Thulla (also called Bhabhi) is a shedding game: get rid of every card in your hand and avoid being the last one holding. Follow suit when you can — and dodge the dreaded pile, because the player who can’t will scoop it all up.
Be among the first to play out all of your cards. You never want to be the player left holding cards at the end — that player loses the game. The trick is to shed your cards without ever getting stuck collecting the pile.
Shuffle one standard deck and deal all 52 cards out as evenly as possible among the players.
Players may look at their own hands but keep them hidden from everyone else.
2 is the lowest card, running up through 10, then J, Q, K, A — the Ace is the highest.
Whoever holds the Ace of Spades will start the game and must play the Ace of Spades.
The player with the Ace of Spades opens the game and must play the Ace of Spades.
Going clockwise, each player must follow suit — play a card of the same suit that was led.
Once everyone has followed, whoever laid the highest card of the led suit leads the next turn.
Thulla! If you can’t follow suit, play any card you like. The player who had laid the highest card of the led suit must pick up the entire pile.
Play continues turn after turn until only one player still has cards in hand.
Playing your final card doesn’t always get you out — it depends on how many players are left:
Three or more players left: play your last card and you are out and safe, even if it is the highest of the turn. The next-highest card in that turn leads the next turn.
Only two players left: if your last card is higher than your opponent’s, you are not out yet — you pick a random card from your opponent’s hand and lead it.
That repeats until one of you is stuck: take a thulla and you pick up the pile and lose, or your opponent finally plays the higher card and, as the last player holding cards, they lose.
There are no running points — only finishing order:
As soon as you play your last card, you are "out" and safe, in the order you finished.
The single player left holding cards loses the game.
Across a session, the player who loses the fewest games comes out on top.
Shed your high cards early while a suit is still "safe" to lead.
Hang on to a low card in a suit so you can dodge the pile when a thulla lands.
Watch which suits opponents have run out of — that’s where a thulla is coming.
Late in the game, count cards: forcing the lead onto a stuck player wins it for everyone else.
Now that you know the rules, jump into a live table and put them to work.