31 card game (Scat): rules and lives keeper
31 is a three-card draw-and-discard game for two to nine or more players: collect one suit and get as close to 31 as you can. It plays fast and works for kids and grown-ups at the same table. The arguments start when someone knocks and two players tie, so this page spells out who loses a life in every case, and the keeper below works it out and tracks everyone's tokens.
31 in 30 seconds
- One 52-card deck. Deal three cards each; turn one up to start the discard pile.
- Ace 11, K Q J 10, other cards face value. Your hand is worth the total of your best suit.
- On your turn, draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard one card.
- Knock instead of drawing when you think you are not lowest. Everyone else gets one more turn, then all show.
- Lowest hand loses a life. Get exactly 31 and show it: everyone else loses a life.
- Everyone starts with three lives. Last player in wins.
Hand counter
| Hand | Worth |
|---|---|
| K♠ 8♠ 5♠ | 23 |
| Q♣ 9♥ 8♥ | 17 |
| A♣ 6♥ 4♥ | 11 |
| J♣ 7♥ 4♠ | 10 |
31 lives keeper
Lives and knock rules (Pagat's main rules unless you change them)
How to play 31
Hand values
Aces count 11, Kings, Queens, Jacks and tens count 10, and every other card its number. Add up the cards of one suit. If all three cards are different suits, your hand is worth your highest single card. The best hand is 31: an ace and two ten-point cards of the same suit.
Deal and turns
Deal three cards to each player, one at a time. Turn the next card up to start the discard pile and put the rest face down as the stock. Starting left of the dealer, each turn is: take the top card of the stock or the discard pile, then discard one card face up. If you took the discard, you must keep it. If you drew from the stock, you may throw that same card away.
Knocking
At the start of your turn, instead of drawing, you may knock if you think at least one player will finish below you. You keep your hand as it is. Every other player gets one more turn, then everyone shows their cards.
Showing 31
The moment you hold 31, show it. The hand ends and everyone else loses a life, even a player who knocked. If you hold 31 and do not show it right away, you cannot claim it later.
When the stock runs out
Play continues while each player wants the previous player's discard. When someone does not, everyone shows and the lowest hand loses a life.
Who loses a life (Pagat's main rules)
| What happened | Who loses |
|---|---|
| Someone shows 31 | Everyone else, one each (the knocker too) |
| One player has the lowest hand | That player, one |
| The knocker alone has the lowest hand | The knocker, two |
| The knocker ties for lowest with others | The others in the tie, one each; the knocker is safe |
| Two or more non-knockers tie for lowest | All of them, one each |
With no tokens left you are "on the county" (also "on welfare" or "floating", among other names) and keep playing. Lose again and you are out, and losing two when you have one token left also puts you out. In the rare case that every player left would go out on the same hand, Pagat says to replay it; the keeper does that for you.
Where the sources differ
- Draw pile or widow. Pagat and Wikipedia play draw and discard. Bicycle's Thirty-One uses a face-up three-card widow you swap with, and plays for a pot, which is closer to the German game Schwimmen.
- Ties at the showdown. Bicycle breaks a tie for highest by comparing the highest cards. Pagat's lives game cares about the lowest hand, and the tie rules above apply.
- The knocker in a tie. Pagat's main rule keeps the knocker safe. Its variations have the knocker lose two (others one) or only the knocker lose. Wikipedia's main rules match Pagat, and it describes a faster variant for big groups where the knocker and everyone tied lose.
- Three of a kind. Not special in the main rules. Pagat lists 30 or 30.5 as house rules, and Wikipedia mentions 30.5.
House rules in the keeper: four or five tokens, playing without the county, the knock-tie variants, a one-life knock penalty and three of a kind. Pagat also lists a minimum score to knock (17, 19 or 21); the keeper does not need to know that.
Tips for 31
- Pick a suit early. Two cards of one suit worth 20 or more is a good base. Throw away the odd card.
- Watch the discards. If the players either side of you keep taking clubs, do not throw them a club.
- Knock early with a middling hand. In the first round, other players are still building their suits, so a fair total often beats someone. Wait a few rounds and the same total is more likely to be lowest.
- Count lives, not just points. On your last token, a safe knock with 27 can be better than chasing 31.
Play 31 online or at home
Play at home: one standard deck, two or more players, three tokens each (coins, buttons or the keeper above).
31 questions
How do you play 31 (Scat)?
Everyone gets three cards. On your turn, draw from the stock or the discard pile and throw one card away. You are trying to get as close to 31 as you can in a single suit, counting aces 11 and picture cards 10. When you think you are not the lowest, knock: everyone else gets one more turn, then the lowest hand loses a life.
How many lives do you get in 31?
Three, usually kept as coins or tokens. Under Pagat's rules, a player who has lost all three is "on the county" and still plays; losing again puts them out. The last player still in wins.
What happens if you knock and have the lowest hand?
You lose two lives instead of one. If you tie for lowest with someone else, you are safe and they lose one. Some tables play these the other way round; the keeper has settings for both.
What happens when someone gets 31?
They show it at once and every other player loses a life, including a player who has already knocked. A 31 dealt in the first three cards counts too.
Does three of a kind count in 31?
Not in the main rules: three sevens of different suits are worth 7. Many tables count three of a kind as 30, or 30.5 so it beats every hand except 31. Pagat lists both, and the keeper has a setting.