Let’s Play SCHWIMMEN (31)!

Schwimmen, also known as 31, is an exciting card game perfect for 2 to 8 players. We’re going to play elimination-style where the last player standing becomes the winner. Throughout the game, we’ll compete in rounds and try to create the highest valued hands. But beware, if you end up with the lowest value, you might face punishment or even elimination!

Getting Ready

First, we need to make sure everyone has an equal number of chips or coins. Normally, we start with three chips, but if you want a longer game, feel free to use more. Now, let’s modify the deck. We’re going to remove cards 2 through 6, so make sure they’re not in the deck.

I’m the dealer for this game of 31! To start, I’ll shuffle the deck and give each player three cards. But, I’ll also set aside an extra hand of three cards. Now, here’s where it gets interesting: as the dealer, I can choose to keep my initial hand or swap it with the extra hand. But here’s the twist: the other players can see the cards in the extra hand, but I can’t! Whichever hand I don’t choose will be revealed to everyone and placed face up in the center of the table.

Now that we’re all set up, let’s talk about card rankings. In 31, the highest ranking card is the Ace, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7. As for suits, Clubs are the highest, followed by spades, hearts, and diamonds.

These rankings will come into play later when we calculate points. But for now, let’s focus on the game and get ready for some thrilling rounds!

I bet you didn’t know this, but did you realize that each card in the deck has its own value? It’s true! Let me break it down for you: Aces are super valuable, worth a whopping 11 points. Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s are no slouch either, as they all hold 10 points each. And then we have the 9s, 8s, and 7s, which are worth their usual numeric values in points.

Time to Play

So, when the game begins, the player to the left of the dealer gets the party started. And on each player’s turn, there are three different actions they can take. They can either swap a single card from their hand with a card from the center, grab all three center cards and switch them out for cards in their hand, or they can simply pass their turn. Simple as that! Oh, and remember, it’s not just about collecting valuable cards; the game only takes into account the cards of the same suit. Now, there’s a special rule for three of a kind hands, but we’ll get to that when we start talking about scoring.

Now, picture this: if all players pass their turns one after another, it’s time for a change of scenery! The three cards in the center get cleared off the table, and three new cards are dealt face up from the remaining deck. Fresh start! So, let’s keep those cards moving and see who comes out on top!

When you’re playing the game, there are two special combinations of cards that are important to declare. These combinations will immediately end the hand. The first one is called Fire, and it happens when you have three aces in your hand. It’s worth a total of 32 points. The second combination is called 31. To declare 31, you need three cards of the same suit, which add up to exactly 31 points.

But if you don’t have any of these combinations, there’s another way to end the round. It’s called closing. At the end of your turn, if you feel confident in the value of your hand, you can choose to close the round. This means that all the other players will have one more round to exchange cards from their hands, and then everyone reveals their hands.

SCORING

When a round ends either because someone declares or it naturally comes to a close, we all show our hands and see how we did. We add up the scores of our cards, specifically looking at cards of the same suit. If we have three of a kind, we get a special value of 30.5 points. But if we have three aces, that’s worth even more, a whopping 32 points.

If someone declares 31 or if it’s time to close the round, the person with the lowest score loses and has to put a chip in the center pot. So it’s all about keeping your score low. If there’s a tie, we use the card or suit rankings to figure out who the loser is. And if there’s a true tie, where both hands are exactly the same, everyone loses and has to pay the penalty.

If someone declares fire, then everyone else has to pay a chip to the pot.

A player gets eliminated when they have to pay the penalty but don’t have any chips left to do so.

Congratulations! You’ve Reached the End of the Game

Hey there! Once just a clueless beginner, now I’m an expert and I’m here to tell you all about the grand finale of this game. So, listen up!

Okay, so here’s the deal: the game stops right in its tracks when only one player is left standing. Let me tell you, that player is a superstar – they’re the big winner and they get to scoop up all the winnings from that central pot. Talk about a sweet reward!