Letter Hunt or Thirty-One?
Both games come with Gather. Here’s how they differ and when each one fits better.
The key differences
- Letter Hunt needs a TV, or an iPad or Mac as the table; Thirty-One also runs on phones alone.
- From 10 players on, only Letter Hunt works: it goes up to 10 players, Thirty-One only up to 9.
- Only Thirty-One can be played against the computer – Letter Hunt needs real players.
- Letter Hunt rewards skill more than Thirty-One (mostly skill vs. skill and luck).
- Letter Hunt is quicker to learn than Thirty-One (explained in a minute vs. quick to learn).
- Letter Hunt requires reading and writing, Thirty-One doesn’t – worth knowing with younger kids.
- Letter Hunt is one of the Party games, Thirty-One one of the Card games.
At a glance
| At a glance | Letter Hunt | Thirty-One |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Party games | Card games |
| Players | 2–10 players | 2–9 players |
| Length of a game | 10–25 min | 10–20 min |
| Age | ages 9+ | ages 8+ |
| Luck or skill | mostly skill | skill and luck |
| Noise level | lively | lively |
| Learning curve | explained in a minute | quick to learn |
| Interaction | you react to each other | you react to each other |
| TV | needed | not needed |
| Against the computer | no | yes |
| Teams | no | no |
| Bluffing | no | no |
| Reading needed | yes | no |
Which one suits you?
Letter Hunt
The classic word game without pen and paper: one letter, several categories, and whoever finishes first calls “Stop!”. You score together – dodgy answers can be challenged and the majority decides.
Pick Letter Hunt when you enjoy playing with words and don’t mind a friendly argument.
Thirty-One
Three cards in your hand, three in the middle: swap until one suit gets as close to 31 as you can. Whoever knocks ends the round – and the worst hand then loses a life.
Pick Thirty-One when a bigger group wants a fast card game with a bit of a thrill.
What they have in common
- Both work for 2–9 players.
- In both, everyone has secret information on their own phone.
- Both work from age 9.
- Both come free with Gather and need no account.