How to Play

Iranian four-player partnership trick-taking game: the Hakem names trump after seeing five cards, and partners race to take seven of the thirteen tricks or sweep for a kot.

Hokm (Persian: 'rule' or 'decree') is a four-player partnership trick-taking game from Iran. Thirteen cards are dealt to each player and the designated Hakem, chosen by seeing the first five cards, names the trump suit before the rest of the deal. Partners sitting opposite cooperate to win at least seven of the thirteen tricks; a sweep (taking all seven tricks before the other side takes one) is called a kot and scores double. Hokm is almost synonymous with card play in Persian-speaking homes, cafés, and diaspora communities.

Players

Exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite across the table. Three-player and two-player versions exist but are minor; the standard table is always four.

Card Deck

• Standard 52-card French-suited deck; jokers are removed.
• Cards rank high to low in every suit: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• One suit becomes trump (hokm) for the deal, chosen by the Hakem. Any trump beats any non-trump.
• There is no separate trump card placed on the table; the called suit is simply announced and remembered.

Objective

Take at least seven of the thirteen tricks with your partner to win the deal. Taking the first seven tricks in a row (before the opposing side wins a single trick) is a kot and scores double or triple. The first partnership to the agreed match target (commonly 7 points) wins the session.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle and cut. For the very first deal, determine the Hakem by dealing cards round-the-table face up until one player receives the first Ace; that player becomes the first Hakem. Afterwards the Hakem is determined by the result of the previous deal (see Scoring).
2. The dealer is the player to the Hakem's right. The dealer deals 5 cards face down to the Hakem only.
3. The Hakem examines those 5 cards and announces a trump suit aloud; this is the hokm for the deal. Once announced, the trump cannot be changed.
4. The dealer then completes the deal by giving 4 more cards to the Hakem and 4 to each other player, then 4 more to everyone (alternative deal orders of 5-4-4 or 5-3-3-2 are equally common), so that every player ends with 13 cards.
5. The Hakem leads the first trick of the deal.

Gameplay

1. Step 1 (lead): The trick-leader plays any card face up to the centre. For the very first trick the Hakem leads; thereafter the previous trick's winner leads.
2. Step 2 (follow suit): In clockwise order, each other player must play a card of the led suit if they have one. A player with no card of the led suit may play any card, including a trump.
3. Step 3 (winning a trick): A trick is won by the highest trump played. If no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins. Trumping is optional: you may keep your trumps for later tricks if you are void in the led suit.
4. Step 4 (collect and lead): The trick winner gathers the four cards face down and leads the next trick. Play continues until either (a) one partnership has taken 7 tricks, or (b) all 13 tricks have been played.
5. Step 5 (deal ends early): Many circles end the deal immediately once one partnership reaches 7 tricks, because the outcome is settled; the remaining tricks are not contested.

Scoring

• Win the deal with 7 or more tricks: 1 point to your partnership.
• Kot (take the first 7 tricks before the opponents take any): 2 points.
• Double kot / bavney (take all 13 tricks): 3 points in the common scoring scheme.
• The Hakem's partnership is always in focus: in many house rules a kot against the Hakem's team is worth 3 points (harsher penalty for a declarer that fails).
• If the Hakem's team wins the deal, the Hakem retains the role for the next deal. If the Hakem's team loses, the role passes to the player on the Hakem's left or to the opposing partnership depending on local convention.

Winning

The first partnership to the agreed match target wins the match. The most common targets are 7 game points (a quick session), 10 (a longer evening), or first to win two sets of 7. If two partnerships reach the target threshold in the same deal, play one sudden-death tiebreaker deal with normal rules.

Common Variations

• Double Sar: Tricks are only counted after a partnership wins two consecutive tricks; broken streaks lose accumulated tricks.
• Satat (Heart Two): The 2 of hearts becomes the permanent highest trump regardless of the called trump suit.2♥
• Bavney scoring: All-thirteen sweeps score 3 points instead of the standard 2.
• Hokm with forced ruff: House rule requiring a player void in the led suit to play a trump if they hold one.
• Court Piece / Rang (Urdu and Hindi): The South Asian cousin of Hokm, played with identical core rules and a 'court' points terminology.

Tips and Strategy

• As Hakem, call trump in your longest suit, especially if that suit includes the Ace or King. Calling a short, high-ranked suit (like three top cards) often backfires when opponents' lengths trump your honours.
• Lead trumps early when your partnership has trump length. A round or two of trump leads strips opponents and leaves your side-suit winners safe.
• Signal through discards. When void in the led suit, discard a low card of a suit you are weak in; your partner will read this and avoid leading it.
• Count trumps played. Seven of the thirteen cards in the trump suit are usually enough to control the deal; once five trumps are down you can often cash side winners without interference.
• As defender, attack cross-suits. If the Hakem called spades, lead hearts or diamonds to force them to use their trumps to ruff instead of building their own long suit.

Glossary

• Hakem: The player who calls trump for the deal; literally 'ruler'.
• Hokm: The trump suit; also the name of the game itself.
• Kot: Taking the first 7 tricks before the opposing side takes any trick; scores double.
• Bavney: A full 13-trick sweep; rare and worth triple.
• Ruff: To play a trump when void in the led suit.
• Trick: One clockwise round of four played cards; winner leads the next.