31 (Scat / Blitz / Ride the Bus) — Complete Rules

31 is a fast, light-strategy card game (also known as Scat, Blitz, Ridin' the Bus, Cadillac, Nickel Nickel) in which players try to hold a three-card hand whose point value in a single suit is as close to 31 as possible. Players who fall behind lose "lives" and are eliminated when their lives run out. The last player standing wins.

1. Equipment

• Deck: One standard 52-card deck. No jokers.
• Players: 2 to 9 (best with 3–7).
• Life tokens: Each player starts with an equal number of tokens/chips (commonly 3, 4, or 5). Pennies, chips, or written tally marks all work. A common phrasing is "3 lives + the bus" (see §7.3).

2. Card Values

Cards are counted by suit only. A hand's score is the total value of the cards of a single suit in that hand — never a mixed-suit sum.

Suits are equal in rank. Hearts is not worth more than clubs, etc. Suits matter only in that all cards contributing to a score must share one suit.

2.1 Hand Scoring Examples

A hand always has exactly three cards. Its score is the highest single-suit total among its cards.

• A♥ K♥ 5♥ → 11 + 10 + 5 = 26 (all hearts)
• A♠ K♠ 4♣ → 11 + 10 = 21 (the 4♣ is a different suit and is ignored)
• 10♦ J♦ 2♣ → 10 + 10 = 20
• 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ → 20.5 — special "three of a kind" rule (see §2.3)
• A♠ K♠ Q♠ → 11 + 10 + 10 = 31 (instant win — see §6)
• 9♣ 5♣ 4♥ → max(9 + 5, 4) = 14
• K♦ 2♦ 2♠ → max(10 + 2, 2) = 12

The minimum possible score is 2 (three cards of three different suits, taking only the highest single card, e.g. 2♣ 2♦ 2♥ scores 2 because three-of-a-kind requires rank match, not suit — see §2.3). In practice the lowest realistic score is around 3–4.

2.2 A Note on Mixed Suits

Only cards of one suit combine. If your hand is A♥ K♦ Q♠, your score is 11 (the Ace), not 31. Beginners very often forget this — the game's central tension is trying to concentrate value into a single suit.

2.3 Three of a Kind ("Three and a Half" / "30½")

Some house rules score three cards of the same rank (regardless of suit) as 30½ (thirty and a half). This beats any 30 but loses to 31.

• Example: 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ = 30½.
• Three Aces = 32½ in some variants, but the standard rule caps three-of-a-kind at 30½ (Aces included).

This rule is optional but very common. Agree on it before dealing.

3. Setup and Deal

1. Choose a dealer (high card, low card, or rotation — house choice).
2. Deal three cards face down to each player, one at a time, clockwise.
3. Deal three cards face down to a "spare hand" or "widow" in the center — this is the dummy hand, used only in certain variants (see §8.2). In the standard game, skip this and go straight to step 4.
4. Place the remaining deck face down as the stock.
5. Turn the top card of the stock face up next to it to start the discard pile.
6. The player to the dealer's left goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

4. A Turn

On your turn you must do exactly one of the following:

4.1 Draw and Discard

• Draw one card, either:
  • The top (face-up) card of the discard pile, or
  • The top (face-down) card of the stock.
• Discard one card from your hand face-up on top of the discard pile.

You always end your turn with exactly three cards. You may not draw and keep the drawn card without discarding, and you may not discard the card you just drew from the discard pile (see §4.4).

4.2 Knock

Instead of drawing, you may knock (rap the table). Knocking signals that you are satisfied with your hand and ends the round after one more lap. See §5.

You may only knock at the start of your turn, before drawing. Once you have drawn, you must discard — you cannot then knock this turn.

You cannot knock on the very first turn of the round in some rulesets (see §8.1). Agree in advance.

4.3 Declare 31 ("Blitz")

If at any point during the round your hand totals exactly 31 (an Ace + two ten-value cards of the same suit), you may immediately declare and reveal it. The round ends at once and every other player loses a life. See §6.

You declare 31 on your own turn, after drawing. You may not declare 31 out of turn.

4.4 Restrictions

• You cannot draw the top of the discard and then discard the same card back on the same turn. (You cannot "pass" via the discard pile.)
• If the stock runs out mid-round, shuffle the discard pile (leaving the current top card as the new discard) to reform the stock. In practice this rarely happens because rounds end fast.

5. Knocking and Ending a Round

When a player knocks:

1. The knock is announced. The knocker takes no other action on their knocking turn (no draw, no discard).
2. Every other player gets exactly one more turn (a normal draw-and-discard).
3. After the player to the knocker's right has taken their final turn, the round ends.
4. All players reveal their hands.

5.1 Scoring the Round

Compare the three-card single-suit totals of every player still in the round.

• The player(s) with the lowest score lose one life each.
• Ties for lowest: all tied players lose a life (some house rules spare ties — agree in advance; the standard is that all tied low players lose).
• The knocker is not automatically safe. If the knocker has the lowest score, the knocker loses two lives (or, in a very common variant, the knocker loses a life and everyone else is unaffected — this is called "getting caught knocking"). The standard penalty is: knocker loses 2 lives if they have the lowest score, or ties for lowest. Agree in advance.
• If the knocker does not have the lowest score, the knocker is safe and only the low player(s) lose lives.

5.2 Knocker Penalty Variants (pick one)

The standard is the most common. This penalty is what makes knocking a meaningful decision: knock too early and you get punished; wait too long and someone else knocks first (or hits 31) and you lose without warning.

6. Hitting 31 ("Blitz")

If a player's hand reaches exactly 31 (Ace + two ten-value cards of the same suit — the only way to make 31), they may declare it on their turn.

• The round ends immediately.
• All other players lose one life each.
• The 31-holder loses nothing.

Some rulesets require the declarer to reveal at the moment of achieving 31 (i.e. after drawing, before discarding). Others allow you to sit on 31 for a turn to torment your opponents. Standard rule: you must declare immediately after drawing.

7. Losing Lives and Elimination

7.1 Tracking Lives

Each player starts with the agreed number of lives (commonly 3). When a player loses their last life, they get one final chance — "on the bus" (also called "riding" or being "on the bike" / "in the hole").

7.2 On the Bus

A player on the bus has zero lives but is still in the game. They play normally. If they lose another round while on the bus, they are eliminated from the game.

If a player on the bus wins a round (or at least doesn't finish last), they stay on the bus — they don't earn a life back. They just survive to play again.

7.3 "3 Lives Plus the Bus" — Phrasing

When people say "you get 3 lives," they usually mean:

• Lose 3 rounds → you're on the bus.
• Lose a 4th → you're out.

So a player effectively has 4 chances. Confirm the phrasing before starting.

7.4 Winning the Game

The last player remaining wins. If two or more players tie for the last elimination in the same round (all lose their last-and-final life simultaneously), the tied players play a sudden-death round among themselves to determine the winner.

8. Common Variants and House Rules

8.1 First-Turn Rules

• No knocking on the first turn of a round (prevents the dealer's left neighbor from insta-knocking a strong deal). Common.
• Dealer's option on the up-card: before dealing begins, the dealer may look at the initial up-card and swap it with a card from their hand once. Uncommon.

8.2 Dummy Hand (Swap Variant)

Deal an extra three-card dummy hand face-down between the players. On your turn, instead of drawing/discarding, you may swap your entire hand for the dummy — but you must then flip the dummy face-up for everyone to see. Once flipped, no one may swap for it again until it is refreshed (rules vary on when it refreshes; commonly it stays face-up until the round ends). Adds a bluffing/information layer.

8.3 Ace Values

Almost universal: Ace = 11. A rare variant lets Ace = 1 or 11 at holder's choice — this makes 31 easier and is generally considered too soft.

8.4 Three of a Kind Score

Confirm 30½ vs. treating three-of-a-kind as just the highest single card. See §2.3.

8.5 Immediate 31 on Deal

If a player is dealt 31 outright (A + K/Q/J/10 + K/Q/J/10 all same suit), they must reveal immediately and everyone else loses a life. Standard.

8.6 Simultaneous 31

Extremely rare, but if two players somehow reach 31 in the same round (e.g. via the dummy hand variant), all non-31 players lose 2 lives. Really a corner case.

8.7 "Scat" Terminology

In some regions, knocking is called "scatting" or "going out." The word "scat" is also used for 31 itself. Terminology varies; the mechanics don't.

9. Strategy Notes (Not Rules)

These are not part of the rules but explain why the rules produce interesting play:

• Commit to one suit early. Trying to hold cards from two suits "in case" is almost always weaker than concentrating on one.
• Watch the discard pile. If an opponent picks up a heart, they are almost certainly building hearts — dumping high hearts helps them.
• Knock around 20–24. Knocking below ~18 is usually a gift to opponents; waiting past ~26 risks someone else knocking or hitting 31 first.
• When on the bus, knock aggressively. You have nothing to lose from ending the round quickly with a mediocre hand — you only die if you're the lowest.
• Ace + 10-value of the same suit is a huge starting point. You are one card away from 31.

10. Turn-Order Summary (Quick Reference)

On your turn, in order:

1. Option A — Knock. Announce it. Take no other action. Round ends after one more lap.
2. Option B — Draw.
   1. Take the top face-up discard, or the top face-down stock card.
   2. If your hand now totals 31 → declare and end the round immediately (§6).
   3. Otherwise, discard one card face-up.
3. Play passes clockwise.

Round ends when:

• Someone declares 31, or
• Someone knocks and every other player has taken one more turn.

Reveal, score, deduct lives, redeal.

11. Edge Cases

• Stock exhausted: Shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to form a new stock.
• Player knocks and reaches 31 on the same turn: Impossible under standard rules — knocking is instead-of-drawing, so you can't reach a new total after knocking. If house-ruled otherwise, 31 supersedes the knock.
• Two players tie for lowest, one is the knocker: Knocker loses 2 (standard), the other tied player loses 1.
• All non-knocking players tie above the knocker's score: Only the knocker loses (they were lowest alone).
• A player has a "natural" 31 on the deal: Reveal immediately, before any turn is taken. Everyone else loses a life.
• Only two players left: Standard rules still apply. Note that with two players, knocking is very sharp — if you knock and lose, you take 2 lives; if you win, opponent takes 1. A knock effectively bets 2 lives against 1.

12. Glossary

• Blitz / Scat: Reaching exactly 31. Ends the round; all others lose a life.
• Knock: Declare that you will not draw, forcing one final lap and a showdown.
• On the bus: Having zero lives left; one more loss eliminates you.
• Stock: The face-down draw pile.
• Discard pile: The face-up pile of discarded cards.
• Dummy / widow: Optional face-down spare hand used in the swap variant.
• Natural 31: Being dealt 31 outright with no drawing.
• 30½ (thirty and a half): Three cards of the same rank; a special score between 30 and 31.

13. Recommended Standard Ruleset

If you just want one clean, unambiguous way to play, this is the most common and widely recognized version of the game:

• 3 lives + the bus (4 total chances per player).
• Ace = 11, no low-ace option.
• Three of a kind = 30½ (rank-based, all suits).
• Standard knocker penalty: knocker loses 2 lives if they are lowest or tied for lowest, otherwise safe.
• No knock allowed on the very first turn of a round.
• 31 must be declared immediately after the draw that produces it.
• Stock reshuffled from discards (minus the top card) if exhausted.
• No dummy hand in the standard game — treat it as an optional variant.
• Ties for lowest all lose a life.
• Turn order clockwise, dealer rotates clockwise each round.

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