How to Play Schwimmen
Description
Thirty-one in one suit, three lives each, and the moment someone knocks you find out whether yours was enough.
Also known as: 31
Objective
Hold three cards in one suit totalling as close to 31 as possible — and not be the lowest when someone knocks.
Setup
A 32-card deck, Seven through Ace. Deal three cards to each player and three face up to the table.
Aces count 11, court cards 10, and number cards their face value.
Rules
On your turn, swap one card with the table, swap all three at once, or knock to end the round.
Only cards of the same suit combine — your score is the total of your cards in your best suit.
Three of a kind counts as 30.5, beating everything except a genuine 31.
Winning
Once a player knocks, everyone else gets one more turn, then all hands are revealed.
The lowest hand loses a life. Lose all your lives and you are swimming — one last life, and the next loss puts you out. The last player left wins.