War is a great card game for young children. The object is to acquire all the cards, which you can do in different ways. To play War, you need the following:
Two players
A standard deck of 52 cards
Start by dealing out the deck one card at a time, face-down, so that each player gets 26 cards. Keep your cards in a pile and don't look at them. Each player turns over one card simultaneously; whoever turns over the highest card picks up the two cards and puts them face-down at the bottom of his pile.
- Until the final draw, you may play these cards anytime during play instead of a card from your hand. Cards played in a trick, however, are out of play for the rest of the hand. A melded card may be used again in a different meld but not for the same kind of meld.
- In the card game 31, each player has a hand of three cards, and the goal is to collect cards in a single suit to get as close as possible to a total of 31. The game is also called 'Scat' or 'Blitz.'
Round 3, cards points must total at least 120 to start play; Round 4, cards points must total at least 150 to start play; PICKING UP YOUR FEET. When you have been able to play all the cards in your hand, by either melding or discarding them, you then pick up your foot and play from that. If you are able to get rid of all your cards in your hand.
The cards have the normal rank from highest to lowest: ace, king, queen, jack, and then 10 through 2.
The game continues in this manner until both players turn over a card of the same rank, at which point you enter a war. A war can progress in one of three ways.
Each player puts a card face-down on top of the tied card and then one face-up. Whoever has the higher face-up card takes all six cards.
Each player puts three face-down cards on the table and one face-up card, so the competition is for ten cards. This option speeds up the game, which often drags a little — especially for children!
Each player puts down cards depending on the rank of the tied cards. If the equal cards are 7s, you each count off seven face-down cards before turning a card over. If the equal cards are kings, queens, or jacks, you turn down 10 cards before flipping one up and squaring off. For an ace, count out 11 face-down cards.
If another tie results, repeat the process until someone achieves a decisive victory.
If a player runs out of cards in the middle of a war, you have two possible solutions: You lose the war and are out of the game, or you turn your last card face up, and these count as your played card in the war.
Whoever wins the cards gathers them up and puts them at the bottom of her pile. The first person to get all the other player's cards wins.
You can play War with three players. The dealer gives out 17 cards to each player, face-down. The remaining card goes to the winner of the first war. The players simultaneously flip over one card each. The highest card of the three takes all three cards. If two players tie for the high card, they each place three cards face-down and then place one face-up, and the highest card collects all the cards in the pile. If you have another draw at this point, you fight another war. If all three players turn over the same card, a double war takes place; each player turns down six cards and flips one up, and the winner takes all.
Though extremely simple in its rules, the game of 31 requires a bit of strategy to win. The object of the game is to reach 31 before all of the other players. The game of 31 can be played by up to nine people, and uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
Card Values in Thirty One
Their values are as follows:
- Ace = 11 points
- King, queen and jack = 10 points
- 10 through 2 = face value
The only way cards in a single hand have value, however, is if they are in the same suit. 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. If a player has three different suits, the highest card prevails. The hand above would be worth ten points because the jack of spades was the highest card.
- Until the final draw, you may play these cards anytime during play instead of a card from your hand. Cards played in a trick, however, are out of play for the rest of the hand. A melded card may be used again in a different meld but not for the same kind of meld.
- In the card game 31, each player has a hand of three cards, and the goal is to collect cards in a single suit to get as close as possible to a total of 31. The game is also called 'Scat' or 'Blitz.'
Round 3, cards points must total at least 120 to start play; Round 4, cards points must total at least 150 to start play; PICKING UP YOUR FEET. When you have been able to play all the cards in your hand, by either melding or discarding them, you then pick up your foot and play from that. If you are able to get rid of all your cards in your hand.
The cards have the normal rank from highest to lowest: ace, king, queen, jack, and then 10 through 2.
The game continues in this manner until both players turn over a card of the same rank, at which point you enter a war. A war can progress in one of three ways.
Each player puts a card face-down on top of the tied card and then one face-up. Whoever has the higher face-up card takes all six cards.
Each player puts three face-down cards on the table and one face-up card, so the competition is for ten cards. This option speeds up the game, which often drags a little — especially for children!
Each player puts down cards depending on the rank of the tied cards. If the equal cards are 7s, you each count off seven face-down cards before turning a card over. If the equal cards are kings, queens, or jacks, you turn down 10 cards before flipping one up and squaring off. For an ace, count out 11 face-down cards.
If another tie results, repeat the process until someone achieves a decisive victory.
If a player runs out of cards in the middle of a war, you have two possible solutions: You lose the war and are out of the game, or you turn your last card face up, and these count as your played card in the war.
Whoever wins the cards gathers them up and puts them at the bottom of her pile. The first person to get all the other player's cards wins.
You can play War with three players. The dealer gives out 17 cards to each player, face-down. The remaining card goes to the winner of the first war. The players simultaneously flip over one card each. The highest card of the three takes all three cards. If two players tie for the high card, they each place three cards face-down and then place one face-up, and the highest card collects all the cards in the pile. If you have another draw at this point, you fight another war. If all three players turn over the same card, a double war takes place; each player turns down six cards and flips one up, and the winner takes all.
Though extremely simple in its rules, the game of 31 requires a bit of strategy to win. The object of the game is to reach 31 before all of the other players. The game of 31 can be played by up to nine people, and uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
Card Values in Thirty One
Their values are as follows:
- Ace = 11 points
- King, queen and jack = 10 points
- 10 through 2 = face value
The only way cards in a single hand have value, however, is if they are in the same suit. 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. If a player has three different suits, the highest card prevails. The hand above would be worth ten points because the jack of spades was the highest card.
Each 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. This face up card is the discard pile.
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. No one can take the top card of the discard pile and then return it in the same turn. It is obligatory to keep the card selected from the discard, but not from the deck.
The hand winds down to a close once one player knocks rather than drawing a card. This knock will end the player's turns and also indicate that their hand is a high value. The other players get one more turn to improve their own hands, and then everyone reveals their cards.
How Do We Play 31 In Cards
Alternately, a player can declare 31 at almost any point in the game. If they receive 31 on the deal, they must declare this or if after drawing and discarding they reach 31, they must immediately make this known. This can happen in the final play after another player has knocked as well.
To tally scores, the players each get to select the suit they want to use for their hand. The player with the lowest hand value loses a life. Should a knocker lose the hand by having a score lower than another player, they forfeit two lives. Should a tie occur between the knocker and another player, the non-knocker loses a life. Should the tie be between other players, all lose a life. When a player declares 31, all the remaining players must forfeit a life.
How Do You Play 21
What is a life? At the beginning of a 31 game, all players have three chips, pennies or other game pieces. These are called 'lives' and when a life is lost or forfeited the pieces are placed into the 'kitty' in the middle of the table. Once a player has lost all three pieces they will be able to remain in play until their next loss calls for a life. The game continues until all players are eliminated.
