Judgement (Kachuful) rules and score sheet
Judgement is the Indian family favourite where you call exactly how many hands you'll win. Here's how to play, how to score, and a scorecard that does the maths.
Why it's called Kachuful
The name comes from the trump order used round by round: Kaali (Spades), Chukat (Diamonds), Fulli (Clubs) and Laal (Hearts). The trump suit moves to the next one every round.
How to play Judgement
- Deal. In the first round, deal as many cards as everyone can get equally, often 7 or 8. Each later round has one card fewer, down to 1. Some groups then go back up.
- Set the trump. Spades in round 1, then Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, and repeat.
- Call your hands. Starting left of the dealer, each player says how many hands (tricks) they will win. The dealer calls last.
- Last-caller rule. The dealer can't make the total calls equal the number of cards dealt. That way at least one player must miss.
- Play. Follow the suit that was led if you can. The highest card of the led suit wins, unless a trump is played. Then the highest trump wins. The winner of each hand leads the next.
How Judgement scoring works
| Result | Standard scoring |
|---|---|
| Win exactly what you called | 10 + your call |
| Call 0 and win 0 | 10 |
| Win more or fewer than you called | 0 |
Example round (5 cards, trump Hearts)
| Player | Called | Won | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asha | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Ravi | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Meera | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Kiran (dealer) | 1 | 1 | 11 |
The calls add up to 4, not 5, so the dealer's call was allowed.
Scoring varies a lot between families. Common house rules are 10 × your call for a hit, minus 10 for each hand you're off, or a zero call worth the number of cards dealt. 1-0 lets you set the hit, miss and zero-call rules separately and save them as your own game.
Common questions
Is Kachuful the same as Judgement?
Yes. Kachuful, Judgement and Oh Hell are names for the same calling game. Kachuful comes from the Hindi names of the four trump suits.
Why can't the dealer's call make the total equal the cards?
It guarantees that at least one player misses, which keeps every round competitive. It's often called the dealer's or last-caller rule.
How many rounds are there in Judgement?
Usually one round for each card count from the starting number down to 1, for example 7 rounds starting at 7 cards. Some groups go back up again.
What do you score for calling zero in Judgement?
In standard scoring a successful zero call scores 10. Some families give the number of cards dealt instead. Choose your rule in the scorecard.