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10 classic Indian card games families love
A pack of cards is part of almost every Indian holiday, from Diwali nights and long train rides to power cuts and wedding halls after the function. Every region has its favourites, and many games are known by different names a few hundred kilometres apart. Here are ten of the best loved, with a short description of how each one works.
| Game | Players | Type | Popular in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey / Kazhutha / Bhabhi | 3–8 | Get rid of your cards | All over India |
| Rummy | 2–6 | Make sets and sequences | All over India |
| 304 | 4 | Bidding, tricks, points | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| 28 | 4 | Bidding, tricks, points | Kerala, Karnataka, Bengal |
| Literature | 6 or 8 | Asking for cards, teams | Schools and colleges |
| Court Piece (Rang) | 4 | Tricks with trumps | North India, Pakistan |
| Mendikot | 4–8 | Capture the tens | Maharashtra, Gujarat |
| Gulam Chor | 3+ | Pairs, avoid the last Jack | All over India |
| Bluff | 3+ | Lie convincingly | All over India |
| Seep (Sweep) | 4 | Capture cards from the floor | Punjab |
1. Donkey (Kazhutha, Gadha, Bhabhi, Thulla)
The great equaliser: children can play it with grandparents, and nobody needs to keep score. All cards are dealt out, the Ace of Spades starts, and everyone must follow suit. If you can't follow, you cut with another card, and whoever played the highest card of the led suit picks up the whole pile. Empty your hand to escape. The last player left holding cards is the Donkey. It is called Kazhutha in Kerala, Bhabhi or Thulla in Punjab and Pakistan, and many other names elsewhere. You can play it online here with 3–8 friends.
2. Rummy
Indian Rummy is usually played with 13 cards each and two decks with jokers. On each turn you draw a card and discard one, trying to arrange your whole hand into sequences (runs in one suit, like 5-6-7♥) and sets (same rank, different suits). At least one sequence must be “pure”, made without a joker. The first player to arrange everything and declare wins the hand, and the others count the points left in their hands.
3. 304 (Three-Nought-Four)
A serious game for four players in two partnerships, much loved in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Only 32 cards are used (7 to Ace). The Jack is the highest card, then the 9, the Ace and the 10. Card values add up to exactly 304, which gives the game its name. Players bid for the right to choose a hidden trump suit, and the bidding team must win at least as many points as they bid in tricks.
4. Twenty-Eight (28)
A close relative of 304 with the same 32-card deck and the same Jack-9-Ace-10 order, but simpler scoring: Jack 3, 9 2, Ace 1, 10 1, which makes 28 points in all. Partners sit opposite each other, the highest bidder secretly picks trumps, and the team tries to make its bid. It is quick to learn and has endless table talk.
5. Literature
A memory game for two teams, a favourite in school buses and college hostels. The 8s are removed, and the remaining 48 cards form eight “half-suits” (2–7 and 9–Ace of each suit). On your turn you ask an opponent for a specific card that belongs to a half-suit you already hold part of. Get it and you ask again; miss and the turn passes. A team that collects a whole half-suit claims it. The team with more half-suits at the end wins.
6. Court Piece (Rang)
The classic four-player partnership trick game of north India and Pakistan, related to the English game Whist. One player chooses trumps after seeing their first five cards, and teams try to win seven of the thirteen tricks. Winning all thirteen, a court, is the stuff of family legend.
7. Mendikot
A partnership trick-taking game from Maharashtra and Gujarat in which the aim is to win tricks that contain the tens. Capturing all four tens is called a mendikot, and capturing every trick is a whitewash. Trumps are chosen during play in many versions, which keeps everyone guessing.
8. Gulam Chor (Jack Thief)
India's version of Old Maid. One Jack is removed and the rest are dealt out. Players throw away pairs, then take turns drawing a card from a neighbour's hand and pairing again. One Jack can never be paired, and whoever is stuck with it at the end is the chor, the thief. It's perfect for small children.
9. Bluff
Players take turns placing cards face down and announcing what they are, for example “three Kings”. You may lie. Anyone can call “bluff”: if the cards were not what was claimed, the liar picks up the pile; if they were, the challenger does. The first to get rid of all their cards wins, so a straight face is worth more than good cards.
10. Seep (Sweep)
A Punjabi fishing game for four players in partnerships. Cards are captured from the floor by matching their value or by building combinations that add up to a card in your hand. Clearing the whole floor in one move is a seep and earns bonus points. It rewards careful counting and planning.
Which one should you play tonight?
- Mixed ages, big group: Donkey or Gulam Chor. Anyone can learn in a minute.
- Four serious players: 304, 28 or Court Piece.
- A lively party: Bluff or Literature.
- Family in different cities: Donkey, played online. One person creates a room and shares the link.