Scat: The 31 Card Game

Support

A bug, a question, or a rule your table plays differently? Write to us.

Common questions

Where do I go to learn the game, or look a rule up again?

Tap ? at the top left of the table for How to play: seventeen short pages with real cards. It is also on the opening card. Opening it does not touch a game you have going.

What does Call Scat do?

It is what other tables call knocking. Call Scat instead of drawing when you think your hand is not the lowest. Everybody else gets one more turn, then every hand turns face up and the lowest takes a strike. A hand of 31 ends things at once, and everybody else takes a strike.

I called Scat and tied for lowest. Why didn’t I take a strike?

That is this table’s rule: the player who calls Scat is safe on a tie, and the others in the tie take the strike. The end-of-hand dialog says so when it happens.

What is three of a kind?

A house rule some tables play, where three cards of the same rank count as 30½ — better than anything but 31. It is off by default. Turn on Three of a kind is 30½ in Settings.

When does a settings change take effect?

The number of players, the three-of-a-kind rule, and which cats are on take effect in your next game; Start a new game at the bottom of Settings begins one now. Your name and your cat change right away.

How do I make my own cat?

Open Settings with the sliders button at the top right of the table, and choose Make Your Cat. Every choice shows on the preview as you make it, and there is nothing to save. Surprise Me picks one at random, and Remove My Cat goes back to none.

Are my cats and settings on my other devices too?

Yes. If you are signed in to iCloud, your name and your cat, the cats you make to play against, which cats are on, the number of players, and the three-of-a-kind rule are the same on your iPhone and iPad. A change on one shows up on the others, and the newest change wins. A game in progress stays on the device you are playing it on. To give cats to a friend, use Share Your Cats.

How do I make cats to play against?

Tap the cat button at the top left of the table to open Meet the cats, then Make a Cat. Give it a name, a play style, and a look, and tap Save. Your cats are listed under Custom and are dealt in like the others, starting with your next game. To change or delete one, open it and tap Edit.

How do I share cats with a friend?

In Meet the cats, tap the ••• button and choose Share Your Cats. Tick the ones to send, and they are saved in a file you can send any way you like. Your friend opens Meet the cats, chooses Import Cats, picks the file, and ticks the ones to bring in.

Can I leave some cats out?

Yes. In Settings, tap Cats and switch off any you’d rather not play. At least five stay on, enough for a table of six. Changes start with the next game.

Where are my statistics?

Tap the trophy at the top right of the table. It shows your wins, win rate, best winning streak, recent games, and who wins most at your table.

Can I pick up a game later?

Yes. The game is saved on your device after every move. When you open the app again, choose Resume Game, or New Game to start over.

Can I play against friends?

Not in this version. Everyone else at the table is a computer player.

Does it need an internet connection?

No. The game plays without a connection and works in airplane mode. If you are signed in to iCloud, your statistics from finished games sync across your devices when you are online. See the privacy policy for what it saves, and where.

Can I play on iPad?

Yes. The table is laid out for iPad rather than stretched from the phone. Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later.

Reporting a bug

Helpful things to include: which device, which operating-system and app versions, and what the table looked like when it went wrong. A screenshot is especially helpful.