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Teen Patti is a three-card betting game for 3–6 players using a standard 52-card deck: everyone puts a boot into the pot, receives three cards, then bets blind or seen in turn until all but one player pack or two players reach a show, where the higher-ranked hand wins. Hands rank, from highest: trail, pure sequence, sequence, colour, pair, high card.
What do you need to play?
- A standard 52-card deck, no jokers (unless you’re playing a joker variant).
- 3 to 6 players is ideal; 7 can work.
- Chips, coins or agreed tokens.
- An agreed boot (entry stake) and, ideally, a pot limit.
The rules, step by step
1. Boot and deal
Every player puts the boot in the pot. The dealer gives each player three cards face down, one at a time, clockwise.
2. Blind or seen
On your turn you choose to play blind (without looking) or to see your cards. Once seen, you stay seen.
3. Betting (chaal)
- A blind player bets at least the current stake and at most twice it.
- A seen player bets at least twice the current stake and at most four times it.
- The current stake is set by the previous blind player’s bet (or half the previous seen player’s bet).
4. Pack
At any turn you may pack (fold), losing what you’ve already put in.
5. Side show
A seen player may ask the previous seen player for a side show. If accepted, the two compare privately; the lower hand packs. The previous player can refuse. See side show rules.
6. Show
When only two players remain, either can ask for a show by paying the stake. Both reveal and the higher hand wins. Many house rules don’t let a seen player ask a blind player for a show.
7. Pot limit
If a pot limit is set and reached, everyone still in shows and the best hand wins.
Hand rankings at a glance
| Rank | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trail / Set | A♠ A♥ A♦ |
| 2 | Pure sequence | Q♥ K♥ A♥ |
| 3 | Sequence | 4♣ 5♦ 6♠ |
| 4 | Colour | 2♠ 9♠ K♠ |
| 5 | Pair | 10♦ 10♣ 3♠ |
| 6 | High card | A♣ 9♦ 4♥ |
Full detail, including ties, on hand rankings.
Worked example with four players
Boot ₹1, four players, pot ₹4. Asha plays blind ₹1. Bharat sees his cards and bets ₹2 (twice the blind stake). Chetan packs. Divya plays blind ₹1. Asha blind ₹1 again. Bharat bets ₹2. Divya sees a pair of jacks and bets ₹2. Asha looks, has 9-high, packs. Two players left: Bharat asks for a show, paying ₹2. Bharat has a colour; Divya has a pair. Colour beats pair: Bharat wins the pot.
Common house rules to agree first
- Is A-2-3 the second-highest sequence or the lowest? (Many tables rank A-K-Q highest, then A-2-3.)
- Can a seen player ask a blind player for a show?
- Maximum blind rounds before you must see?
- Pot limit?
Frequently asked questions
How many cards in Teen Patti?
Three cards per player from a 52-card deck.
Which is higher in Teen Patti, sequence or colour?
A sequence beats a colour.
Can I see my cards after playing blind?
Yes, on any later turn, but from then on you bet at the seen rate.
What happens if two players have the same hand?
Compare the highest cards; if still tied, house rules decide — often the player who asked for the show loses, or the pot is split.
Key takeaways
- Boot, three cards, blind or seen, pack or bet, show.
- Seen bets are double blind bets.
- Agree house rules before the first hand.
- Practise these teen patti master rules before playing for money.
