31

Also known as: Thirty-One, Scat, Blitz, Ride the Bus, Cadillac

Fast draw-and-discard card game where each player holds 3 cards and scores only one suit. Players can knock to trigger a final turn for everyone else before reveal.

Steps to Play

  1. Each player antes 4 piles of the same amount in front of them, typically 4 quarters.
  2. Deal 3 cards to each player, then place one card face up to start the discard pile and the rest face down as the draw pile.
  3. On your turn, draw either the top discard or top draw-pile card, then discard one card.
  4. Your hand score is the best total from cards of a single suit (A=11, K/Q/J=10, others face value).
  5. If confident your hand will not be lowest, knock instead of drawing/discarding.
  6. After a knock, each other player gets one final turn, then all hands are revealed and scored.
  7. Lowest score loses the round and pushes one of their ante piles into the pot

How to Win

Build the highest same-suit total, ideally 31, and avoid being the lowest hand after a knock/showdown. Game ends with the last person standing winning the pot.

Tips & House Rules

  • 3 of a kind is worth 30
  • Track which suits opponents discard to infer what suit they are building.
  • A common house rule is that the knocker is safe in ties, but loses extra if they are outright lowest - agree this before play.
  • Another house rule is that if anyone gets 31 exactly that's an immediate reveal.
  • For consistency, agree tie handling and elimination/life rules before the first deal.

Monetary Risk: 1 / 5

Estimated Play Time: Long