Players and Cards
Hokm is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, divided into four suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Each suit consists of 13 cards, ranked from Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 down to 2. The original game is designed for four players, where two teams of two sit across from each other. However, Hokm can also be played with three or two players, with some rule adjustments that will be discussed further.
Hokm and Hakem
The game is played based on a Hokm, which means the trump suit for each round. The trump suit is the dominant suit that beats all others in that round. The Hakem (trump maker) is the player who selects the Hokm for each round.
At the start of the game, one player shuffles the deck and deals the cards one by one in a clockwise direction. The dealing continues until a player receives an Ace. The first player to receive an Ace becomes the Hakem and gets to choose the Hokm.
The best strategy is to choose the suit you have the most of and feel confident you will receive more of throughout the game.
Objective
There are 52 cards in the game. The player to the right of the Hakem starts dealing, giving 5 cards to each player. No one should look at their cards except the Hakem. The Hakem must then choose the Hokm (trump suit).
After choosing the Hokm, everyone is allowed to check their cards. The dealer continues dealing 4 cards at a time to each player in a clockwise direction until all the cards are distributed. By the end, each player should have the correct number of cards—no extra or missing cards.
The game begins, and the first team to win 7 tricks wins the round. The first team to win 7 rounds wins the game.