No one can take the top card of the discard pile and then return it in the same turn. The game begins with the player to the left of the dealer chooses a card from the discard pile or the deck, and then discards one card on the discard pile. The hand above would be worth ten points because the jack of spades was the highest card.Įach player receives three cards from the dealer, who then places the remainder of the deck in the center of the table and turns the top card over, face up, next to the pile. If a player has three different suits, the highest card prevails. For instance, in a game of 31, a player with a jack of spades, seven of spades and four of hearts would have a hand worth 17. The only way cards in a single hand have value, however, is if they are in the same suit. The game of 31 can be played by up to nine people, and uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards.

The object of the game is to reach 31 before all of the other players. Though extremely simple in its rules, the game of 31 requires a bit of strategy to win.

How to play scat card game