Teen Patti Moments

Here’s the last installment of this mini series.  Let us look at the show and its intricacies.  I think it is best explained by this site called pagat.com:

The rules for a show are as follows:
•    A show cannot occur until all but two players have dropped out.
•    If you are a blind player, the cost of a show is the current stake, paid into the pot, irrespective of whether the other player is blind or seen. You do not look at your own cards until after you have paid for the show.
•    If you are a seen player and the other player is blind, you are not allowed to demand a show. The seen player can only continue betting or drop out.
•    If both players are seen, either player in turn may pay twice the current stake for a show.
•    In a show, both players’ cards are exposed, and the player whose hand is higher ranking wins the pot. If the hands are equal, the player who did not pay for the show wins the pot.

If all the players are seen, then at your turn, immediately after betting the minimum amount (twice the current stake), you can ask the player who bet immediately before you for a compromise. That player can accept or refuse the compromise.
•    If the compromise is accepted, the two players involved privately compare their cards, and the player with the lower ranking cards must immediately fold. If they are equal, the player who asked for the compromise must fold.
•    If the compromise is refused, the betting continues as usual with the player after the one who asked for the compromise.

In the last post we ended with how much you are supposed to bet.  So again, these are the 2 scenarios:

•    If you are a blind player, you must put in at least the current stake and not more than twice the current stake. The current stake for the next player is then the amount that you put in.
•    If you are a seen player you must bet at least twice the current stake and not more than four times the current stake. The current stake for the next player becomes half the amount that you bet.

Now just because you chose to be a blind player in the beginning does not mean that you cannot change your mind.  When your turn to bet comes around, you can actually decide to be a seen player.  From that point on, you have to play seen, though.

So the betting process just continues in the same manner.  This goes on until one of two things happen:

•    All players have folded and there is only one player remaining.  In this case, he is obviously the winner.  He then wins all the money in the pot, without regard to the cards he is holding.
•    All players have folded except for two.  If one of these remaining players pay for a show, both of them should then expose their cards.  The cards are then compared to determine the winner.

Let’s look into the show in the next post with more detail.

In the last post we looked at the different hands in teen patti.  Now it is time to learn something about how to bet in a game of teen patti.  It is pretty simple, too.  The betting starts with the player who is positioned to the left of the dealer.  Each player then takes his turn in betting, going in a clockwise manner.  The rounds of betting can go for as many times as needed.  Each player has the option to put an additional bet into the pot in order to stay in the game or to not add any bet and fold.  If a player folds, he is not part of that hand anymore – much like poker in this respect.

How much does one’s bet need to be?  This depends on the current stake and whether a player is playing blind or seen.  Remember, in teen patti, when one plays blind he does not see his cards.  On the other hand, one playing seen has taken a look at his cards.  As such, players playing seen have to bet twice as much as those playing blind.

In the beginning, the stake is what each player puts in the pot as the ante.  Let us call this one unit.  So if the betting round starts with you and you are playing blind, the amount that you have to bet should be at least equal to one unit but not more than two units.  Once you have bet, the current stake changes to what you have put in.  Say you put in 2 units, the next player has to bet depending on 2 units.

(to be continued)

In the last post we had an overview of teen patti rules and game play.  In this second installation of our tutorial series, let us take a look at the hand rankings as employed in this game.  In order to do that effectively, let me emphasize the fact that in teen patti, only three cards are used to make a hand.

The highest possible hand is called the trio.  A trio is composed of 3 cards of the same rank – basically 3 of a kind.  The highest trio is composed of 3 Aces while the lowest has 3 twos.

The next hand is a straight run.  Similar to poker, this hand has 3 consecutive cards of the same suit.  The highest straight run is composed of an Ace ,a two, and a three.  The lowest straight run is composed of a 4, a 3, and a 2.

After the straight run comes the normal run.  This is just like the straight run but the cards need not be of the same suit.  Just like the straight run, the highest and lowest combinations are A-2-3 and 4-3-2 respectively.

Next we have the colour.  This is basically a hand with 3 cards of the same suit.  The highest colour is composed of an Ace, King, and Jack.  The lowest is a 5, a 3, and a 2.

Then we have the pair – just like the pair in poker and many other card games.  Of course in teen patti, you would have an odd card.

The last and lowest hand is the high card.  This is basically any hand that does not fall under any of the above categories.

We have touched upon the basics of teen patti in the previous months and we have even talked about its origins.  I think that it’s about time that we focus on the inner workings of the game in detail so that those who really want to grasp the concepts would be able to do so.  This post is going to be the first of several in this series.

Teen patti is also sometimes spelled Teen pathi so do not be surprised if you meet that variation.  It is played with 3 cards, which is also called Flush in India.  If you know the British game 3 Card Brag then you would find it easy to understand teen patti.

You need a standard 52 card deck.  There is really no limit (higher or lower) to the number of players but the ideal number would be anywhere from 4 to 7 people.  The ranking of the cards is “normal” – similar to most other card games – with Ace being the highest and Two being the lowest.

Similar to poker, players have to determine a minimum stake which everyone has to put into the pot before the game begins.  The dealer will then give 3 cards to each player.  What happens next is that the players bet on who has the best cards.  Each player can either play seen (look at the cards) or blind (leave cards face down).

That is essentially what teen patti is all about.  In the next post, let us look into the hand rankings in more detail.