HOKM
Hey there! Let me tell you about an awesome game called Hokm. It’s a trick-taking game from Iran that’s played with four players in partnerships. Here’s how it goes: one player gets to be the Hakem, which basically means they’re the boss of the round. As the Hakem, they get to choose which suit is the trump and lead the very first trick. And guess what? They stay the Hakem until their team loses a round.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Now, let’s talk about the cards and how the deal works. Hokm is played with a regular deck of 52 cards, and it’s all about teamwork, so you’ll be playing with a partner. First things first, shuffle the deck real good, and then deal one card to each player, face up. The player who gets an Ace first becomes the Hakem for that round. They get dealt to first, choose the trump suit, and start off the first trick. From there, it’s all about strategy and working together to win the game! Good luck!
In the game of cards, there’s a special role called the Hakem. They’re the one who determines the trump suit for each round. The Hakem’s partner is the player who receives the second Ace. The other two players team up with each other, and they should sit opposite to their partners.
The player to the right of the Hakem is in charge of dealing out the cards. Each player gets 13 cards in total. The cards are dealt in sets of 5, 4, and 4. But before the dealing begins, the Hakem picks the trump suit after receiving the first 5 cards. This means that the dealing process stops momentarily.
THE PLAY
THE FIRST TRICK
The Hakem gets to start the first trick by playing any card they want. All other players must follow suit if they have a card of that suit. If not, they can play any card from their hand. The winner of the trick is determined by the highest card in the led suit, or if trump is played, the highest-ranked trump card.
Let me explain to you how the trick-winning process works.
A Special Example
We first determine that spades are the trump suit. Then, the Hakem leads the trick by playing an Ace of Hearts. The following player has a 3 of Hearts and decides to play it. As for the Hakem’s partner, they have a 2 of Hearts and play it. However, the final player doesn’t have any hearts, so they play a 4 of Spades. Interestingly, even though the Hakem’s Heart is the highest in the lead suit, the 4 of Spades trumps it. As a result, Player 4 wins the trick with the 4 of Spades. Now, Player 4 leads the next trick with a 3 of Diamonds.
Let’s Keep Going
We keep playing until one team captures seven tricks. It’s important to remember this as we continue. Once that happens, it’s time to tally up the score.
In the Following Rounds
If the team with the Hakem wins the round, nothing changes. The same dealer keeps dealing, and the same player remains as the Hakem.
If the other team wins the round, the roles of Hakem and dealer pass left.
SCORING
When a team captures seven tricks first, they earn 1 point.
If the Hakem’s team captures the first seven tricks and their opponents capture none, they earn 2 points instead of 1.
If the team without the Hakem captures the first seven tricks and the Hakem’s team captures none, they earn 3 points instead of 1.
WINNING
The game is won by the first team to earn 7 points.
The game is won by the first team to earn 7 points.