How to play
Rules of Kadi as enforced by the server
Kadi is a Kenyan shedding card game for 2 to 10 players, played with a standard 52-card deck plus optional Jokers. You win by being the first to play every card in your hand, having declared "Niko Kadi" before your final card.
Poka is the digital version of Kadi, a Kenyan card game for 2 to 10 players using a standard 52-card deck (and optional Jokers).
- Match the top discard by suit or value.
- 4 5 6 7 9 10 are Answers. Play and end the turn.
- 8, Q are Questions. Need an Answer of the same suit on the same turn.
- J = Jump (skip next player). K = Kickback (reverse direction).
- 2, 3, Joker are Penalties. Next player draws 2/3/5 unless they counter.
- A (Ace) is wild. Play on any card and declare the next suit. Can also answer a Question or block a penalty stack.
- Before your final card, click the amber Niko Kadi! pill.
Cards fall into six roles. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 are Answers that play normally. 8 and Q are Questions that need an Answer of the same suit. J jumps the next player, K kicks back the direction of play, 2, 3 and Joker are penalties, and the Ace is wild.
Card types
Why are Aces wild?
An Ace can be played on any card. When you play one, the app prompts you to declare the suit the next player must match. Aces are also the only card you can't finish on. Keep one in reserve for when you're stuck, but don't expect to win with it.
How do Question and Answer cards pair up?
A Question card (8 or Q) cannot be the last card on the discard at the end of your turn. Pair it with an Answer of the same suit on the same turn.
- Q♥ → 5♥. Queen of hearts followed by a hearts Answer. Works.
- 8♥ → Q♥ → 5♥. Chain Questions of the same suit, then close.
- Q♥ → A♦. An Ace always answers (and lets you declare the next suit).
- Q♥ → Joker. Jokers count as an Answer too (if enabled).
- Q♥ → 8♠. Questions only chain on suit.
Playing a Question alone (no Answer) is legal, but you'll draw 1 as a penalty. If the host enables Penalty as Answer, a 2 or 3 of the matching suit also counts.
Resolve any incoming penalty, jump or kickback first, then play one or more cards matching the top of the discard pile by suit or value. If you cannot play anything, you draw one card from the deck.
Anatomy of a turn
- Resolve any incoming effect. Penalty, jump, or kickback on the table? Counter it, absorb it, or block it.
- Play one or more cards. Each must chain by suit, value, special pairing, or be an Ace.
- Draw if you can't play. Draw one from the deck. If it's playable you may play it immediately.
How do penalty chains work?
Penalties stack. Faced with one, you have four options:
- Counter. Play another penalty matching the top suit. The chain grows and the next player faces the larger stack.
- Block with an Ace. An Ace clears the penalty stack. You then declare the next suit as usual.
- Absorb. Draw cards equal to the chain (or just the top card, depending on the host's Penalty Draw Rule).
- Block with a special. Only when Bomb ni Bomb is enabled. Any penalty can be played out of turn to intercept.
Joker penalty color rule (if Joker Color Match is on): red Joker only stacks on ♥/♦, black Joker only on ♣/♠.
What are Jump and Kickback?
A Jack skips the next player. A King reverses direction. Both can be stacked: two Jacks skip two players, two Kings reverse twice.
When someone plays a Jump/Kickback on you
You'll see a counter prompt with the pending stack size (e.g. Skip×2). Two responses:
- Counter. Play your own Jack (against a Jump) or King (against a Kickback) of any suit. The stack grows and passes on.
- Accept. Tap Accept skip to eat the effect. Your turn is skipped or direction flips, and play continues.
You can also cancel the effect on your own turn by playing a matching-suit card on top before the counter window opens.
"Niko Kadi" is Swahili for "I have Kadi", and it is the declaration you make while you still hold cards, before playing your last one. If you try to finish without declaring first, the play is rejected.
Niko Kadi! The declaration
Before you can win, you must declare "Niko Kadi" ("I have Kadi"). The amber pill in the table area is the in-game equivalent of shouting it at a physical table.
- The Kadi button shows up whenever you still have cards and haven't yet declared.
- Once declared, it turns into a locked badge that everyone can see.
- Opponents see a K! badge over your avatar.
- If you try to finish without declaring first, the play is rejected.
How do you win a round?
You win the instant you legally play your last card after declaring Kadi. The specifics depend on the host's Finish with One Card setting:
- On (default): you can finish on a single non-Question, non-Ace card.
- Off: finishing requires an Answer card on top of any setup. Single-card finishes are not allowed.
The host sets seven options before the game starts: initial hand size, Bomb ni Bomb, the penalty draw rule, whether Jokers are in the deck, Joker colour matching, finishing with one card, and whether penalty cards can answer Questions.
Hosted settings
Each option is wired through to real game behavior.
- Initial Hand
- How many cards each player is dealt at the start. Default 4, and the host can set anything from 3 to 15.
- Bomb ni Bomb
- When on, penalty cards can be played any time, not just on top of another penalty.
- Penalty Draw Rule
- Cumulative: drawing absorbs the sum of every stacked penalty. Long chains hurt.
Top Card Only: drawing resolves only the most recent penalty. - Enable Jokers
- Adds 2 Jokers (one red, one black). Each is a +5 penalty.
- Joker Color Match
- Red Joker on ♥/♦ only · Black Joker on ♣/♠ only. Only meaningful when Jokers are enabled.
- Finish with One Card
- When on, you can win while holding exactly one card if it's a legal finisher.
- Penalty as Answer
- When on, 2s and 3s of the same suit can answer Question cards.
A worked example of the first six turns of a two-player game on default settings, showing which card to play each turn and the reasoning behind it.
Two players, default settings, you go first. The discard shows 6♣.
Your hand: 4♣ 7♠ 8♥ Q♥ K♣ A♦ 2♦
Turn 1, you
You have 4♣ and K♣. Kings reverse direction; in a 2-player game that just sends the turn back to you. Useful, but save it. Play 4♣.
Turn 2, opponent
Nothing matches 4♣. They draw and end their turn.
Turn 3, you
Top is still 4♣. Play A♦ and declare suit Diamonds. Aces are always legal.
Turn 4, opponent
They have 9♦ and play it.
Turn 5, you
Play 2♦, a penalty. Opponent must counter with a penalty of diamonds, or draw 2.
Turn 6, opponent
No penalties of diamonds, so they draw 2 cards.
Two habits this teaches: keep Aces for when you're stuck, and don't burn a King early in a 2-player game.
A table seats 2 to 10 players. New games default to a maximum of 8, and the host can set both the minimum and the maximum before the game starts.
The discard pile is shuffled back into the draw deck, apart from the card currently face up on top, and play continues. A game cannot stall because the deck emptied.
Yes. The host can add bot players to a lobby, so you can play a full table on your own or fill the empty seats while you wait for friends to arrive.
Yes. Poka runs in the browser and is free to play. There is nothing to download, install or buy.
No. You can create a guest player and start playing straight away. Signing in is optional, and when you do, your existing guest player carries over rather than being replaced.
Kadi uses a standard 52-card deck rather than a custom one, and it adds two mechanics UNO does not have: Question cards (8 and Q) that must be answered with a card of the same suit on the same turn, and the "Niko Kadi" declaration you must make before playing your final card.
You cannot play out your hand on a Question card (8 or Q) or on an Ace. Your final card has to be an Answer, which is why holding an Ace back as an escape card is useful but never wins the round for you.
Yes. Poka runs in any modern mobile browser and the table is laid out for phone screens. There is no app to install.
You cannot win by accident. If you try to play your last card without having declared Niko Kadi first, the server rejects the play and the card stays in your hand.