You could have 31 without being a Blitz by having an ace, a ten and a face card. You don't need a Blitz to win the hand. You just have to have the highest amount of points. If you have 25 points and you think everyone else is lower, then you knock on the table. If you are going to knock, then you can't take a card for your turn, you just knock. The goal of the game is to get a hand of suited cards to add up closer to 31 points than your opponents. Aces count as 11 points, face cards count as 10 points and the remaining cards count as their face value. The game is immediately over if a player draws 31. Place a bet to begin! Note: You don’t have to trade any cards. If you already have a good hand, you’ll want to “stand pat” and keep the cards you were first dealt. After everyone receives their new cards, another round of betting takes place, starting to the dealer's left. After the betting is completed, players show their hands. The best hand wins the pot. Thirty One is a fun points-based card game that you can play with a friend or a big group of people. The goal of the game is simple: try to get a high score so you can hold onto your tokens and be the last player standing. A hand consists of three cards, you may add up three cards of the same suit to determine your score. Typically, Scat is played with each player having 3 pennies. If a player loses a life, they put a penny in the kitty (and if you lose two lives you put two pennies in the kitty).
OBJECTIVE OF SCAT: Collect cards of a single suit totaling 31(or as close to 31 as possible).
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-9 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: standard 52-card
TYPE OF GAME: Draw and Discard
AUDIENCE: All Ages
INTRODUCTION TO SCAT
Scat, also known as 31 or Blitz, shares names with other games and is not to be confused with:
- The German game ‘Skat’
- The banking game 31, which is played much like 21.
- The German game 31 or Schwimmen
- Dutch Blitz
THE PLAY
Dealing
Dealers may be chosen however players wish and pass clockwise with each hand. After the cards are shuffled, starting with their left, the dealer passes each player cards one at a time until everyone has three cards.
After each player has a full hand, the top card of the deck is flipped over, this will start the discard pile. Discards piles are kept ‘squared up,’ so that the top card is visible and free to be taken.
How To Play Card Game 31
Playing
The player to the left of the dealer starts and play passes clockwise. A turn consists of:
- Drawing a card from the top of the deck or discard
- Discarding a single card
![How Do You Play 31 In Cards How Do You Play 31 In Cards](/uploads/1/1/8/8/118883396/478682744.jpg)
You are not permitted to draw the top card from the discard and then immediately discard it. Cards drawn from the top of the deck (or stock), however, may be discarded in the same turn.
How To Play 31 Cards
Knocking
If on your turn you believe your hand to be high enough to beat at least one opponent you may knock. If you choose to knock your turn ends and you stick with your present hand. Once the player to the right of the knocker discards, players reveal their cards. Players decide which is their ‘point suit’ and totals up the value of their cards within that suit.
The player who has the lowest hand loses a life. If the knocker ties with another player(s) for lowest hand, the other player(s) loses a life and the knocker is saved. However, if the knocker has the lowest score they lose two lives. In the event there is a tie for the lowest score between two players (neither of which were the knocker), they both lose a life.
Declaring 31
If a player reaches 31, they immediately show their cards and claim their victory! All other players lose. A player can declare 31 even if another player has knocked. If you lose while you are out of money (“on the dole,” “on welfare,” “on the county”), you are out of the game. The game continues until one player remains.
SCORING
Ace = 11 points
King, Queen, Jack = 10 points
Number cards worth their pip value.
A hand consists of three cards, you may add up three cards of the same suit to determine your score.
Typically, Scat is played with each player having 3 pennies. If a player loses a life, they put a penny in the kitty (and if you lose two lives you put two pennies in the kitty).
If a player calls 31 all players puts a penny in the kitty (including the knocker).
If you run out of pennies you are out of the game. The game ends when one player remains.
![How Do You Play 31 In Cards How Do You Play 31 In Cards](/uploads/1/1/8/8/118883396/375540599.jpg)
VARIATIONS
Three of a Kind counts for 30 points.
Play 31 Card Game Online
Straight Flush counts for 30 points. Except for A-K-Q which is 31 points.
Minimum Knock Score, could be 17-21, for example.
How Do We Play 31 In Cards
“Throw Down,” is a common variant. Without looking at the cards a player can call a throw down and expose their hand. Other players must follow suit. Throwdowns are treated like knocks in respect to lives.