Persian Card Game Guide: Pasur, Hokm and Iranian Classics

Pasur is the classic two-player Persian fishing card game: play one card at a time, capture number cards that make 11, collect clubs and special cards, and score a Sur when a non-Jack capture clears the table. If someone is looking for a Persian card game for two people, Pasur is usually the best place to start.

Persian card-game culture is broader than one game, though. Hokm is the best-known four-player partnership game, while Shelem adds bidding and a more demanding scoring system. All three use familiar playing cards, but the decisions feel completely different.

Persian card games at a glance

Game	Best player count	Main mechanism	Best for
Pasur (پاسور)	2	Capture cards from a shared pool	Two people, beginners, family play
Hokm (حکم)	4	Partnership trick-taking with a trump suit	Four committed players
Shelem (شلم)	3 or 4	Bidding, contracts, and trick-taking	Experienced groups and longer sessions

The word “pasur” can also mean playing cards more generally in everyday Persian. Context matters: asking to bring a deck of pasur may mean the cards themselves, while asking to play Pasur usually means the specific game described here.

What is Pasur?

Pasur, also written Pâsur or Pasoor and sometimes called Chahar Barg or Haft Khaj, is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player receives four cards, and four cards begin face-up in a shared pool.

Number cards capture when the played card and one or more pool cards total exactly 11. A 7 captures a 4; a 7 can also capture an Ace and a 3. Kings capture Kings, Queens capture Queens, and a Jack captures every pool card except Kings and Queens.

Clearing the pool with a non-Jack capture creates a Sur worth 5 points, except on the final deal. At the end of the round, players also score for:

• Haft Khaj, the majority of clubs with at least seven clubs: 7 points
• 10 of Diamonds: 3 points
• 2 of Clubs: 2 points
• Each Ace: 1 point
• Each Jack: 1 point
• Each net Sur: 5 points

The first player to 62 points wins. Read the complete Pasur rules, use the visual beginner guide, or learn through the interactive tutorial.

What is Hokm?

Hokm is a four-player partnership trick-taking game. Partners sit opposite each other, one suit becomes trump, and teams compete to win tricks. The player who selects trump is the hakem, or ruler.

Hokm is closer in structure to Whist or Spades than to Pasur. There is no shared pool and no rule about making 11. It rewards partnership awareness, tracking the trump suit, and reading which cards remain.

Choose Hokm when four players already know the basics and want a team game. Choose Pasur when there are only two people or when a group wants something a new player can begin quickly.

What is Shelem?

Shelem is a bidding and trick-taking game usually played by three or four people. Players bid for a contract before play, then try to take enough value in tricks to fulfill it. The bidding layer makes Shelem more demanding to teach than Pasur or a casual round of Hokm.

It suits an experienced group that wants a longer, calculation-heavy card session. For a mixed-age family table or a quick two-player game, Pasur has a gentler entry point.

Which Persian card game should you learn first?

Start with Pasur if:

• Only two people are available.
• You want to learn with a normal 52-card deck.
• You prefer visible tactics around a shared pool.
• You want a game that can be paused and resumed.

Start with Hokm if exactly four people want a partnership game. Try Shelem after the group is comfortable with trick-taking and wants bidding and contracts.

How to begin Pasur in five minutes

1. Deal four cards to each player and four face-up to the pool.
2. Take turns playing one card.
3. Capture number cards when the total with your played card is 11.
4. Match Kings with Kings and Queens with Queens.
5. Use a Jack to collect every non-King and non-Queen pool card.
6. Count Haft Khaj, special cards, and Surs after all six deals.

The interactive Pasur tutorial lets you practice those decisions without an account. When the sequence makes sense, play Pasur online against the computer or invite a friend from the homepage.

Persian card-game terms worth knowing

• Sur (سور): a scoring sweep that clears the Pasur pool.
• Haft Khaj (هفت خاج): the 7-point majority-of-clubs bonus.
• Sarbaz (سرباز): Jack.
• Bibi (بی‌بی): Queen.
• Shah (شاه): King.
• Hokm (حکم): a trump suit, a decree, and the name of the partnership game.

The Persian card-game glossary explains the table vocabulary and common spellings in more detail.

The short answer

If you searched for “Persian card game” because you want a game to play now, choose Pasur for two players and Hokm for four. Pasur is the easiest online starting point: the rules are visible, each turn has one card, and the central idea—make 11—is easy to remember while still leaving room for strategy.