How to Play Teen Patti for Beginners (April 2024)

Teen Patti is an Indian card-based game that is similar to poker or rummy. The basic principles of the game are simple and can be learnt in a matter of minutes. However, it takes far longer to master your strategy and work out how to beat your opponents. Teen Patti can be extremely enthralling because the way you play can significantly affect the outcome. With lots of moves and possibilities to out bluff your opponent, you will need your wits.

Basics

Teen Patti is played with a standard 52-card deck, between 3 to 6 players. The point of the game is to win the other players' chips, which can be done through the betting round. At the end of the betting, the player with the best 3-card hand wins. It sounds similar enough to Three Card Poker, but there is one crucial difference. In Teen Patti, there are no communal cards. Instead of forming your best hand using your cards in the hole and some communal cards, your hand is formed entirely from the 3 cards you are dealt. This makes it more difficult to predict what your opponents have in their hands, so you need to play cautiously.

How to Play Teen Patti

The game begins with everyone at the table placing an ante bet. This is a fixed amount determined by the table, or if you are playing with friends, an amount you all agree to play with. Once the ante bet is placed, the dealer will deal three cards to each player. You can choose whether you want to take a peek at your cards or to play without looking at them. This is called playing “Seen” or playing “Blind”.

Once the stage has been set, the round of betting can begin. Going counter-clockwise, the players can start placing their bets. This round of betting is not the same as poker either. In Teen Patti, the level of the bet, or raise, is called the Chaal. If a player makes a bet of 10 coins then the Chaal will stand at 10 coins. The next player has to place 10 coins, or they can raise. If they raise the Chaal to 20 coins, the first player will need to place 20 coins to stay in the round, not 15.

This format of betting can increase the pot significantly, especially when players keep raising the bet. The players who went before them in the round will always need to match the Chaal with an equal stake, and not just add on the difference to their previous wager.

Players are also allowed to fold, call and check, just like in poker. When the betting round ends, then the remaining players must show their hands. The player with the best 3-card hand wins the round, and then the next round can start.

Hand Priority

Three-of-a-Kind (Trio)

This is when you have three cards of equal value, such as three 6s. The best possible hand you can have is three Aces, whilst the worst possible Trio is three 2s.

Straight Flush

Three sequential cards of the same suit are called a Pure Sequence, or Shahi and Pure run. The highest is Ace-King-Queen and the lowest is 4-3-2.

Straight

If you have a run of three cards, this is a straight or a sequence. They can be of different suits. Just like in the Straight Flush, the highest is Ace-King-Queen and the lowest is 4-3-2.

Flush

A flush is a 3-card hand in which all three cards are of the same suit. In the case of a tie, the winner is determined by who has the highest-ranking card.

Pair

You have formed a pair when you have two cards of the same rank. When there are two hands with pairs, then the pair of the higher rank wins. The highest pair-hand that you can have is a King and a pair of Aces. The lowest hand is a 3 and a pair of 2s.

Highest Card

If you cannot form any of the hands listed above, then the strength of your hand is determined by your highest-ranking card. The cards are ranked from 2 up to Ace. In case you tie with another player and have the same highest card, then the winner is determined by the second-highest card, and then the third.

Game Moves

Playing Blind

In some games, there is no difference between playing blind or having seen your cards. Other games may have slightly different rules regarding playing blind. For example, a common version of the game benefits those who do not look at their cards. By not doing so, they only need to bet half the Chaal and not the full amount. 

Say player A was to continue blind, and then player B sees their cards. If player B raises the Chaal with a bet of 10 coins, then when the turn comes back to player A, they will only need to put in a bet of 5 coins. Player A can only raise by an amount that is halvable, so they are encouraged to bet even amounts of money.

Sideshow

This is a move that is allowed in traditional Teen Patti, but some versions of the game do not include it. Basically, you can request a sideshow with the player who precedes you in the betting cycle. If they accept the sideshow, you will have to reveal your cards to each other, and the player with the lower hand then has to fold.

The player before you does not need to accept your request to sideshow. They can reject your request three times. After the third time, if you request a sideshow again, they will be forced to comply.

It is a good way to beat limpers and other players who are merely playing the round for the sake of doing so. Be careful though. Sometimes, requesting a sideshow can indicate that a player has a good hand, but they may also use it as a bluff.

Teen Patti Variants

As with other popular card games, there are plenty of variants of Teen Patti. These relate to different aspects of the game and may require you to play with alternate tactics. Be sure to read the instructions for a game of Teen Patti before diving straight in.

Pot-Limits and Maximum Bets

The Chaal can increase at a much faster rate than in poker games. This is why there are games that may have pot-limits or other requirements. These are put in place to stop players from throwing gigantic sums of money into a single round.

A lot of Teen Patti games cap the maximum raise to double that of the last bet. The previous player will need to double up and put in the value of the Chaal.

Another example is Pot-Limit Teen Patti. This is slightly different, as it follows the standard rules of Pot-Limit poker. Basically, you are allowed to raise the Chaal to the amount of the pot. If the buy-in was 10 coins, and the player before you places a bet of 20 coins, you have to call the Chaal with a bet of 20 coins. You can then raise it by a further 60 coins. Broken down, this amount comes from the two 10-coin buy-ins, the 20-coin raise and your 20-coin call.

No-limit Teen Patti has no rules on how much you are allowed to bet. The sky is the limit, but be careful not to blow through your funds too quickly. A lot of money can exchange hands, and all within a few intense rounds. You have to be far more vigilant when playing no-limit Teen Patti. It is not recommended for beginners.

Sideshow

There may be some variants of Teen Patti in which there is no sideshow move. You may find it preferable, as then you do not need to worry about direct competition with the player behind or in front of you. However, it does add quite a lot of spice to Teen Patti. If utilised well, you could use this tool to increase your advantage over your opponents.

Blind/Seen Rules

Some variants of Teen Patti allow you to play either “blind” or “seen”. If you play blind, then you only need to place in half the amount of the Chaal during the betting rounds. However, you will not know whether your hand is strong or not. Seeing your cards will put you in a vantage point as you will know when to call, raise or fold. You can gauge what your opponents may have by how they are playing, and try to make the most of your cards. The only disadvantage is that you will need to meet each bet at full value, not at half.

There may be other variants that do not use the blind or seen betting requirements. In these cases, there is no reason to play blind as you still have to bet the full amount after each raise.

Hi-Lo Teen Patti

You may find variants in which Teen Patti is played with a Hi-Lo format. What this means is that the pot is split at the end of each round. One half goes to the player with the best high hand and the other half goes to the player with the best low hand. However, the pot is not always split. If there is only one remaining player during the betting cycle, then they collect the whole pot. The player with the best low hand may also have the strongest hand all around.

This depends on the Hi-Lo format. If it is 8s or higher, then a player may only qualify for the low hand if their highest ranking card is 7 or lower in value. There may be an additional condition such as a pair qualifies for a high hand, but this still opens a lot of opportunities to win. For example, if you have a low hand Flush or low hand straight, you may better the strongest high hand, if it were a pair.

Side Bets in Teen Patti

There are many side bets that Teen Patti games may offer. These relate to the winning hand, and what it will comprise. For example, you may place a wager on the winning hand to be a pair. This is not such a rare occurrence, so it will come with relatively short odds. However, you can also go all out and bet on the winning hand to be a straight flush or a trio, which will come at considerably longer odds.

Live Casino or Table Game Teen Patti?

Originally, Teen Patti is played by 3-6 people around a table. This game has been adapted for both live dealer games and table casino games. You can play Teen Patti against the computer, in which case there are no other players or betting cycles. Instead, you can bet on whether the house or the player will win. Effectively, it is like a Video Poker version of Teen Patti.

Then, there are all sorts of live dealer games in which you can play with your friends against the house. Again, the format will be quite similar as you will play against the house. However, you may find other variants that allow you to play against other players too. The chances are, you will find plenty of options for the Teen Patti variant that you prefer.

Where to Play Teen Patti

A lot of online casinos are picking up on the surging popularity of Asian games. Teen Patti has found a great audience with table game players and poker enthusiasts. Game developers have already released their own versions of the games and online casinos are eager to pick them up. Variants and exclusive Teen Patti games will no doubt follow, in the foreseeable future.

At Gaming.net, we look for the best places to play Teen Patti and other Asian games. Be sure to check out our article on the top casinos that provide Teen Patti.

Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that Teen Patti is gaining huge attraction across online casino platforms. A lot of top developers, such as Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Ezugi have released their own Teen Patti titles. After reading this article, you can pick up any one of them and start playing. You should, however, be sure to check the limits, rules and other criteria as not all Teen Patti games are the same.

Once you find a Teen Patti game you like, then you can enjoy it to the fullest. Anything can happen in this Indian card game. Remember to play responsibly and have fun.