Baskin Robbins 31 Drinking Game

Count to 31 in turns - whoever says 31 drinks. Simple. Deadly.

Also known as: 31 Game · Sam-sib-il

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Players 3-10

You needNothing but drinks

DrinkSoju

Intensity

Time10-20 min

Baskin Robbins 31 is the sharpest drinking game ever built from nothing but numbers. Players take turns counting upward from one, and on each turn you may say one, two, or three consecutive numbers. The count climbs around the circle - Twelve, thirteen... twenty-nine, thirty - And whoever is forced to say '31' loses and drinks. No cards, no dice, no equipment. Just arithmetic, eye contact, and dread.

Named after the ice cream chain's famous 31 flavors, this Korean bar staple looks like pure luck and absolutely is not. There's real math hiding under the surface - Control the right numbers and you can steer doom around the table like a chess player. That tension between casual chanting and cold calculation is why a ten-second round can make an entire table erupt. Simple. Deadly. Endlessly replayable.

What you need & setup

Sit in a circle so the turn order is obvious to everyone.
Make sure every player has a drink within reach - Soju is traditional.
Agree on the penalty: usually one shot or one solid sip for saying 31.
Pick who starts - Loser of the previous round, or rock-paper-scissors for round one.

How to play Baskin Robbins 31

Start the count at one

The first player begins counting from 1 and may say one, two, or three numbers: just '1', or '1, 2', or '1, 2, 3'. Speak the numbers clearly and rhythmically - Korean tables often chant them with claps. How many numbers you say is your entire strategic arsenal, so even turn one is a real decision.

Continue around the circle

The next player picks up exactly where the count left off and likewise says one to three consecutive numbers. Play proceeds in strict order around the circle, the total climbing steadily toward 31. No skipping, no reversing (in the base game), no pausing to count on your fingers - Hesitation is where the table smells blood.

Steer the count

The whole game is deciding whether to say one, two, or three numbers. Saying more numbers moves the count faster toward the danger zone; saying fewer passes the problem along. Watch what totals people land on - Players who end their turn on 30 force the next person to say 31. That's the guillotine you're all building together.

Whoever says 31 drinks

The player with no choice but to speak the number 31 loses the round and takes the penalty drink. There's no avoiding it: you must say at least one number on your turn, so if you're staring at a count of 30, you're done. The table celebrates, the loser drinks, and the sting lasts exactly until the next round starts.

Loser starts the next round

Traditionally the loser leads the next round, which is actually a disadvantage in a fixed circle - Clever tables realize the starting position can be doomed with perfect play. Rotate seats or turn order occasionally to keep things fair, or embrace the cruelty. Rounds take under a minute, so justice is always one game away.

Graduate to the mind games

Once everyone knows the counting, the real game emerges: the key numbers are 26 and 30 - End your turn on either and, with the right gaps, you control the endgame. But obvious strategy gets punished by table alliances, players sacrificing themselves to redirect doom, and variant rules. The best players win without looking like they're trying.

The rules

Players count upward from 1 in turn order, each saying one, two, or three consecutive numbers.
You must say at least one number on your turn - Passing is not allowed.
Numbers must be consecutive and continue exactly from where the previous player stopped.
No pauses, restarts, or corrections: a misspoken or skipped number is an instant penalty drink.
The player who says '31' loses the round and drinks the agreed penalty.
The loser starts the next round (or the table rotates starters - Agree beforehand).
Talking strategy or signaling alliances mid-round costs a drink where tables enforce it.
Rounds are quick; the penalty should be one shot or sip, never a full drink.

Variations & house rules

Reverse 31

Add a twist: any player may say their numbers in descending order ('15, 14') to reverse the direction of play, usually limited to once per player per round. Reversals wreck everyone's endgame math and turn the final approach to 31 into a knife fight. The must-play variant once your table has memorized the winning positions.

Silent 31

Certain numbers - Commonly multiples of 5, or any number containing a 3 - Must be clapped instead of spoken. Combining the counting strategy with a 3-6-9-style attention rule doubles the failure modes: you can lose by bad math or bad reflexes. Expect far more penalty drinks and far more laughter per round.

Target Roulette

Instead of always 31, the loser of each round secretly writes the next round's losing number (between 20 and 40) and reveals it only after the count begins. All the memorized endgame theory evaporates, and players must recalculate live. Great equalizer when one math major keeps escaping unscathed.

Team 31

Players pair into teams sitting opposite each other, and teammates share the penalty when either says 31. Now sacrificing yourself has a cost beyond pride, and setting up the opposing team requires coordinating with a partner you can't talk to. Adds silent-signal comedy and genuine tactical depth for six or eight players.

Speed 31

Each turn must begin within two seconds of the previous one, enforced by the table chanting or a clapped beat. Hesitation counts as a loss. At speed, even simple counting collapses - Players blurt too many numbers, land on doomed totals, and hand the round away. The purest form of the game's panic.

Pro tips

The losing seat says 31, so aim to end your turn on 30 - And to control 30, fight for 26 on the way there.

Count in fixed rhythm even when panicking; a steady voice hides whether you're steering or drowning.

Watch players who suddenly say only one number late in the count - They've done the math and are aiming at someone.

In bigger circles perfect control is impossible, so play the last five numbers and don't overthink the opening.

Keep penalties small - This game produces losers every forty-five seconds all night.

If one player keeps winning, quietly deploy the Reverse 31 variant and watch their empire fall.

Where Baskin Robbins 31 fits on the shelf

Baskin Robbins 31 is one of the gentler picks on the shelf - 8th of 9 world games by intensity, rated 2 out of 5.
The sweet spot is 3-10 players - enough for chaos, few enough that every turn matters.
Rounds are fast (10-20 min), so it slots between bigger games without hijacking the night.
Browse the full world drinking games shelf to compare all 9 games side by side.

A little history

Baskin Robbins 31 - 'baesuki robinseu ssateeuwon' in Korean party shorthand - Is a modern South Korean drinking game named after the ice cream chain, whose '31 flavors' branding is ubiquitous in Korea. It likely grew out of university and bar culture, popularized further by Korean TV variety shows that play it constantly. The underlying mechanic is an old combinatorial game (a Nim relative), but the 31-flavored drinking version is distinctly Korean and a fixture of any soju night.

Drink responsibly: Baskin Robbins 31 produces a loser every minute or so, and those small penalties compound fast. Keep the forfeit to a sip rather than a shot after the first few rounds, put water in the rotation, and eat alongside - The Korean way. Anyone counting badly because they're actually drunk should be counted out, kindly. See our safety guide for pacing tips and alcohol-free versions.

Baskin Robbins 31 FAQ

Why is it called Baskin Robbins 31?

Because of the ice cream chain's famous '31 flavors' slogan - Baskin-Robbins is hugely popular in South Korea, and the number stuck as the game's losing count. In Korea the game is often just called '31' or 'Baskin Robbins Thirty-One' as a chant when starting. The chain has no official connection to the game; it simply lent the number its name and its fame.

Is there a guaranteed way to win Baskin Robbins 31?

There's real math: whoever ends a turn on 30 wins, and you can force that by landing on key stepping-stone numbers - 26, and before that 22, 18, 14, 10, 6, and 2 - Since from each, no combination lets an opponent escape. But that guarantee only fully works in two-player games. With three or more players, the seats between you and the doomed number can break any plan, which is exactly what keeps the game alive.

How many people can play?

Three to ten works beautifully, and two players turns it into a pure strategy duel (that the first player, playing perfectly, always wins - Say '1, 2' and then keep landing on the key numbers). Big circles make the game more luck-driven and chaotic; small circles make it sharper and more tactical. Korean tables typically play with four to eight, where calculation and chaos balance perfectly.

What do you drink when you lose?

In Korea, traditionally a shot of soju, often poured by a neighbor with both hands in proper Korean etiquette. But the rules don't care what's in the glass: beer sips, cocktails, or soft drinks all work. Because rounds are so short and losses so frequent, keep each penalty small - This is a marathon of tiny stings, not a chugging game.

What's the difference between this and the game 21?

Same family, different flavor. Both are counting-to-a-doom-number games descended from Nim-style mechanics, but 21 (popular in Western party culture) usually adds rule-making by the loser and number substitutions, while Baskin Robbins 31 stays pure: count to 31, say one to three numbers, loser drinks. The Korean version's higher target makes the endgame math longer and the mid-game politics juicier.

Baskin Robbins 31 Drinking Game

What you need & setup