the Ace of Hearts. If instead you held Ace♥ (11), King♥ (10), and 9♠ (9), your Hearts total is 21. Much better.
Special case: three cards of the same RANK — for example three 7s — counts as exactly 30.5 points regardless of suit. This beats everything except a true 31.
Setting Up the Game
- Give each player three coins, chips, or tokens. These are your lives.
- Shuffle and deal three cards to each player face-down.
- Place remaining cards face-down as the stock pile. Flip the top card face-up to start the discard pile.
- Players pick up their three cards and look at them without showing others.
Instant 31 — Blitz!
Before play begins, check your hand. If you have 31 points in one suit (example: Ace♥ + King♥ + Queen♥ = 31), reveal your hand immediately and shout ‘Blitz!’ or ‘Thirty-One!’ Every other player loses one life instantly.
How to Play — Step by Step
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Play moves clockwise.
- On your turn, draw one card — either the top card from the face-down stock pile or the face-up discard pile.
- You now hold four cards temporarily. Add the new card to your hand and decide which card to discard — put one card face-up on the discard pile. You always hold exactly three cards.
- Your goal is to get your best-suit total as high as possible — ideally 31.
- Instead of drawing, you may choose to KNOCK. Knocking ends the round after everyone else gets one final turn.
Knocking
When you knock, place your hand face-down and knock on the table. Every OTHER player gets exactly one more turn to draw and discard. Then everyone reveals their hand. The player with the lowest suit total loses one life. If two or more players tie for lowest, they all lose one life.
Instant 31 During Play
If at any point you draw a card and now hold 31 in one suit, reveal your hand immediately. Everyone else loses one life. You do not need to knock — just show it.
Surviving on Your Last Life
When you lose your last life, many groups allow you one free round ‘on the stump’ — you survive one more loss without penalty. After that, any loss eliminates you.
Winning
The last player with any lives remaining wins the game.
Tips for New Players
- Focus on one suit from the very first draw. Trying to build in two suits at once wastes turns.
- Knock when your total is 25 or above — waiting longer risks someone else knocking with a better hand first.
- Watch what cards your opponents take from the discard pile — it tells you which suit they’re building.