Donkey strategy: how not to be the Donkey

Donkey (Kazhutha, Bhabhi, Thulla) looks like pure luck, but players who think about each card lose far less often. These tips assume you know the basic rules. If not, read how to play first; it takes two minutes.

First, understand what can go wrong

Every round ends in one of two ways:

• A clean round: everyone follows suit. The cards are thrown away, and everyone is one card closer to finishing. The highest card only wins the right to lead next.
• A cut: someone has no card of the led suit and plays another suit. The player holding the highest card of the led suit at that moment picks up the whole pile.

So the danger is never “having high cards”. The danger is being the highest in a suit at the moment someone cuts. Almost every tip below follows from that.

Early game: when suits are full

1. Play your high cards while it is safe

At the start of a game almost everyone still holds every suit, so cuts are rare. That is the cheapest time to get rid of Aces and Kings. A high card that wins a clean round costs you nothing except leading next. The same Ace played late in the game, when players start running out of suits, is the card that picks up a pile.

2. Lead your shortest suit

If you hold only one or two Clubs, lead them early. Once they are gone you have a void in Clubs: whenever Clubs are led you can cut and throw away a card you don't want, and someone else picks up. Creating a void on purpose is the strongest plan in the game.

3. Lead low in suits that everyone still holds

As the leader, the first card in the pile is yours. If you lead a high card and the next player cuts, you are the highest and you pick up. A low lead in a fresh suit is very likely to come back as a clean round.

Middle game: watching the table

4. Remember who has cut

When a player cuts, they have shown you that they hold none of that suit, and that won't change unless they pick up a pile. Make a mental note: “Bala is out of Hearts.” Leading Hearts while Bala is still to play is asking for trouble, unless your card is so low that someone else will be highest.

5. Count the suit, roughly

Each suit has 13 cards. You don't need to count perfectly. Just notice when a suit has been led several times and thrown away cleanly. If 9 Spades are gone and you hold 3, the others share only one Spade between them, so the next Spade lead will almost certainly be cut.

6. Play under the highest card when the pile is dangerous

If a suit is risky (someone is likely to cut) and a King has already been played, playing your Ace makes you the target. Play a lower card if you can and let the King's owner carry the risk. Playing later in a round is an advantage: you have seen more before you decide.

7. If you must go high, go highest

Sometimes you only hold high cards of the led suit. If you will be highest anyway, play your highest one. You carry the same risk either way, but you get rid of your most dangerous card.

After a pick-up

8. A pick-up is not the end

Picking up hurts, but you also lead the next round, and the pile often gives you a fresh short suit. Look at your new hand for a suit you can empty quickly, and start leading it. Many games are won by players who picked up once and then played carefully.

9. Don't lead the suit that was just cut

After a cut, at least one player has a void in that suit. Leading it again straight away usually gives you the next pile too.

Endgame: few players, few cards

10. Short hands win; long suits lose

Near the end, the player holding many cards of one suit is the one in danger: everyone else is void and will cut. If you can see this coming, lead that suit yourself early, while others can still follow.

11. Declare when the result is clear

When only two players are left, either one can declare: they accept being the Donkey and the other wins at once. If you hold many cards and your opponent holds one or two safe ones, declaring saves everyone time and gets the next game started. Online, you'll see a Declare button when it's allowed.

12. Ask for cards sparingly

On your turn you can ask another player for all their cards (up to 3 times per game, while three or more players still hold cards). If they accept, they are safe and their cards join your hand, so most players will say yes. It is a bold move that adds cards to your hand. Ask only when their few cards fit suits you are already strong in, or simply when you want to shake up a game that is going badly.

Quick checklist

Want proof? What 90,000 simulated games tell us puts numbers on these tips.

Try these tips in a game