What is Dehla Pakad?
Dehla Pakad (also spelled Delha Pakkad or Dehlo Pakad) is a four-player partnership trick-taking card game from the Indian subcontinent. Two teams of two compete to capture the four 10s in a standard 52-card deck.
How many players do you need?
Exactly four, in two fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. You can also play solo online against three AI opponents.
Why are the tens so important?
The four 10s are the only cards that score. Winning tricks matters only because it lets you capture the tens inside them. The team that collects more tens wins the hand.
Is the 10 a high card in Dehla Pakad?
No. The 10 keeps its natural rank between the Jack and the 9, so a Jack, Queen, King or Ace of the same suit beats it. It is valuable to capture, not powerful to play.
How is the trump suit chosen?
It is not chosen — it is revealed during play. Everyone is dealt five cards and play begins with no trump at all. The first player who cannot follow the led suit sets it: whatever suit they play becomes trump for the rest of the hand, and the remaining eight cards are dealt to everyone at the end of that trick. If nobody goes off-suit in the opening tricks, the rest is dealt anyway and the hand runs without trump. Some groups instead have the first player call trump aloud from their opening five; Taash uses the revealed version.
Do you have to follow suit?
Yes. You must play a card of the led suit if you hold one. Only when you are void in that suit may you play a trump or discard another card.
How do you win a round, and how do you win the match?
A round pays according to how the four tens split, and the losing team scores nothing: 2–2 pays 20 to whichever team won more of the 13 tricks, 3–1 pays 30, and taking all four tens is a sweep worth 80. The first team to 100 points wins the match, so a match usually runs two to five rounds.
Is a 2–2 tens split a draw?
No. When the tens split 2–2 the round is decided on trick count, and it cannot be tied because 13 tricks is an odd number — one team always won more. That round is worth 20 points.
What is the back-to-back variant of Dehla Pakad?
It is a second ruleset you can pick when you make a table on Taash. Winning a trick is not enough to collect its tens: tricks stack up in the middle, and you take the pile only by winning two tricks in a row yourself. Your partner winning in between does not continue your run — the streak belongs to a player, not a team. Whoever wins the last trick of the round takes whatever is still sitting in the middle.
In the back-to-back variant, does my partner's win continue my streak?
No, and that is the whole point of the rule. The two tricks must be won by the same person. If you win a trick and your partner wins the next one, nobody collects — both tricks stay in the middle and your partner now needs a win of their own to follow it up.
Does the back-to-back variant change how rounds are scored?
No. Rounds are still worth 20, 30 or 80 depending on how the four tens split, and the match is still the first team to 100. Tricks also still count for the team that won them at the moment they win them, so a 2–2 round is still settled on trick count. Only the tens wait to be caught.
What are the other names for Dehla Pakad?
Dehla Pakad, Delha Pakkad, Dehlo Pakad, Dhela Pakad, and the descriptive nickname 'catch the tens' or 'catch tens'. In Maharashtra and Gujarat the same game is usually called Mendikot (also spelled Mendicot). 'Dehla' means ten, so most of these names are simply 'catch the ten' in different transliterations. It is closely related to Court Piece and Rung.
Is Dehla Pakad the same as Mendikot?
Yes — Mendikot (Mendicot) is the name used for the game in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and it is played the same way: four players in two partnerships, and the team capturing the majority of the four tens wins the hand. Local house rules differ slightly in how trump is settled and in what winning all four tens is worth, but it is the same game.
Is Dehla Pakad the same as Court Piece or Rung?
They are close cousins in the same trick-taking family, though Court Piece and Rung have a player call trump while Dehla Pakad lets it be revealed in play. The goal differs too. Court Piece and Rung are about winning sets of tricks ('hands'); Dehla Pakad is specifically about capturing the four tens.
Can I play Dehla Pakad online for free?
Yes. This site lets you create a private room, share the code with three friends, and play in the browser at no cost — or start a solo game against AI opponents.
How long does a game take?
A single round of 13 tricks takes about 5–10 minutes, and often less — a round ends as soon as its result is settled, which is frequently before the cards run out. A full match to 100 points usually runs two to five rounds, so 20–40 minutes.