Taash Baithak › Court Piece › Court Piece vs Hokm vs Spades
Court Piece vs Hokm vs Spades: what is the difference?
Updated 25 October 2026
If you have played Spades in the West or Hokm in Iran, Court Piece will feel familiar: four players, two teams sitting opposite each other, 13 tricks and a trump suit. But the details change the game a lot. Here is how the three compare.
At a glance
| Court Piece (Rung) | Hokm | Spades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played mostly in | Pakistan, India | Iran | USA and online |
| Players | 4, two teams | 4, two teams (also 2 and 3-player versions) | 4, two teams |
| Trump | Chosen by one player after seeing 5 cards | Chosen by the "hakem" after seeing 5 cards | Always spades |
| Bidding | No | No | Yes, each player bids tricks |
| Goal of a deal | Collect 7 of 13 tricks | Win 7 of 13 tricks | Make your team's bid |
| Big win | Court (all 13), Wattu (3 Courts in a row) | Kot (all 7 tricks before the other team wins one) | Bags and nil bids change the score |
Court Piece and Hokm: close cousins
Court Piece and Hokm are very similar. In both, one player sees five cards, names trump, and the team that takes seven tricks wins the deal. The big difference in Court Piece is the middle pile: won tricks stay in the middle until one player wins two in a row, and only then are they collected. That one rule creates fights over every pile and makes Court Piece feel very different in play. Full Court Piece rules.
Spades: bidding instead of choosing trump
In Spades the trump never changes. Instead, every player bids how many tricks they expect to win, and scoring depends on making that bid. It is a game of careful counting. Court Piece is more about the moment: who picks trump, and who wins two tricks in a row.
Which one should you play?
- If you grew up in Pakistan or India, Court Piece is the one your family knows.
- If you like bidding and exact scoring, try Spades.
- If you love fights over every trick, Court Piece's middle pile is hard to beat.
Court Piece is free to play on Taash Baithak with friends or against the AI. Read our Court Piece strategy guide.
Questions
Is Court Piece the same as Hokm?
They are very close: both have four players in two teams, trump chosen after five cards, and seven tricks to win. Court Piece adds the middle-pile rule, where tricks are collected only after one player wins two in a row.
Is Court Piece like Spades?
Both are four-player partnership trick-taking games, but in Spades the trump is always spades and players bid tricks. Court Piece has no bidding; one player chooses trump.