Mindi Glossary

Card game terms, explained

Every Mindi table has its own slang, and the same idea can have a Hindi, Gujarati, or Marathi name. This glossary explains the key terms in Mindi (Mendikot / Dehla Pakad) so you can follow any game. New to the names? Start with the Mindi Variants guide.

Mindialso: Ten, Dehla

The four Tens (10s) of the deck — the scoring cards the whole game revolves around. Capturing tricks that contain Mindis is how you win a round. The game itself is named after these cards."I saved my trump to grab the last Mindi."

Mendikotalso: Mendi Coat, Mendicot, Mendi

Both a name for the game and the result of winning all four Tens in a single round — a clean 4-0 sweep. Common across Maharashtra and Gujarat. See the full name breakdown on the Mindi Variants guide."They swept every Ten — that's a Mendikot."

Dehla Pakadalso: Dehlapakad

A regional name for the same game, common across North India. Literally "catch the tens" (dehla = ten, pakad = catch) — which is exactly the objective of Mindi.

Trumpalso: Hukum, Rang, Tarup

The commanding suit for a round. Any trump card beats any card of the three normal suits. Choosing and managing the trump is the heart of Mindi strategy."Hearts are trump, so my low heart beat their Ace of spades."

Katte (Cut)also: Kaat, Cut mode

A trump mode where the trump suit is not fixed up front — it is revealed mid-hand when a player who cannot follow the led suit "cuts" by asking for the hidden trump card to be turned. Adds suspense and bluffing.

Show / Hidealso: Open trump / Closed trump

The alternative to Katte. In Show, the trump suit is declared openly at the start; in Hide, one card is set aside face-down as the trump and revealed later. Determines how much information players have early.

Trickalso: Hand, Haath

One round of play where each of the four players plays a single card. The highest card of the led suit — or the highest trump if any were played — wins the trick and its four cards.

Partnershipalso: Team, Jodi

Mindi is played 2-vs-2. Partners sit opposite each other and pool their captured Tens. You cannot see your partner's cards, so you signal intent through the cards you play.

Coatalso: Kot, Whitewash

A sweep result where one team takes everything (all four Tens), leaving the other with none. "Mendi Coat" is the sweep version of Mendikot; some tables score it double.

Sar

A term from Court Piece (Rang), Mindi's cousin, where a "Sar" is a hand/trick counted toward victory. Noted here because players often confuse the two games — Court Piece counts Sars, Mindi counts Tens.