The Game of 31
This is a low cost money game that requires very little
thought. Each player starts with three dimes and his
"honor". The last person left in the game gets the pot.
The Play
Three cards are dealt to each player. One card is
turned up to begin the "discard pile" and the rest of
the cards are called the "draw pile". Each player in
turn either takes the top card from the discard pile or
the top card from the draw pile.
The goal is to get as high of a score as you can. Aces
count eleven, face cards count 10, and the other cards
are face value. Only cards in the same suit can be counted.
If a player has a high score and wants
the round to be over he can "knock" when it comes to his
turn rather than playing. All other players get one more
turn and then everyone shows their cards. The
player with the lowest number of points must pay.
31 is the highest possible score by getting two face cards
and an ace of the same suit. If a player gets 31
he immediately discards and lays down. All
other players must pay.
Paying
When a player must pay, he puts a dime into the pot;
if he does not have a dime then he pays with his honor.
After a player loses his honor he is out of the game.
When a player pays his last dime he is said to
be "on his honor" until he loses again.
Complicating Rules
Here's a couple of house-rules we added:
- If the person that knocks turns out to be low then he
must pay twice. Note that this irresponsible action will
knock you out of the game pretty fast.
- To keep people from knocking just because they have an
ace and are sure that not everyone could have an ace we
require you to have three cards that go together before
you can knock.
- If the game ends in a tie, then you split the pot.
Paul Chamberlain
tif@tifster.com