This book could be titled "The Game of Thirty-One Revisited" because of the various articles that have made an attempt to describe the game. Why then did I set out to write this? First, because I consider the game of thirty-one such a delightful diversion from the "norm" that I want to bring it to the attention of the magic fraternity, and second, because I have many ideas I would like to add.
At the Magic Castle, in Hollywood, the game was first shown to me by Dai Vernon in August of 1980. The "Professor" frequently showed me card puzzles that he had learned over the years, always leaving me in the air to work out his methods. After a variety of these puzzles, Vernon showed me a game I had heard of, but never played before. The "Professor" called it Thirty-One, saying I could not win. Upon accepting his invitation, I was sure that I had discovered certain key numbers he was utilizing. The next few games totally baffled me. The "Professor" allowed me to score these numbers. He reached 28, but to my bewilderment, all the threes were already used up. Needless to say, he won - he always won ... until ...
