Hokm strategy

Choose trumps on length

With only five cards to go on, count suits rather than high cards. Four small hearts make a better trump suit than the ace and king of spades, because a suit you hold four of is one the others are short in.

With two suits of equal length, choose the one with the higher cards.

As hakem, draw trumps

You lead the first trick, and with a long trump suit the best start is usually to lead trumps until the opponents have none. Every trump they lose is a trick of yours they can no longer ruff.

With a short or weak trump suit, cash your aces in the side suits first, before someone is void in them.

Make voids, then ruff

Because there is no obligation to trump, a void is a choice: when a suit is led that you do not have, you may ruff it or throw away a low card. Ruff when the trick matters; throw low when your partner is already winning.

Get rid of a short side suit early so you can trump it later.

Do not waste high cards on your partner

When your partner is winning the trick, play your lowest card. Throwing a king onto a trick your side already has wastes a card that could win one of its own.

When the opponents are winning, beat them as cheaply as you can, or throw your lowest card if you cannot.

Count to seven

The hand ends at seven tricks, so you do not need to win everything — only seven. When your side has six, the next trick is the hand; when the other side has six, every trick is a fight.

Count the trumps as they fall. There are thirteen, and knowing how many are left tells you when your aces are safe.