Hokm Rules: How to Play Iran's National Card Game

A complete beginner's guide to Hokm, the trick-taking partner game played in Iranian homes for over a century.

Hokm is the card game of choice in Iran. Four players, two teams, a single trump suit chosen by the lead player. The rules are simple enough to learn in five minutes, but the strategy keeps regular players coming back for decades. This guide covers everything you need to start playing tonight, plus the small house rules that separate beginners from experienced players.

What you need to play Hokm

• 4 players sitting around a table, partners facing each other across
• One standard 52-card deck (Aces high, no jokers)
• A way to track score: pen and paper, or a phone app

Partners always sit across from each other. Seats 1 and 3 form Team A. Seats 2 and 4 form Team B. The team you're on stays the same the whole game; what changes from round to round is who deals and who gets to choose the trump suit.

Choosing the first Hakem

The Hakem (Persian for "ruler" or "judge") is the player who picks the trump suit for the round. They also receive their cards first and are dealt extra information that no other player gets. Being the Hakem is a meaningful advantage, so the way the first Hakem is chosen matters.

The traditional method: deal cards face-up to each player one at a time, going clockwise. The first player to receive a black Jack (Jack of Spades or Jack of Clubs) becomes the first Hakem. Reshuffle the deck and the real game begins.

Online and at casual tables, you can also just pick a random player to start. The "lucky Jack" method is mostly tradition, not a balance requirement.

The deal: 5 cards first, then 8 more

This is the rule that distinguishes Hokm from most other trick-taking games. The deal happens in two parts:

1. The dealer gives the Hakem 5 cards. No one else gets cards yet. The Hakem looks at their 5 cards and decides which suit will be trump for this entire round.
2. The Hakem announces the trump suit aloud: "Hokm is hearts" (or spades, diamonds, clubs).
3. Now the dealer deals the rest. Each player including the Hakem ends up with 13 cards total. The dealer gives the remaining 8 cards to the Hakem and 13 each to the other three players.

Why this matters: the Hakem chooses trump knowing only 5 of their own cards, not all 13. They have to commit to a suit based on partial information, which is the central skill of the game. Strong Hakem play means recognizing which suit your initial hand is best positioned to dominate even after the rest of the deal.

How a trick works

A "trick" is a single round where each of the 4 players plays one card. The four cards together form a small pile in the middle of the table. The player who plays the highest card of the right suit wins the trick.

Trick play follows two strict rules:

1. You must follow the suit that was led. If the first player plays a heart, every other player must also play a heart if they have one. If you're out of hearts, only then can you play any other suit, including a trump.
2. Trump beats everything else. If the led suit is hearts and the trump suit is spades, then the highest spade played wins the trick, even if a player also played the Ace of hearts. If no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins.

The player who wins a trick leads the next one. They can lead any card they want, of any suit. Tricks are kept face-down in front of the winning team and counted at the end.

Winning the round and scoring

Each round has 13 tricks total (one per card in each player's hand). The first team to win 7 tricks wins the round and earns 1 point.

If the winning team takes all 7 of the first 7 tricks while the other team takes 0, that's called a kot or saaz (sweep) and is worth 2 points instead of 1. Some house rules require taking all 13 tricks for the double score; the most common version uses the 7-0 standard.

The first team to 7 round-points wins the entire game. A typical game lasts 30-60 minutes.

Who deals next?

This is the most-confused rule for beginners, so pay attention:

• If the Hakem's team won the round, the same Hakem stays. They deal again, choose trump again, and lead the first trick of the new round. This is sometimes called "winning the chair."
• If the opponents won, the role of Hakem rotates clockwise to the next player. They become the new Hakem for the upcoming round.

This rule rewards strong Hakem play. A Hakem who can win their round retains the advantage of choosing trump for as long as their team keeps winning.

Beginner strategy: the four moves that matter most

1. Choose trump where you have length, not just high cards

A common mistake: looking at your 5 cards and picking trump because you have the Ace. But three high cards in a suit aren't always better than five small cards in another suit. With 5 cards in a suit you can almost always control the round if you also have one or two top cards. With 3 high cards you may run out of trump after three tricks and become powerless.

2. Lead trump early when you have it long

If you have lots of trump cards and good high cards in another suit, lead trump first. Force the other team to use their few trump cards. Once they're out, your other high cards are unbeatable.

3. Save high cards for later if you have nothing in trump

If you've ended up trump-poor, don't burn your Ace of Hearts on the first trick. Wait until trump cards have been mostly used up. Your high cards will then win their suit.

4. Read your partner's plays

If your partner leads a low card, they're probably trying to "kill" the trick (let it pass to the opponents) so they can take the next one with strength. Don't waste a high card on a partner's losing trick. If your partner leads a high card, they expect you to play your highest of that suit too.

Common variations and house rules

• Sweep at 7-0 vs 13-0: traditional Iranian rules count a 7-0 lead as a sweep. Some online tables only count 13-0. The 7-0 version is more common.
• Mandatory call: some tables let the Hakem look at all 13 cards before calling trump. This makes Hakem decisions easier but reduces the skill element.
• Hokm shekani (breaking trump): in some traditions, you cannot lead a trump card until trump has been "broken" (played by another player who couldn't follow suit). Most modern tables don't enforce this.
• Game length: first to 7 round-points is standard. Some players use 5 or 9 instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play Hokm with 2 or 6 players?

The classical game is 4 players in 2 teams. There are 2-player and 6-player adaptations but they change the strategy significantly and aren't commonly played. Stick to 4 for the real Hokm experience.

Is Hokm the same as Court Piece?

Yes. Court Piece is the English name used in Pakistan and parts of South Asia for essentially the same game. Some regional variations exist (some use a 4-card initial deal instead of 5) but the core rules are identical.

How is Hokm different from Spades or Bridge?

Spades fixes the trump suit (always spades) so there's no trump-call decision. Bridge has a complex bidding phase that determines trump. Hokm is in the middle: one player chooses trump from their initial 5 cards. It's faster than Bridge, more strategic than Spades.

What does "Hokm" mean?

Hokm (حکم) is a Persian word meaning "ruling," "command," or "verdict." It refers to the trump suit ruling that the Hakem makes at the start of each round.

How long does a typical game last?

Anywhere from 30 to 75 minutes depending on how often the Hakem switches and how cleanly each round ends. A typical round takes 5-8 minutes.

Can I play Hokm online?

Yes. We built a free online Hokm room at gamingrooms.net where you can play with 3 friends and bots fill any empty seats. No installs, no signups, runs in your browser. Link below.