How to Play Hokm (2-Player Rules)

What is Hokm?

Hokm is a Persian trick-taking card game played with a standard 52-card deck, where one player, the Hâkem, chooses the trump suit (the Hokm). The two-player version adds a draw phase in which both players build their own 13-card hands.

The word hokm means command or decree, and the trump suit carries that name. Hâkem means ruler: the player who picks the Hokm and leads the first trick. Hokm is most often played by four players in two partnerships, but the two-player game is a well-known variant with the same trick-taking core.

• Players: 2
• Deck: 52 cards, no jokers
• Goal of a hand: win 7 of the 13 tricks
• Goal of the match: reach 7 points

What is the card ranking in Hokm?

Cards rank from Ace (highest) down to 2 in every suit: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Any card of the Hokm suit beats every card of the other three suits.

The four suits are spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds. No suit is higher than another until the Hâkem declares the Hokm for the hand. Cards have no point values; only tricks count.

How do you choose the Hâkem?

Cards are turned face up for each player in turn, and the first player to receive an Ace becomes the Hâkem for the first hand. After that, whoever wins a hand is the Hâkem for the next one.

The other player deals. The deck is shuffled again before the deal, so the cards turned over to find the Hâkem tell you nothing about the hands. Each player then receives 5 cards, and the remaining 42 cards form the stock.

How do you declare Hokm and discard?

Looking only at their first 5 cards, the Hâkem chooses the Hokm suit and marks 2 or 3 cards to discard face down, confirming both choices together. The other player then discards the rest to make 5: 3 cards if the Hâkem discarded 2, or 2 if the Hâkem discarded 3.

• The Hâkem sees 5 cards, then picks the trump suit and a discard of 2 or 3.
• Once confirmed, the Hokm is locked for the whole hand.
• The opponent already knows the Hokm when choosing their discards.
• Discards are face down and stay out of play for the rest of the hand.

The choice between 2 and 3 matters: whoever discards 3 draws first in the next phase and gets to see both cards on their final draw.

How does the draw phase work in 2-player Hokm?

Players take turns drawing from the stock until both hold 13 cards. On each turn you see the top card and either keep it (the next card is discarded unseen) or reject it and take the next card instead.

1. After the discards, one player holds 2 cards and the other holds 3. The stock has 42 cards.
2. The player who discarded 3 cards draws first.
3. On your turn, look at the top card of the stock. Only you see it.
4. Keep it: the card joins your hand, and the card below it is discarded face down without anyone seeing it.
5. Reject it: the card is discarded, and you must take the card below it, whatever it is.
6. Turns alternate. The player who discarded 3 needs 11 draws; the other player needs 10.
7. The player who discarded 2 reaches 13 cards first, so the final draw belongs to the player who discarded 3.
8. On that final draw exactly 2 stock cards remain. Both are turned face up for that player, who keeps either one; the other is discarded.
9. The stock is now empty and both hands have 13 cards. Play begins.

In total 21 cards are kept and 21 are discarded during the draw, on top of the 5 discarded at the start. That means 26 of the 52 cards never reach a hand, which is why counting cards in two-player Hokm needs care.

How do you play a trick?

The Hâkem leads the first trick, and the other player must follow the led suit if they can; if not, they may play any card. The higher card of the led suit wins, unless a Hokm card is played on a different led suit, in which case the Hokm wins.

• Each trick has 2 cards: a lead and a reply.
• If you hold a card of the led suit, you must play one.
• If you have none, you may trump with a Hokm card or throw any other card.
• A card of a third suit (not led, not Hokm) can never win.
• The winner of a trick leads the next one.

Examples, with spades as the Hokm:

How is a hand scored?

The first player to win 7 tricks wins the hand and scores 1 point, and the hand ends immediately. If the winner took the first 7 tricks without losing one, it is a kot and scores 2 or 3 points instead.

The winner of the hand becomes the Hâkem for the next hand, and a new hand is dealt from a freshly shuffled deck.

What is a kot in Hokm?

A kot (کوت) is a sweep: winning 7 tricks before the opponent wins any. In Varaq a kot is worth 2 points for the Hâkem, or 3 points for the other player.

The extra point for a kot against the Hâkem rewards beating the player who chose the trump suit and led first. A single trick is enough to prevent a kot, so the losing side should try to take at least one.

How do you win a Hokm match?

The first player to reach 7 match points wins. Because a kot scores 2 or 3 points, a match can end in fewer than 7 hands.

A player may also resign, which concedes the whole match to the opponent. After a match, both players can start a rematch at the same table.

How is 2-player Hokm different from 4-player Hokm?

Four-player Hokm is played in two partnerships with the whole deck dealt out, while two-player Hokm uses individual hands built through discards and a draw phase. Tricks, trump and the 7-trick target work the same way.

Local customs vary in four-player Hokm, especially for who becomes the next Hâkem and how kot is scored. The rules above are the ones Varaq uses for its two-player game.