How to Play Teen Patti — Full Rules Guide

Teen Patti — also called “3 Patti” or Indian Poker — is a three-card game traditionally played with friends and family, and now widely available as a mobile app. This guide walks through the full rule set from deal to showdown.

The goal

Each player receives three cards, face down, from a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). The aim is to hold the best three-card hand at showdown — or to convince everyone else to fold before it gets there.

Setting up a round

1. Every player at the table contributes an agreed starting stake, called the “boot amount,” to the pot.
2. The dealer deals three cards face down to each player.
3. Play moves clockwise, one player at a time.

Seen vs blind play

Before acting, each player chooses whether to look at their cards:

• Blind — you play without looking at your own hand. Blind bets are typically smaller.
• Seen — you look at your cards first. Seen bets are typically double a blind bet, since you have more information.

This asymmetry is a core part of Teen Patti strategy: playing blind for a few rounds can disguise a strong or weak hand from opponents who have already looked.

On your turn

On each turn you can:

• Continue (call) — match the current stake to stay in the round.
• Raise — increase the stake, which everyone still in the round must match to continue.
• Fold (pack) — give up your hand and exit the round, forfeiting anything already staked.

The round continues until only one player remains, or the remaining players agree to a “show” (a showdown of hands).

Hand rankings, high to low

1. Trail / Set — three cards of the same rank (e.g. three Kings). The highest-ranking trail wins.
2. Pure Sequence (Straight Flush) — three consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g. 4-5-6 of hearts).
3. Sequence / Run (Straight) — three consecutive cards, mixed suits (e.g. 7-8-9 of different suits).
4. Color (Flush) — three cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
5. Pair — two cards of the same rank plus one unrelated card.
6. High Card — none of the above; ranked by the highest card, then the next-highest.

For a compact, printable version of this list, see our Teen Patti hand rankings cheat sheet.

How a round ends

A round ends one of two ways: everyone but one player folds (that player wins the pot without a reveal), or the remaining players agree to a “show,” comparing hands to determine the winner by the ranking order above.

Basic strategy notes

• Playing blind for a round or two before looking can make you harder to read, but limits your own information.
• A string of raises from an early-position player often signals a strong hand — but bluffing is part of the game, so treat this as a signal, not a certainty.
• Set a personal stake limit for the session before you start; see our bankroll limits guide.

Teen Patti is a game of chance combined with betting decisions. No amount of strategy guarantees a win, and outcomes are never certain.