It is said that teen patti is one of the easiest card games to master as the basic rules are fairly simple to explain and grasp. But no game is easy if you’ve never tried it before. That’s why today we’re going to go through teen patti rules together and hopefully help you out with the basics if you decide to give the game a go.
What Is Teen Patti and What's the Objective of the Game?
First things first; what is teen patti?
Teen patti is a three-card game that is sometimes thought of as “simplified poker”. It is played using a standard 52-card deck with no jokers and the number of teen patti players is typically between three and six.
Teen patti has a very simple objective: have the best hand compared to other players and thus win the pot. Not that different from poker or online poker, is it?
Well, we’ll get to that soon enough.
A Brief History of Teen Patti
Teen patti is said to have originated in India and has remained popular in South Asia to this day. It is also referred to as “Indian poker” and is culturally linked to Janmashtami, an annual celebration of the birth of Krishna. Traditionally, people will play teen patti throughout the month leading up to the festival in tribute to the Hindu god. Once Janmashtami officially starts, however, people will stop gambling.
There is also a theory that teen patti may have originated in Europe, mostly due to the fact that it is very similar to the English game called “three card brag”. However, despite most likely being influenced by poker rules throughout history, they are officially thought of as two different types of casino games.
Step-by-Step Rules of Teen Patti
While the basic rules of teen patti are fairly simple and straightforward, we have decided to break them down for you into several easy steps for additional convenience. Let’s go over them together so that by the time we’re finished you’ll feel confident you know how to play teen patti.
Step 1: The Deal
Before the game starts, it needs to be decided who the dealer is. Everyone takes a card from the deck and the highest card determines who the dealer will be. After players post their ante, the dealer starts dealing the cards one at a time, clockwise, and face down. Every player gets three cards.
Step 2: The Bet
Here’s where the fun really begins: players start betting on who has the best hand. They can choose to play the game in two ways:
- Blind (betting without seeing the cards)
- Seen (betting after looking at their cards)
Playing teen patti “seen” seems like the clear course of action except it comes with a price. But more on that in a bit.
Step 3: Side Show
You can always spice the game up by challenging a fellow player to show you their cards in secret. However, once the cards are seen, whoever has the lower hand has to quit the game.
In a side show, you can challenge another player to show their cards to you.
Still, just because a player is challenged doesn’t mean they need to show their hand; they can refuse and continue the game as is.
Step 4: The Showdown
You can fold your cards if you think your hand is weak but you cannot reveal your cards to the remaining players. Then, after all the sideshows and folds, the winner is either the player with the highest ranking hand or the last person to not fold. If there are two players standing, the final duel determines the winner. The two players continue to stake their bet until one of them requests they show their hands. The winner is the player with the highest ranking sequence.
Difference Between Seen and Blind Player in Teen Patti
We’ve mentioned that according to teen patti game rules, you can play either seen or blind. So, besides the obvious, how are they really different?
The blind player makes a bet that has to be equal to the pot but not larger than double the pot. The seen player, however, has to make a bet that is double the stake or up to four times the current bet.
Specifically, if you are playing blind and the player that goes before you is playing seen, you have to stake half or equal amount of their bet. On the other hand, if the player before you is playing blind, you can bet a maximum of double your previous stake. Whichever the case, the bets are always in even numbers.
Teen Patti Hand Rankings
Now the part we’ve all been waiting for: the teen patti hand rankings. What is the best hand you can get in this game?
So, without further ado, here are the hand sequences, ranked from highest to lowest:
- Trio, also known as trail, three of a kind, or set (in this hand players have three cards of the same rank. Three aces is the highest ranking hand, while three twos are the lowest)
- Pure sequence, also known as straight flush or run (in this hand players have three consecutive cards in any suit. The highest ranking sequence here is A, K, Q of any suit and the lowest is 4, 3, 2)
- Sequence or straight (works the same, except the run doesn’t have to feature the same suit)
- Flush, also known as colour (the cards belong to the same suit but are not in consecutive order)
- Pair (two cards of the same rank and another card)
- High card (if you don’t have a trio, pair, or sequence, but three unrelated cards the highest card counts. While this is the worst ranking, the best outcome is to have an Ace in hand, much like it would be in poker hand rankings)
Is It Difficult to Learn Teen Patti?
In the end, let us ask you: does it seem difficult to learn teen patti? While the basic rules of teen patti are certainly not hard to understand, it might get tricky mastering the betting variations. Still, we hope our quick overview will help you grasp the basics, just as we’ve done with other online casino games in the past.
