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Official Getaway (Bhabhi) Rules
Here are the rules for Getaway, also sometimes known as Bhabhi (an offensive term meaning "brother's wife"). It comes from the Punjab region of India and is also popular in Bangladesh. Here's how to play:
Objective
The goal of Getaway is to be the first player to discard all your cards. The last player remaining with cards is the loser and is sometimes called "Bhabhi" (offensive term) which translates to "brother's wife."
Setup
1. Shuffle and Deal: Shuffle the deck well and deal all the cards face down to each player, one at a time. Some players might end up with one more card than others due to uneven dealing.
2. Discard Pile: Place an empty deck or discard pile in the center of the playing area.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns, moving clockwise around the table. Here's what happens on each turn:
Lead Suit: The player who holds the Ace of Spades starts the game by playing it face up to the discard pile. This establishes Spades as the "lead suit" for the first trick.
Playing a Card: On your turn, you must try to play a card face up onto the discard pile. You have two options:
Follow Suit (if possible): If the top card on the discard pile establishes a suit (e.g., Spades from the Ace of Spades lead), you must play a card of the same suit (Spades) from your hand if you have one.
Play Any Card (if can't follow suit): If you cannot or don't want to play a card that follows the current suit, you can play any card from your hand. This ends the current trick (round) and establishes a new lead suit for the next trick.
Winning the Trick: The card played that has the highest rank of the leading suit wins the trick. Cards rank from high to low: Ace (highest), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (lowest). If no cards of the leading suit were played (because someone couldn't follow suit), then the highest card of any suit played wins the trick.
Leading the Next Trick: The winner of the trick (the player who played the highest card of the leading suit) gets to start the next trick by leading with any card from their hand. This establishes a new lead suit for the next round.
Special Case - Ace of Spades:
The Ace of Spades is always the highest card in the game, regardless of the leading suit. So, if someone leads with another suit, and you have the Ace of Spades, you can play it to win the trick, even though it doesn't follow the suit that was led.
Getting Away:
A player is considered to have "gotten away" when they discard their last card. They are no longer required to participate in the game but can stay and watch the remaining players.
Winning the Game
The first player to discard all their cards wins the game!
The last player remaining with cards in their hand is the loser and is sometimes referred to as "Bhabhi".
Notes/Variations
Optional Rule: Shuffle after the discard pile is empty. If the discard pile is empty and a player cannot follow suit, they must draw one card from the deck before discarding another card from their hand.
The key to Getaway is to try to play cards that follow the leading suit whenever possible to avoid ending your turn and potentially giving other players an advantage. Also, strategically discard lower-ranking cards to get rid of them first. Be careful not to get stuck with the high cards at the end!
