We love family card games, and today we’re going to teach you how to play Blitz! Blitz, also called Thirty One, works well for players of all ages as long as they are able to add up the value of their cards. Players will need to make decisions about the value of their hand as the game goes along (without getting help from someone else).
The goal of Blitz is to get as close as you can to 31 points to win the game.
Here’s how to play Blitz:
Deal three cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in a pile face down on the table.
The goal of Blitz is to collect three cards of the same suit that add up to 31, or as close as possible to 31.
The player to the left of the dealer draws a card from the top of the pile. He can either keep the card and discard one of this other cards, or he can put the card in the discard pile. The discard pile is face up on the table.
The next player may choose to either take the card on the top of the discard pile or draw a card. His turn ends with discarding a card.
Once a player thinks they have the best possible hand, they knock on the table. The other players then get one more turn to try to get a better score.
The winner of the round is the player who is the closest to 31 points.
Here’s how to count points:
Aces – 11 points
Face Cards – 10 points
All other cards – face value
It is not necessary to have exactly 31 points to win! In the example below, one player has 19 points and the other has 27. The one with 27 points would win.
Need more family card games? Here’s a collection of 15+ Family Card Games that you can play with a deck of cards. Great for kids and families to play together!
10 Comments
Jim Nov 28, 2020
In your example of 27 vs 22... the score of 22 only has two cards of the same suit. Shouldn’t that score be 19?
Sarah Nov 28, 2020
You are right! Just fixed it. :-)
Bee Jan 16, 2022
The player who had a Jack and 9 and 3 couldn’t win because they’re not all the same suit right?
Sarah Apr 7, 2022
That player would only have 19 points - for the Jack and the 9. The 3 doesn't count since it's a different suit.
Pamela A. Jan 20, 2022
My family has been playing this since the 60's. We always called it "Snap". We start with 3 nickles or coins. Losing hand puts a coin in the pot. If someone Snaps or gets 31, everyone else puts in a coin. After losing your last coin, you play on your "Honor" until you lose for the 4th time. Last one standing gets the pot.
Jenni Apr 16, 2022
We also play 3 aces as an automatic win( forgot to tell our granddaughter first time she played & wouldn’t you know- that was the hand she was dealt !) lol
Gaylord TroBaugh Jul 16, 2022
If 2 players are left. One knocks. They tie! Who wins.
Lisa Oct 6, 2022
No winner. We play that if the low score is a tie, all tied scores lose.
subramaniam Aug 1, 2022
Thank you very useful to kill the time with children without getting caught in the hot sun and hectic traffic
Will Sep 11, 2022
We play if whoever knocks, the knocker must beat at least 1 other hand. Lowest hand pays the pot. If 2 hands are the lowest, then they both pay. If someone blitzes on the last round, all pay but the Blitzer of course. If the knocker beats no one, the knocker pays. If anyone blitzes before a knock, everyone but the Blitzer pays
Carole Aug 4, 2023
We played this in the late 50’s Early 60’s in England. We called it BUS STOP. Bus stop is what you call, when you think you have the highest score. When someone calls Bus Stop on their turn, the others get one more turn. If you have 31 in your had you call STOP THE BUS and lay down your cards., everyone else lays their cards down too without picking another up. We used to use pennies to play. Everyone puts a penny in the kitty and the winner gets the money.
Monty Sep 14, 2023
Thank you! Someone taught me this game when I was a child and I recently taught it to my children. I didn't know what the offical name was, which made it difficult to explain when I wanted to play "that game". Now I have a name for it!
Rebecca Nov 11, 2023
My husband and I had never heard of this game before even though we played lots of card games growing up. We played it with our daughter and It was a blast! Thanks so much!
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