Donkey
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How to play Donkey
Donkey is a fast, funny card game for 3 to 8 players that is loved across India. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu it is called Kazhutha, in Hindi Gadha, and in Punjab and Pakistan Bhabhi or Thulla. The aim is simple: get rid of all your cards. The last player still holding cards is the Donkey.
What you need
- Players: 3 to 8. It is most fun with 4 to 6.
- Cards: one standard deck of 52 cards, no jokers.
- Card ranking: Ace is highest, then King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 … down to 2. Suits have no ranking of their own.
- Online: on this site one person creates a room and shares the 5-letter room code with friends. No sign-up or download is needed.
Dealing
All 52 cards are shuffled and dealt out, one at a time, so everyone gets roughly the same number. With 4 players everyone gets 13 cards; with 3 players two people get 17 and one gets 18. Online, the game deals and sorts your hand automatically, grouped by suit.
Starting the game
The player holding the Ace of Spades (A♠) starts by playing it face up in the middle. From the second game onwards, the Donkey of the previous game is given the A♠ (swapped for one of their own cards), so the loser always starts the next game.
Playing a round
- Players take turns going around the table.
- You must follow suit: if Spades were led, you must play a Spade if you have one. You may play any Spade you like.
- If everyone follows suit, the round is complete. All the cards played are thrown away (out of the game), and the player who played the highest card starts the next round with any card.
Cutting and picking up
This is what makes Donkey exciting. If it is your turn and you have no card of the suit that was led, you cut: you play any other card. The round stops immediately, and the player who has played the highest card of the led suit so far picks up every card on the table into their hand. That player then starts the next round.
Finishing and the Donkey
When you play your last card you are safe and drop out of the game. Play continues until only one player is left holding cards — that player is the Donkey for this game.
Ace penalties and the final loser
To make a session of several games more interesting, the Donkey of each game collects a penalty Ace, in this order: A♠ for the first loss, then A♥, A♦ and finally A♣. Aces carry over from game to game. The first player to collect all four Aces is the final loser of the series, and then everyone's Aces reset to zero.
Asking for someone's cards
On your turn, before playing, you may ask another player who still has cards for all of their cards. They can accept or decline. If they accept, their whole hand comes to you and they are out and safe; if they decline, nothing changes and you play your turn as normal. If they had already played a card in the current round, that card becomes yours too: if it is the highest card when someone cuts, you pick up the pile. You can ask up to 3 times per game, and only while three or more players still have cards — once two are left, the choice is to play on or declare. Why would you ask? Taking a hand full of the right suits can let you control the rounds and force others to cut.
Declaring (giving up)
When only two players still have cards, either of them may declare. The player who declares accepts being the Donkey, and the other player wins straight away. It is a quick way to finish when the result is obvious.
Online extras
| Feature | How it works |
|---|---|
| Turn timer | The host chooses 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds per turn. If time runs out, a sensible card is played for you so nobody can stall the table. |
| Leaving | If someone loses connection mid-game, everyone waits 1 minute. They can open the invite link again, even on another phone, and tap their own avatar to get their seat and cards back. The host can also tap an offline player and remove them, so the game continues without them. Otherwise, if nobody returns, the room closes. |
| Chat & reactions | Chat with the table, or tap a player to send a quick reaction. |
| Phones | Play sideways for the best view; iPhones are supported even with rotation lock on. |
Tips and strategy
- Get rid of high cards early. Aces and Kings win rounds, and the round winner is the one who picks up when someone cuts.
- Empty a suit on purpose. If you run out of a suit, you can cut whenever it is led and pass your worst cards to someone else.
- Watch who is short of a suit. If a player has already cut on Hearts, leading Hearts may make you pick up the pile.
- Lead low cards of a suit everyone still has; the round is likely to be thrown away cleanly.
- Use requests wisely. Accepting makes the other player safe, so most people say yes and their cards join your hand. Ask for small hands that fit suits you already hold.
More in the full strategy guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Donkey the same as Kazhutha, Gadha or Bhabhi?
Yes — they are names for the same family of games. Small house rules differ between families and regions; this site uses the rules described above. See the game's names across India.
Is this the “Donkey” game with spoons?
No. In Britain and the Caribbean, “Donkey” (or Pass the Donkey) is a different children's game: players pass cards to collect four of a kind and grab a spoon or touch their nose. The Indian Donkey on this site is a follow-suit shedding game, the same as Kazhutha and Bhabhi / Thulla.
Can you play Donkey with 2 players?
It works best with 3 or more. With two players every cut just hands the pile to the other person, so most of the fun is lost. The online version needs at least 3 players.
What is a cut called?
Different families have different words for it: thulla in Bhabhi, vettu in Kazhutha. It is the same move.
How long does a game take?
Usually 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the number of players and the turn timer.
Do I need an account?
No. Enter a name, create or join a room, and play. Nothing to install.
Is it free?
Yes. The site may show a few ads between games, and you can support it with a coffee if you enjoy it.