Getaway: the English name for Bhabhi, Thulla and Laad
Every name for the game, in English
The game has a different name in almost every region, but only one English name. Whatever you call it at home, the English is Getaway.
| Name you know | Where you hear it | What the word means | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhabhi | North India, Pakistan | “Brother’s wife” (Hindi, Punjabi) | Getaway |
| Thulla | Punjab, Delhi, Pakistan | “Police” (slang); strictly, the off-suit card | Getaway |
| Laad | Gujarat, Rajasthan | Regional name | Getaway |
| Bhabho | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana | Regional form of Bhabhi | Getaway |
| Kazhutha | Kerala | “Donkey” (Malayalam) | Getaway, or Donkey |
| Kalutai | Tamil Nadu | “Donkey” (Tamil) | Getaway, or Donkey |
The one name that does not translate to Getaway is Donkey, because English already uses it for an unrelated children’s game. When someone says “Donkey”, ask whether cards are played to a trick (this game) or passed around until someone collects four of a kind (the other one).
Where the name comes from
“Getaway” describes the goal rather than the punishment. Every other name for this game is built around the loser — bhabhi, donkey, kazhutha — but the English name is built around what everyone is actually trying to do: escape. Play your last card and you have got away.
It is the name used by Pagat, the standard online reference for card game rules, and the one most common among UK, US and Canadian players who learned the game in English rather than in Hindi, Punjabi or Gujarati.
The full rules
Setup. One standard 52-card deck, three to six players. Deal every card out clockwise, one at a time. Hands may be uneven — that’s expected.
The lead. Whoever holds the Ace of Spades plays it to start. After that, the winner of each trick leads the next and may choose any suit.
Following. Whoever starts a round plays any card they like, and its suit is the one everyone owes. You must then play a card of that suit if you hold one; holding several, you choose freely which. If everybody follows it, nobody takes anything — all those cards are set aside, permanently out of the game, and whoever played the highest of them starts the next round.
Failing to follow. No cards of that suit? Play anything. The round ends there and then, skipping everyone after you, and whoever played the highest card of the original suit picks the whole pile up into their hand.
Getting away. Play your final card and you are out of the round, safe. Everyone else keeps going. When only one player still holds cards, that player has failed to get away and loses the round.
One edge case worth agreeing before you start: if your last card is the highest of the round, you would have to start the next round with an empty hand. Some tables let you get away regardless; others make you draw a card from the discard pile or from the next player’s hand. The full rules page lists the variants.
Not to be confused with
“Getaway” occasionally gets used for unrelated games, and this one is specifically the trick-based shedding game in the Bhabhi family. If the game you’re thinking of involves collecting four of a kind and touching your nose, that’s a different game called Donkey.