Shelem Card Game Rules: The Iranian Bidding Cousin of Hokm

If you know Hokm, you're 60% of the way to Shelem. The other 40% is the bidding auction and the 165-point counting system.

Shelem is what Iranian families play when they want a longer, deeper card game than Hokm. The setup looks similar (4 players in 2 teams, partners across) but instead of the dealer choosing trump, players bid for the right to be the Hakem. The team that wins the bid commits to capturing a target number of points; if they fall short, they lose double. This guide covers the full bidding system, the talon (the four hidden cards), and the 165-point scoring that makes Shelem feel almost like Bridge with a Persian accent.

How Shelem differs from Hokm at a glance

• 4 players in 2 teams, partners facing across (same as Hokm).
• Each player gets 12 cards, not 13. The remaining 4 cards form the talon (Persian: گل) face-down in the middle.
• Trump isn't called by the dealer. Players bid in a clockwise auction. The highest bidder becomes the Hakem.
• The Hakem picks up the talon, sees those 4 cards privately, then names the trump suit and discards 4 cards back face-down.
• Scoring uses captured points (out of 165), not just trick counts. Each Ace = 10, each 10 = 10, each 5 = 5, plus 5 points per trick. K/Q/J = 0.
• Game total is ±1165 points, not 7 round-points. Scores can go negative.

The deal

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck. Cards are dealt in groups of 4 to each player, going clockwise, until each player has 12 cards. The remaining 4 cards stay face-down in the middle of the table. Those 4 cards are the talon and they're crucial: only the eventual Hakem will see them.

The bidding auction

Bidding starts with the player to the dealer's right (or in some house rules, with the player who lost the previous round). Each player in clockwise order has three options:

1. Pass. If you pass, you're out of the auction for this round; you can't bid again even if it comes back to you.
2. Bid a number. Bids start at 100 and go up in multiples of 5 (100, 105, 110, ... 160, 165). Each bid must be higher than the previous bid.
3. Call "Shelem". Shelem is the maximum bid: a commitment to win every single one of the 12 tricks. Calling Shelem ends the bidding immediately.

The bidding goes around the table until three players have passed. The remaining player is the Hakem and their bid number is the target their team must capture in points.

If all four players pass, the round is dead. Re-deal and try again. (Some house rules force the last seat to bid the minimum 100 instead of allowing all-pass.)

The Hakem picks up the talon

Once the Hakem is determined, they pick up the 4 talon cards privately. They now hold 16 cards. They:

1. Choose the trump suit (any of the 4 suits) based on their full 16-card hand.
2. Discard 4 cards face-down back into the middle. These 4 discards will be revealed at the end of the round, and any Aces, 10s, or 5s in the discards count toward the Hakem's team's captured points (a quiet bonus). The Hakem also gets a "phantom trick" worth 5 points for the discards.

Strategic note: the Hakem usually wants to discard low cards in suits they're long on (so they save room for trump and high cards) plus dump worthless point cards (J/Q/K which are 0) from suits they're short in.

Trick play

Trick play is identical to Hokm:

• Hakem leads the first trick.
• Players must follow the led suit if they can.
• If they can't follow suit, they may play a trump (or any other suit, but only trump can win the trick).
• The highest trump wins, or if no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
• The trick winner leads the next trick.

There are 12 tricks per round (one per card in each player's hand).

The 165-point scoring system

Each trick captures point cards based on what's in it:

• Each Ace = 10 points
• Each 10 = 10 points
• Each 5 = 5 points
• K, Q, J = 0 points
• 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 = 0 points
• Each trick is also worth 5 points to the team that captured it

Total points in the deck: 4 Aces × 10 + 4 Tens × 10 + 4 Fives × 5 + 12 tricks × 5 + 5 phantom-trick bonus from discards = 40 + 40 + 20 + 60 + 5 = 165 points. That's where the name "165 system" comes from.

The Hakem's team's captured total includes points from the 4 discards (quietly added). The opponents' captured total includes only what they take in trick play.

End-of-round scoring outcomes

This is where Shelem gets interesting. After all 12 tricks are played:

If the Hakem's team made their bid

(Captured ≥ the bid number in points)

• Hakem team: + bid points to their game total.
• Opponents: + their captured points to their game total (yes, they keep what they took).

If the Hakem's team failed

(Captured < bid)

• If opponents captured < 85 points: Hakem team: − bid points. Opponents: + their captured points.
• If opponents captured ≥ 85 points (called YASA): Hakem team: − 2× bid. This is the punishing case. Opponents still + their captured points.

If the Hakem accidentally swept all 12 tricks (without calling Shelem)

• Hakem team: + bid.
• Opponents: − 165. (The full point pool against them.)

If Shelem was called and succeeded

(All 12 tricks won by the Hakem's team)

• Hakem team: + 330.
• Opponents: − 330.

If Shelem was called and failed

• Hakem team: − 165.
• Opponents: + 165.

Winning the game

The first team to reach +1165 game points wins. A team that drops to −1165 loses (the other team wins by default).

The first-bidder rotates clockwise each round (round 1: seat 1, round 2: seat 2, etc.) so every player gets the chance to open the bidding equally often.

Beginner strategy: 5 things to know

1. Bid for the suit you have most cards in, not your highest

If your hand has 6 hearts including the Ace and 10, you can probably handle being the Hakem with hearts as trump. If your hand has the Ace and Jack of spades but only 2 spades total, calling spades trump is a disaster — opponents will dominate.

2. Don't overbid

The penalty for failing is brutal (−bid, or −2× bid if YASA, or −165 if Shelem-call fails). Bid 100-115 if you're not certain; reach for 130+ only with a genuinely strong hand.

3. Discard intelligently

When you pick up the talon, your 4 discards should ideally be: low cards in trump-adjacent suits, junk cards from suits you have just one of, and never an Ace or 10 of any suit (those are point cards you'd lose).

4. Read your partner's bid

If your partner bids early, they're signaling strength. Don't outbid them unless your hand is significantly better. If they pass, they're saying "I have nothing useful for you" and you should be cautious.

5. Track the high cards

Especially in 12-trick rounds, knowing which Aces and 10s have been played helps you decide whether to lead trump or save your high cards. Mental card-tracking is the single biggest skill divide between casual and serious Shelem players.

Common house rules and variations

• Bid maximum: standard ceiling is 165 (the full point pool). Some tables allow Shelem to be bid as a number (specifically 165) without the all-12-tricks commitment.
• Talon size: almost always 4 cards. Some old variants use 3.
• Discard reveal: standard rule is discards stay face-down until end of round. Some tables reveal them right after the Hakem discards (changes strategy because everyone sees what point cards the Hakem dropped).
• YASA threshold: 85 is standard. Some tables use 80 or 90.
• Game-end target: ±1165 is the classic. Faster games use ±500 or ±800.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shelem related to Bridge?

Mechanically yes: both are partner trick-taking games with a bidding phase that determines a contract and a trump suit. Shelem is simpler (only 12 tricks vs Bridge's 13, fewer bidding conventions, no dummy hand). Many Bridge players pick up Shelem in an evening.

What does "Shelem" mean?

Shelem (شلم) refers to the maximum bid: winning all 12 tricks. The game is named after this all-or-nothing maneuver that defines its risk profile.

Can I play Shelem with a different number of players?

The standard game is fixed at 4 players in 2 teams. Variants for 3 or 6 exist but are uncommon and change the game significantly. Stick to 4 for the real Shelem experience.

Why does the talon exist? Why not just deal 13 cards?

The talon is the bidding incentive. The Hakem is committing to a contract with only 12 known cards — but knows they'll get 4 more cards (and pick which 4 to keep) if they win the auction. This 16-card-then-12-card mechanic is what makes the bidding strategic.

Is it better than Hokm?

Different game for different occasions. Hokm rounds are 5-8 minutes and the strategy is mostly tactical. Shelem rounds are 15-25 minutes and the strategy includes both bidding judgment and trick play. Shelem rewards experience more; Hokm is faster to learn.

Can I play Shelem online?

Yes. We have a free Shelem table at gamingrooms.net with bots that can fill empty seats. Link below.