What you need
A standard 52-card deck and 2 to 9 players; three or four is the sweet spot. Each player needs three counters (coins, chips, matches) to represent their lives, or use our printable sheet to track lives lost over several games.
Card values: ace 11, king, queen and jack 10, every other card its face value.
The value of a hand is the best total you can make in a single suit. Three hearts add up all three; two hearts and a club count the two hearts (or the club alone, if it is worth more); three different suits count only the highest card. The best possible hand is 31: an ace and two ten-point cards of the same suit.
Setup
Deal three cards to each player, one at a time. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile and put the rest face down as the stock. Each player puts three counters in front of them.
How to play
The player to the dealer’s left starts. On your turn, either draw or knock.
Draw and discard
Take the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile, then discard one card face up. If you took the discard, you may not throw the same card straight back. Keep the discard pile squared up so only the top card shows.
Knocking
If you think your hand is good enough, knock on the table instead of drawing. Your hand is frozen. Every other player gets one more turn, then all hands are revealed and compared.
Declaring 31
If you ever hold 31 (dealt or made), show it at once. The hand ends immediately and every other player loses a life, including a player who has already knocked. An undeclared 31 does not count later.
Stock runs out
Play continues as long as each player wants the previous discard. When a player refuses it, the hand ends and the cards are compared as after a knock.
Scoring and winning
After the showdown, the player with the lowest hand loses a life (one counter into the pot). Ties:
- If the knocker ties for lowest, the knocker is safe and the other tied player loses a life.
- If the knocker alone has the lowest hand, the knocker loses two lives.
- If two or more non-knockers tie for lowest, they all lose a life.
A player who loses all three lives is “on the county” and may keep playing, but the next loss knocks them out. The last player left wins.
Common variants
- Widow version (Bicycle). Three cards are dealt face up to a widow in the middle. Instead of drawing, you swap one card from your hand with one from the widow. Knocking and showdown work the same, and the highest hand wins the pot. This is close to the German game Schwimmen.
- Three of a kind counts 30 (or 30.5, beating everything except 31).
- Minimum knock. You may only knock with 17, 19 or 21 points, or with three cards of the same suit.
- Knock under the gun. The first player may call for an immediate showdown before anyone draws.
- Ride the Bus. Same game with a different way of counting losses: losers move from the back of the bus to the front and finally off.
- Knocker only loses one life when lowest, instead of two.
Tips for first games
- Decide on a suit after your first draw and throw away the odd cards. Juggling two suits rarely works with three cards.
- Watch what others pick up from the discard pile; a player collecting spades will not help you if you discard spades.
- Knock early when you have 20 or more and someone has just had a bad discard. Waiting for 31 is slow.
- With two players, remember you may take back your own discard if your opponent knocks.
Frequently asked questions
How do you count your hand in Thirty-One? Add up the cards of one suit only. Ace is 11, face cards 10, number cards face value. Pick the suit that gives the highest total.
What happens when someone knocks? Everyone else gets exactly one more turn, then all hands are shown and the lowest loses a life.
Is a hand of 31 an automatic win? It ends the hand immediately and everyone else loses a life. You must show it as soon as you have it.
What does three of a kind count? In the basic game, only the highest card (three suits). Many groups count it as 30 or 30.5; agree beforehand.
Is Thirty-One the same as Blackjack? No. The names sound similar and both use card totals, but Thirty-One is a draw-and-discard game with three-card hands and a single-suit count.
