Teen Pathi, sometimes spelled Teen
Patti, means "three cards". It is an Indian gambling game, also known
as Flush, and is almost identical to the British game 3 Card Brag.
An international 52 card pack is used, cards ranking in the usual order from
ace (high) down to two (low). Any reasonable number of players can take part;
it is probably best for about 4 to 7 players.
Before playing it is necessary to agree
the value of the minimum stake (which I will call one unit). Everyone places
this minimum stake in the pot - a collection of money in the centre of the
table, which will be won by one of the players. The dealer deals out the cards
one at a time until everyone has three cards. The players then bet on who has
the best three card hand. Each has the option to look at their three-card hand
before betting (playing seen) or to leave their cards face down on the
table (playing blind).
The ranking of the possible hands, from
high to low, is as follows.
Trio - three cards of the same
rank. Three aces are the best trio and three twos are the lowest.
Straight run - three consecutive
cards of the same suit. Ace can be used in the run A-2-3, which is the highest
straight run. Next comes A-K-Q, K-Q-J and so on down to 4-3-2, which is the
lowest. 2-A-K is not a valid run.
Normal run - three consecutive
cards, not all of the same suit. A-2-3 is the best normal run, then A-K-Q,
K-Q-J and so on down to 4-3-2. 2-A-K is not valid.
Colour - any three cards of the
same suit. When comparing two colours, compare the highest card; if these are
equal compare the second; if these are equal too, compare the lowest. Thus the
highest colour is A-K-J and the lowest is 5-3-2.
Pair - two cards of the same rank.
Between two such hands, compare the pair first, then the odd card if these are
equal. The highest pair hand is therefore A-A-K and the lowest is 2-2-3.
High card - three cards that do not
belong to any of the above types. Compare the highest card first, then the
second highest, then the lowest. The best hand of this type is A-K-J of mixed
suits, and the worst is 5-3-2.
Any hand of a higher type beats any hand
of a lower type - for example the lowest run 4-3-2 beats the best colour A-K-J.
The betting starts with the player to
the left of the dealer, and continues with players taking turns in clockwise
order around the table, for as many circuits as are needed. Each player in turn
can either put an additional bet into the pot to stay in, or pay nothing
further and fold. When folding you permanently drop out of the betting and
sacrifice any money you have already put into the pot during that deal.
The amount that you have to put in at
your turn in order to stay in the game depends on the "current
stake", and whether you are playing blind or seen - seen players have to
bet twice as much as blind players to stay in. At the start of the betting the
current stake is one unit (i.e. the amouint that each player put in the pot as
an ante).
If you are a blind player (you
have not looked at your cards), 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.
If you are a blind player, you may
choose to look at your cards when your turn comes to bet. You then become a
seen player and from that turn onwards you must bet at least twice the current
stake (or fold).
The betting continues in this way until
one of the following things happens:
All except one player have folded. In
that case the last surviving player wins all the money in the pot, ireespective
of the cards held.
All except two players have folded and
one of these players at their turn pays for a show. In that case the cards
of both players are exposed and compared.
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.
Example. Players A, B , C & D
are playing the game. They all put 1 unit on the table and D deals. Player A
decides to play blind and puts one more unit. Player B sees his cards
and folds. Player C plays blind and bets one unit. Player D looks at his cards
and puts in 2 units (the minimum amount); the current stake remains at one
unit. Player A raises the stake by putting in 2 units. Player C looks at his
cards and folds. Player D puts in 4 units (the minimum amount for a seen player
since A chas raised the current stake to 2). Player A decides to look at his cards,
and having done so he puts in 4 units and asks for a show. Player D shows his
cards and the winner takes it all.
Note that the betting process in this
game is quite different from Poker betting. There is no concept of equalising
the bets, and a showdown is not possible with more than two players.
Some play with a higher limit on the
amount by which the bet can be increased - so a blind player can bet more than
twice the current stake, and a seen player can bet more than four times the
current stake.
Some players set a limit on how many
times a player can bet blind - for example that you could bet blind on your
first three turns, but on your fourth turn you would have to look at your cards
and bet as a seen player from then on.
Some play that the amount to be paid for
a show is twice the minimum bet - i.e. twice the current stake for a blind
player, or four times the current stake for a seen player.
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