Games / Baloot
Play Baloot online with friends
Call Sun or Hokum, show your projects and race your partner to 152.
- 4 players in 2 teams
- 30 to 60 minutes
- Arabic and English labels
- Bots fill empty seats
Baloot is the partnership card game played across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Four players in two teams use a 32-card deck, and each hand starts with a choice: Hokum, where the up-card's suit is trump, or Sun, with no trump at all. You play 8 tricks, collect card points, and turn them into game points. The first team to 152 wins.
This version plays the full game in your browser: both rounds of bidding, Ashkal, doubling through Three, Four and Gahwa, projects such as Sira, Fifty and Hundred, and the Baloot bonus for the king and queen of trump. The Arabic terms appear next to the English ones, and bots take any empty seat, so you can play with only one friend.
Why play Baloot here
- Sun, Hokum and Ashkal, with a second bidding round when everyone passes
- Doubling up to Gahwa, where one hand decides the match
- Projects are found and declared for you as you play your first card
- Arabic terms shown beside the English, which you can turn off
- Play to 152, a short 101, or a custom target
- Look back at the last trick at any time
How to play Baloot
Deal five cards
Four players in two teams each get 5 cards from a 32-card deck, and one card is turned face up in the middle.
Call Hokum, Sun or pass
Starting after the dealer, each player calls Hokum (the up-card's suit is trump), Sun (no trump) or passes. Sun outranks Hokum.
Finish the deal
The buyer takes the up-card and two more cards. Everyone else gets three more, so each player holds 8.
Double if you dare
The defenders may double the hand. The buyer can answer Three, the doubler Four, and the buyer Gahwa, which decides the whole match.
Play 8 tricks
Follow the suit led if you can. In Hokum you usually have to trump when you are void, and beat the best trump on the table if you can.
Count points and projects
Card points become game points: 26 per hand in Sun and 16 in Hokum. The buyers must take more than half or the defenders score the lot.
Reach 152
Hands continue with the next dealer until a team reaches the target, 152 by default.
Tips
- Think about Hokum when you hold the jack or 9 of the up-card suit. They are the two strongest trumps.
- Sun suits a hand full of aces and 10s, which carry most of the points.
- Try to win the last trick. Its 10 extra points often decide whether the buyers make it.
Screenshots
Baloot questions
How do you play Baloot?
Four players in two teams each get 5 cards and one card is turned up. Players call Hokum (that suit is trump), Sun (no trump) or pass. The buyer takes the up-card, everyone is dealt up to 8, and you play 8 tricks, following suit when you can. Card points become game points, and the first team to 152 wins.
What is the difference between Sun and Hokum in Baloot?
Hokum means a suit is trump, normally the up-card's suit, and in that suit the jack and 9 are the top cards. Sun means there is no trump and the ace and 10 are highest. Sun outranks Hokum in the bidding and a Sun hand is worth 26 game points against 16 for Hokum.
What is Gahwa in Baloot?
Gahwa is the last step of doubling in a Hokum hand. The defenders double, the buyer can answer Three, the doubler Four, and the buyer Gahwa. A Gahwa hand is scored at four times its value and the team that wins it wins the whole match. Sun can only be doubled once.
What are projects in Baloot?
Projects are bonus combinations in your 8 cards. Sira is three in a row in one suit, Fifty is four, and Hundred is five or more, or four 10s, kings, queens or jacks. Four aces in Sun make a Four Hundred. The game declares your projects for you, and only the team with the best project scores.
How many points do you need to win Baloot?
The standard target is 152 points. The host can also choose a short game to 101 or set a custom target. If both teams pass the target on the same hand, the higher total wins, and a Gahwa hand ends the match at once.
Can I play Baloot with fewer than four people?
Yes. Baloot needs four seats, but bots fill any that are empty and follow the same rules. You can play with one friend as partners against two bots, or practice alone with three bots.
Is Baloot free here, and can I play on my phone?
Yes to both. The game is free, runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers, and needs no download or account. Share the table code or link and friends join from any device. Signing in with an email is optional.