High On Poker

I first learned “31″ when in Syracuse visiting wifey Kim’s college friend. Her hubby is a poker player and gambler, and apparently the gambling bug is shared by their whole extended family because 31 is a regular staple at their family and friend gatherings. The game is easy to learn, can be played with many players, and can be played for low stakes with a lot of gameplay. Naturally, stakes can always be raised for those looking to really gamble it up.

When I first learned 31, it was under the name Scat. For those who don’t know, Scat means, amongst other things, poop. Like scatalogical humor, which just means dirty jokes. Scatology, medically speaking, is actually the study of poop, too, so I’m not just making this crap up (no pun intended). My host, wifey Kim’s friend, had no idea. Well, whether the game is called Scat or 31, the rules are the same, so feel free to introduce the game to your friends either way.

The game is simple. It is a setup similar to rummy except each player gets three cards and three cards only. The players are allowed to see their cards, but are to protect them from their opponents, also like rummy. The game starts with one card pulled off the deck, placed face-up. The first player to act (to the left of the dealer) can either take the face-up card or the top card from the face-down deck. Then the player has to place a card face up on the face-up pile. The next player now has the same option: take the top card from the face-up pile (left their by the last player to act) or take the face down card, before placing one card face-up in the face-up deck. So, basically, if you’ve ever played rummy, you know the flow of the game.

The object of the game is to get as close to 31 as possible. All numbered cards are worth the numbered value (Ex. 3 = 3 pts.; 10 = 10 pts.). Face cards (K, Q, and J) are worth 10. Aces are worth 11. The key, though, is that you can only play one suit. If you have two or three cards of the same suit, those numbers combine for a higher score, but if you have three different suits, then the hand value is merely the high card in your deck (since you can only play one suit).  Here are some examples:

Kh Ks Jc –> This hand is worth only 10 points, since there cards are all different suits. You can only play one suit, so you only have 10 points.

Ks 7s 9h –> This is worth 17 points, because you have a King for 10 points and a 7 for 10 points, and they are both spades. The 9 doesn’t count because it is a different suit.

Ac 3s 6s –> This is worth 11 points. The 3 and the 6 of spades collectively is worth 9 points, but the Ace of clubs on its own is worth 11, so you play the Ace, not the 3+6.

As 3s 10s –> This is worth 24 points.  All cards play because they are all of one suit.

Hopefully, by now you understand the flow of the game and the points system. I am about to explain the object of the game (i.e., how to win), and how gambling works in 31.  First, though, one more rule about points.

If you have three of a kind in your hand, it is worth 30.5 points. Obviously, that’s very strong, since the goal is to get 31 points. It doesn’t matter if you have 222 or AAA. It’s still 30.5 points.

By now, you know how to set up the game, the flow of the game, and the points system. But you do not yet know how the game is actually played.

Each player starts with a bill. For starters, I recommend a simple $1 bet. So, each player will have a $1 bill in front of them. The round starts by dealing out the three cards per player. Players exchange cards as explained above (i.e., like rummy). After each player has exchange cards at least once (i.e., one orbit), any player can choose to “knock” on their turn if they think their hand is strong enough. When a player knocks, they do not get to pull a card. Rather, everyone else gets one more orbit until it is back to the knocker and we have a showdown. The player with the lowest points has to fold a corner of their dollar bill. The bill is essentially your “lives” in the game. You can play all four corners and, depending on the game, sometimes a “welfare” round, when all four corners are already folded. If you lose again with all corners folded (or in  “welfare”, depending on if you want each player to have an extra “life”), you are out of the game and your $1 goes into the pot. The game progresses like this until there is only one player left. That player gets the whole pot.

Makes sense so far? Here are some additional rules. If you knock and you end up with the lowest points, you lose two lives (i.e., you fold two corners on your bill). If there are two or more people who tie for lowest points, they both lose a life. If you have 31 at any time, you have Scat (or “31″). You can and should expose your cards immediately. Everyone except for you will lose a life.

That’s 31, aka Scat, in a nutshell. It’s an easy game to learn and its a cheap fun game if you are playing around with a large group. As general strategy, obviously try not to feed your opponents high cards if you can avoid it. I also like to knock pretty early in the beginning stages because you can usually catch one player or more with a really awful hand.

If anyone has played 31/Scat by a different name or knows of any other rules or variations, feel free to comment. I may continue this series with Chinese Poker, Big2, or Left-Right-Center. I know I’ve covered Chinese before here; I don’t know Big2 all that well, but its a fun game; L-R-C is also a great game, but it involves dice, so its the variable in the bunch.

Thanks for reading High on Poker. Now go have yourself a very happy new year.

Until next year, make mine poker!