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How to play Hoşkin: step by step from deal to score
Follow one Hoşkin round in order, from setting the table and bidding through trump choice and final scoring.
This guide follows the phases a new player sees at the table. You do not need to memorize every score immediately; first learn when each decision happens and which rules the server applies to it.
1. Table and deal
Four players form two partner teams. The canonical 80-card deck is shuffled, and each player receives 20 cards in five-card packets. A card is visible only to its owner. In an online private room, the host starts the game, but the server controls the deal and all later state.
2. Enter the bidding
The active-player indicator moves with the bidding turn. On your turn, bid at least 550, raise the current amount by an allowed step, or pass. Passing is permanent for that auction. When the other eligible players have passed, the highest valid bid becomes the contract.
3. Choose trump and declare
The contract winner chooses one of four suits as trump. Players then expose valid combinations. A normal marriage is 20, a trump marriage is 40, and the trump run is 150; Pinik and rank sets follow their own canonical tables. The interface should offer only combinations that actually validate.
4. Play a legal card
The leader plays a card. If you hold the led suit, you must follow it. If you do not and you hold trump, you must play trump. The server validates your chosen card, then determines the trick winner from the rank order and trump relationship.
5. Close and read the round
The round finishes after every player's 20 cards are gone. Won card points, validated declarations, and the 20-point last-trick bonus are combined. If the contract team misses its amount, the contract value is applied as a penalty. New rounds continue until the chosen target score is reached.
In your first round, watch the turn indicator, legal-card cues, and end-of-round breakdown. When a result surprises you, revisit only the relevant deck, bidding, declaration, or scoring guide.