Teen Patti – Rules

Play Teen Patti against the computer

1. Overview

What is it about? Teen Patti is India's most popular card game, especially around the festival of Diwali. Everyone gets three cards. You can play “blind”, without looking at your cards, and pay only half the stake. A player who knows their cards (“seen”) pays twice as much. In the end the last two players compare hands.

2. Cards and material

• Pack: 52 French cards without jokers.
• Card ranking: A (high), K, Q, J, 10 … 2.
• Hand ranking (high → low):

• Sequences: A-K-Q is the highest, A-2-3 the second highest.
• Chips: On cardgames.zone there is never any real money involved.

3. Preparation and start

1. Boot: Everyone pays a fixed ante into the pot.
2. Deal: Everyone gets 3 cards face down.
3. Blind or seen: Everyone decides whether to look at their cards.
4. Start: The player left of the dealer begins.

Start example: The boot is 10 chips. You don't look at your cards and play blind.

4. Goal and winning

• Hand: Whoever is the only one left, or has the best hand at the show, wins the pot.
• Game: After an agreed number of hands, the player with the most chips wins.
• Equal hands: With completely equal hands, the player who asked for the show loses.

5. Play in detail

Betting.

1. Blind: pays at least the current stake (chaal) and may raise to double.
2. Seen: pays at least double the current stake and may raise to four times.
3. Pack: fold; your bets are lost.
4. A blind player may look at their cards at any time – from then on they're “seen”.

Side show. A seen player may ask the previous seen player for a comparison. They may refuse. If they accept, both hands are compared privately; the weaker one packs.

Show. When only two players remain, either may ask for a show (at the normal stake). Then the hands are revealed.

Example with Players 1 to 4. Boot 10, current stake 10. Order: Player 2, 3, 4, 1.

1. Player 2 plays blind and bets 10. Player 3 looks at his cards and bets 20 (seen = double).
2. Player 4 looks at his cards: just a high queen – he packs.
3. Player 1 plays blind and bets 10.
4. Player 2 looks at his cards and packs. Now only Players 3 and 1 remain.
5. Player 3 asks for a show and pays 20. Blind, Player 1 holds 6-7-8 of hearts – a pure sequence. Player 3 has a pair of aces. Player 1 wins the pot.

6. Scoring

• There are no points, only chips.
• Pot: goes to the winner of the hand.
• Pot limit (variant): If the pot reaches a maximum, a show happens automatically.

7. Special rules and situations

• Blind against seen: A seen player always pays twice as much as a blind one.
• Show only with two: With more players there's only the side show.
• A blind player can't ask for a side show.
• Everyone packs: The last player wins without showing their cards.
• Common mistakes: confusing sequence and color (the sequence is higher!); looking at your cards too soon.

8. Variants

Standard in this description: 3 cards, boot, blind and seen stakes, show with two players.

When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you play against up to five opponents with 500 or 1000 starting chips for 8, 15 or 30 hands.

9. Tips for beginners

1. Blind play is cheap: Especially early in a hand it saves chips.
2. Know the hands: A sequence beats a color – unlike poker.
3. Packing is allowed: With just one high card, get out.
4. Use the side show: It tells you whether an opponent is stronger.
5. Watch others: A player staying blind for long could hold anything.
6. Manage chips: Never bet everything on one hand.
7. Down to two: Ask for the show when the pot is big enough.

10. Summary in 10 steps

1. 52 cards, everyone pays the boot.
2. 3 cards face down each.
3. Play blind or look at your cards.
4. Blind: single stake; seen: double stake.
5. Call, raise or pack.
6. Side show: comparison with the previous seen player.
7. Two left: show.
8. Trail > pure sequence > sequence > color > pair > high card.
9. Best hand or last player wins the pot.
10. At the end, count the chips.

11. Frequently asked questions

What is the best hand?

Three aces (trail of aces).

Is the sequence higher than the color?

Yes. Three cards in sequence are rarer than three of one suit.

Why do seen players pay double?

They have an information advantage – so it costs more.

What is a side show?

A private comparison between two seen players; the weaker one must pack.

Is Teen Patti allowed without money?

Yes, with play chips it's an ordinary family game. On cardgames.zone there is never any real money involved.

How long does a hand take?

One to three minutes.

Origin & history

Derived from the English Three Card Brag, which reached India in colonial times. A fixture of family gatherings around Diwali; today played massively in apps.