Complete rules guide — from dealing to scoring
Hokm (also spelled Hukm or Hakem) is a beloved trick-taking card game that originated in Persia and remains enormously popular throughout Iran, Afghanistan, and Persian-speaking communities worldwide. The name "Hokm" means "command" or "rule" in Persian — a fitting title for a game built on authority, strategy, and teamwork.
Hokm belongs to the Whist family of card games and shares some DNA with Bridge, but it is faster, more accessible, and distinctly its own. The defining feature of Hokm is the Hakem — the designated player who selects the trump suit after seeing only a portion of their hand, giving the game its unique strategic tension.
Whether played around a kitchen table in Tehran, a community center in Toronto, or online on Peskot, Hokm is a game of memory, communication, and calculated risk.
Hokm is played by exactly 4 players divided into 2 teams of 2. Teammates sit opposite each other at the table — so if you are sitting at the North position, your partner is at South, and your opponents are at East and West.
Cooperation between partners is central to Hokm. Because players cannot verbally communicate their holdings during a hand, strong teams develop an intuitive understanding of each other's tendencies, signals through card play, and strategic priorities.
Hokm uses a standard 52-card deck — no jokers. All four suits (Spades ♠, Hearts ♥, Diamonds ♦, Clubs ♣) are present, and each suit contains 13 cards. The deck is shuffled thoroughly before each round.
Within each suit, cards rank from highest to lowest as follows:
A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
The Ace is the highest card in every suit, and the 2 is the lowest. This ranking applies to both the trump suit and all other suits.
When a trump suit is declared, every card of that suit outranks every card of the other three suits, regardless of face value. For example, the 2 of the trump suit beats the Ace of any non-trump suit.
One player is designated the Hakem (dealer and trump chooser) for the round. The Hakem role typically begins with a randomly chosen player and rotates according to the rules described in the Winning section below.
The deal proceeds in a specific sequence designed to give the Hakem information before committing to a trump suit:
The trump declaration is binding for the entire round. Choosing trump wisely — balancing the strength of your initial 5 cards against the likelihood of being dealt more of the same suit — is one of the most important skills in Hokm.
The objective is straightforward: be the first team to win 7 tricks in a round. Since there are 13 tricks total, winning 7 or more means your team took the majority.
In terms of the match, the first team to accumulate enough round wins (points) — as agreed before play — wins the match. Common targets are 7 points per match, though variations exist.
Each round consists of 13 tricks. The Hakem always leads the first trick of the round.
The player whose turn it is to lead places any card from their hand face-up in the center. The suit of that card becomes the lead suit for the trick.
Each subsequent player must follow suit — that is, if they hold any card of the lead suit, they must play one. This is a firm rule; you cannot play a different suit if you have cards of the lead suit in hand.
If you have no cards of the lead suit, you may play any card in your hand, including a trump card. Playing a trump card when you cannot follow suit is called ruffing and is a powerful move — a trump card beats any non-trump card.
You are never required to play a trump card if you cannot follow suit; you may discard a card of any other non-lead suit instead (though doing so wins you nothing).
The player who wins a trick leads the next one. Play continues until all 13 tricks have been played.
At the end of each round, the team that wins 7 or more tricks earns points. The number of points awarded depends on how dominant the winning team was:
The winning team earns 1 point. The losing team earns nothing for the round.
If one team wins all 13 tricks in a round, it is called a Kot (also written as Cut). This is a dominant victory worth 3 points instead of 1.
Achieving a Kot requires exceptional play or an overwhelming card advantage, and it is one of the most celebrated outcomes in Hokm.
If the same team wins all 13 tricks in two consecutive rounds, it is called a Shelem (or Hokm Kot). This extraordinary feat is worth 4 points. The team must win the Kot in both rounds consecutively — if the opposing team wins any trick between the two rounds, the Shelem is broken.
The match continues until one team reaches the agreed winning score (typically 7 points). After each round, the Hakem role may rotate based on the outcome:
Holding the Hakem position is an advantage — the ability to choose trump gives your team a structural edge. This is why preventing the Hakem from winning is a primary strategic goal for the opposing team.
Now that you know the rules, put your skills to the test. Peskot brings Hokm online with real-time multiplayer, rankings, and a community of players from around the world.
Download Peskot