Teen Patti is a three-card game from India in which each player is dealt three cards, bets in turns, and the best three-card hand left wins the pot. The hands rank from three of a kind (a trail) down to high card. Pagat describes it as almost identical to the British game of Brag, and the name simply means “three cards.”
This guide follows Pagat’s Teen Patti rules, which cover the most widely used home version, and flags where groups play differently. It also gives the exact odds of each hand, which we calculated ourselves by checking all 22,100 possible three-card hands.
How do you play Teen Patti: what are the basic rules?
Teen Patti is played with a standard 52-card deck, aces high. Everyone puts in an agreed minimum stake, the dealer deals three face-down cards to each player, and players bet clockwise. You win by being the last player in, or by holding the best hand at a show.
Pagat suggests about four to seven players is best, although any number can play. The flow of a hand is:
- Ante. Every player puts one agreed minimum stake, called the boot or one unit, into the pot.
- Deal. Each player gets three cards, face down.
- Betting. Starting left of the dealer, each player can bet or pack (fold), moving clockwise.
- Packing. A player who folds forfeits what they have put in. If only one player remains, that player wins without showing cards.
- Show. When two players remain, a show compares their hands, and the better hand takes the pot.
Other versions of the game name the forced stake differently, so agree the term and the amount before you start.
What is the difference between playing blind and playing seen?
A blind player bets without looking at their cards, and a seen player has looked. Seen players must bet more than blind players to stay in. Pagat says a seen player has to bet twice as much, which is how the game rewards confidence in an unseen hand.
Read more: Texas Hold’em Rules for Beginners
| Blind player | Seen player | |
|---|---|---|
| Has looked at cards | No | Yes |
| Minimum bet | The current stake | Twice the current stake |
| Maximum bet | Twice the current stake | Four times the current stake |
| Effect on next player | The amount bet becomes the new current stake | The next player’s current stake is half of what the seen player bet |
A blind player may look at their cards on their turn, after which they must bet as a seen player. Many groups also cap how long a player can stay blind. Pagat mentions rules such as forcing a player to look after three blind turns.
Example: the boot is 1 unit, so the current stake starts at 1. Player A plays blind and bets 2, so the current stake becomes 2. Player B has looked at their cards and must bet between 4 and 8. If B bets 4, the next player’s current stake is half of that, which is 2.
How do Teen Patti hand rankings work?
From best to worst, Teen Patti hands are trail (three of a kind), pure sequence, sequence, color, pair and high card. Any higher hand beats any lower hand. Rarer hands rank higher, and the chances below show why.
| Rank | Hand | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trail (set) | Three cards of the same rank | K K K |
| 2 | Pure sequence (straight flush) | Three consecutive cards of one suit | 9 8 7, all hearts |
| 3 | Sequence (run) | Three consecutive cards, mixed suits | 10 9 8 |
| 4 | Color (flush) | Three cards of one suit, not consecutive | A 9 4, all spades |
| 5 | Pair | Two cards of equal rank plus an odd card | Q Q 6 |
| 6 | High card | Any hand not listed above | A J 5 |
In a tie within a category, compare the highest card first, then the next, then the last. For pairs, compare the pair first, then the odd card. Because suits have no rank, two hands can tie. Pagat’s rule for ties at a show is that the player who did not pay for the show wins.
Which sequence is highest: A-K-Q or A-2-3?
It depends on the group. Pagat ranks A-2-3 as the highest run, with 4-3-2 the lowest, and states that 2-A-K is not a valid run. Some tables rank A-K-Q highest instead. Settle this before the first deal, because it decides who wins close hands.
| Rule | Highest sequence | Lowest sequence | Invalid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pagat | A-2-3 | 4-3-2 | 2-A-K |
| Alternative house rule | A-K-Q | Set by the group | Set by the group |
The choice does not change how many sequences exist, only their order.
What are the odds of each Teen Patti hand?
There are 22,100 possible three-card hands in a 52-card deck, and 74.4% of them are high card. We counted each category by checking every combination, and the table gives the exact count and chance.
| Hand | Number of hands | Chance | Roughly 1 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trail (three of a kind) | 52 | 0.235% | 425 |
| Pure sequence | 48 | 0.217% | 460 |
| Sequence (not pure) | 720 | 3.258% | 30.7 |
| Color (not a sequence) | 1,096 | 4.959% | 20.2 |
| Pair | 3,744 | 16.941% | 5.9 |
| High card | 16,440 | 74.389% | 1.3 |
| Total | 22,100 | 100% |
How the count works: there are 13 ranks with 4 suits each, so a trail is 13 x 4 = 52 hands. A pure sequence is 12 runs (A-2-3 through Q-K-A) x 4 suits = 48. A pair is 13 ranks x 6 suit pairs x 48 odd cards (the other 12 ranks, 4 suits each) = 3,744.
A surprise follows: a trail is slightly more common than a pure sequence, 52 hands to 48. They are very close, and both are rare. If you want the counting method behind tables like this one, our explainer on probability and odds in plain language starts from the basics.
How do show and sideshow work?
A show ends the hand when exactly two players remain, and the hands are compared. A sideshow is an optional private comparison between two seen players earlier in the hand. In both, the lower hand loses.
- Show. A blind player pays the current stake for a show. A seen player pays twice the current stake, but only if the other player is also seen. A seen player cannot demand a show against a blind player.
- Sideshow. When all remaining players are seen, a player who has made the minimum bet can ask the previous player to compare cards privately. If accepted, the lower hand folds, and on a tie the player who asked folds. If refused, normal betting continues.
Groups differ on show and sideshow costs, so check yours.
What are the common Teen Patti variations?
Many variations change which hand wins or add wild cards. Pagat says many variants use wild or exposed cards and that new ones appear constantly. Because there is no governing body, treat every variation as a house rule that everyone must agree before the deal.
- Higher limits and caps. Groups raise bet limits or force a blind player to look after a set number of turns.
- Higher show costs. Some set a show at twice the minimum.
- Wild-card versions. Certain cards, such as jokers, count as any card. These change the odds table above entirely.
- Lowest hand wins. Often called Muflis, this reverses the ranking so the worst hand wins.
Pagat covers caps and show costs only in general terms, and the odds table above applies to the standard ranking with no wild cards.
Is Teen Patti legal, and what does it cost?
Teen Patti played for money is gambling, and the law depends on where you are. In India, rules differ from state to state and have changed with online gaming laws, so read our guide to gambling law in India before playing for stakes. Playing with no money, using chips or points, avoids the question entirely.
Teen Patti between friends has no house edge, so what one player wins another loses. The cost of the game is the stake you put at risk, and a bad run can be real money. Set a limit first. Our guide to setting a gambling budget and time limit shows how, the Safer play toolkit lists tools, and the Get help page is there if gambling stops being fun.
What should you try next?
Deal practice hands with matchsticks, and name each hand and its rank before comparing. Agree your group’s rules on the highest sequence, the show cost and the blind limit, and write them down so disputes do not start mid-game.
When you are comfortable, compare Teen Patti with other three-card and five-card games. Our guide to poker hand rankings shows how the same ideas scale to five cards.