KarHow to play Thirty-One
Thirty-One is a quick game of building the best three-card hand in one suit. You start with three lives. Draw, discard and decide when to knock; the weakest hand loses a life, while a bad knock can cost two.
Start a game
- Receive three cards and begin with three lives.
- Choose a suit to build, then draw from the deck or the discard pile.
- Discard one card to return to three.
- Knock instead of drawing when you want the other players to take their final turn.
- Compare hands and preserve your lives. The last player with lives wins.
Hand values
| Cards | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 points |
| King, Queen or Jack | 10 points each |
| 2–10 | Face value |
| Mixed suits | Count only the single suit giving your highest total |
| Three cards of one rank | 30.5 points |
Drawing and discarding
Draw the top card of the deck or the visible top discard, then discard one of your four cards. If you take the visible discard, you must keep it for that turn and discard a different card.
Your score is the best total in one suit, not the sum of every card in your hand. An Ace with two ten-point cards in the same suit makes 31. Three cards of a single rank score 30.5, even though they are in different suits.
Knocking and losing lives
Knock instead of drawing to give each other player one last turn. Hands are then revealed. The weakest hand loses a life; if the knocker has the weakest hand, the penalty is two lives.
A hand of exactly 31 ends the deal immediately and every other player loses one life. Players with no lives are eliminated. With only one life left, an unsuccessful knock ends your game.
Example: count one suit
An Ace of hearts, King of hearts and Nine of clubs score 21 in hearts, not 30. Replacing the Nine with a Queen of hearts makes 31 and ends the deal. Three Sevens would instead score the special 30.5.
A knock with 27 or 28 points is often more comfortable than one with 24, but it is never a guarantee. Watch how long opponents have been building their hands and which discards they take.
Strategy and useful habits
- Commit to a promising suit rather than collecting unrelated high cards.
- Use the visible discard when it certainly improves your hand.
- Watch what the next player takes before discarding a useful Ace.
- Evaluate the extra risk of a failed knock when lives are low.
Common mistakes
- Adding cards from different suits together.
- Knocking with a weak hand and forgetting the two-life penalty.
- Immediately discarding a card just taken from the discard pile.
- Missing the special value of three equal ranks.
Questions and answers
What happens when someone reaches 31?
The deal ends immediately and every other player loses one life.
Can I return a discard I just picked up?
No. Keep it for that turn and discard another card.
Do three equal ranks beat 31?
No. They score 30.5, just below 31.