How to Play 31
A fun family-friendly card game that is perfect for game night
Cost: $5
Equipment
- 1 table
- chairs for each player
Materials
- 1 deck of cards
Instructions
Object of the Game
- To have the hand that totals 31 or is the closest to adding up to 31
Setting Up and Dealing
- The dealer will need to deal 3 cards to each player.
- Players should not reveal their cards.
- Once the cards are all dealt, the rest of the cards should go in a stack (face down) in the center of the table
- From that stack, the top card should be turned face up and placed next to the face-down stack of card
Card Values
- Ace equals 11
- Face cards all equal 10 each
- Jokers are not included
- Numbered cards are equal to their number
Playing
- Player one: (usually the player to the left of the dealer)Draw one card from either pile on the table and add it to your hand of 3
- Player one should decide now which 3 they want to keep. They should keep the 3 cards that will get them the closest to the total 31
- The card player one does not want to keep must be discarded face up in the "face up" pile
- Play then moves on to the person to the left of player one and continues the way described above going counter-clockwise
- Once a player feels like they have a good hand that totals closest to 31, they should "knock on the table"
- Once a player knocks, everyone else get one more turn to improve their hand
- everyone must then reveal their cards "face up" on the table and cards are counted to see who has the "lowest hand"
- That player loses a life
- Note: If the player that knocked has the lowest hand, then they must lose 2 lives
- Once a player loses 4 lives, they are out of the game
- The last player left standing wins the game and whatever prize is available
Adding a Friendly Wager Version
- This changes the rules just a little bit and is a fun holiday version
- Each player starts off with 4 candy pieces (or something else of value)
- Before each round, the players must ante up "throw a piece into the middle"
- Whoever has the highest in each round wins the ante
- When you are out of candy, you are out of the game
- The player that wins all of the candy from the entire table wins
- Note: If a player gets exactly 31 - They knock and win immediately for that hand