Bhabhi (Getaway)♠

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Players and cards

3–8 play without partners using 52 cards, no jokers, ranked A–K–Q–J–10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2. There are no trumps. Escape from play; the final card-holder loses. This is Punjabi Getaway: the highest led-suit card’s owner picks up, not the player who ran out of that suit.

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Deal and opening

Choose first dealer randomly, then rotate left, our agreement to distribute unequal hands fairly. Shuffle and deal everything singly clockwise; a difference of 1 card is normal. Conceal hands. The A♠ holder must open with that ace. There is no stock.

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Playing a turn

The opening trick is special: everyone plays exactly one card. Follow spades if held, otherwise anything. Discard the entire opening trick face down even after an off-suit card. The A♠ holder leads again with anything.

Thereafter follow suit in turn if able, without compulsory overtaking. If void, play anything: this tochoo immediately interrupts the trick. Later players do not play. The highest card of the original suit takes every played card, including the tochoo, into its owner’s hand; that owner leads next. If all follow suit, discard the trick permanently and its highest card determines the next leader.

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Ending the game

An empty hand escapes except when entitled to the next lead. If that player’s final card is highest in an all-following trick, shuffle the old waste before adding this trick, draw 1 card blindly from it and lead that card. Escape becomes possible only after relinquishing the lead. Picking up a trick also replenishes the hand.

Before any trick you may voluntarily take the entire hand of your nearest active left neighbour; that neighbour escapes. Skip empty hands. The final card-holder loses: equal ranks cannot occur within one suit and the selected profile has no draw.

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Scoring

Tricks and ranks have no point value. For a series agree the deal count and record 1 loss for the last player; fewer losses is better and equal totals share places. Playing after a tochoo, playing out of turn or falsely discarding while holding the suit is penalised by taking the current trick and leading next.

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History and selected variant

Getaway is documented in Punjab and Bangladesh; its precise inventor and date are unknown. Bhabhi is a common name referring to a relative by marriage and used as a taunt for the loser. The neutral name Getaway changes no rules. Sources also describe other pickup procedures; do not mix them within a game.

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Worked example

After the opening trick, A leads 8♥, B plays Q♥ and C, void hearts, discards 3♣. D does not play. B must pick up 8♥, Q♥ and 3♣ because the queen is highest in hearts; B then leads. C does not collect: the discard only interrupted play.

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Common questions