It should not come as a surprise to you to learn that there is an Indian variant of Poker doing the rounds – popularly known as 3 Patti or Teen Patti. This Indian version of Poker is not all that different from the international version which you may be more familiar with. And once you start checking out the various details posted below, you’ll soon see how similar it is to the Hold’Em version with a few tweaks. Check them out.
Playing The Game:
3 Patti is the Indian version of online poker, with a few changes. The result is an interesting game, one that is worthwhile playing. Granted the rules may take a little while to get used to but once you get the hang of it, you are bound to find it more than interesting. All the players are required to contribute to the ‘boot’, and the bets are placed equally, at this juncture. And once the bets are all in, the dealer swiftly deals three cards to each of the players, with the face down. And the player located next to the dealer, in the clockwise direction starts the game, by making his move. And the game begins.
Playing Blind:
When it comes to 3 Patti, the interesting thing is that players have the option of either seeing their “face down” cards before betting or not. The ones who choose not to see their facedown cards are essentially declared as playing blind. Remember the first person (next to the dealer) who begins the betting process, that amount is called the ‘boot’ and the blind player has the option to either match the stake or to bet twice the boot amount. Moreover, the bet that the blind player places becomes the boot amount for the next player in turn. And so the process begins, with each player adding to the stake depending on whether he is a blind player or not. Thus, the boot amount constantly changes and is not fixed.
Seeing The Cards:
If, as a player, you opt to see your ‘facedown’ cards, you would essentially be declared a ‘seen’ player. Here, the rules change somewhat, where you would be required to add twice or four times the current stake amount. Moreover, if the previous player happens to play ‘blind’, then the stake to be placed in the kitty by the next player would be the same amount. If on the other hand, he happens to be a “seen” player, then the next player needs only stake half the amount. This is also termed as “chaal”, something that’s available to ‘seen’ players. Sounds confusing already, right? But it is not that hard to work out the basics on how to play poker – the Indian format.
Slide Show:
A slideshow is a request on your part to check and compare the hands that the previous player is holding. For example, as a ‘seen’ player, you cannot request a slideshow from a ‘blind’ player but can only request one from the other ‘seen’ players in the game. So for your request to be valid, the previous player needs to be a ‘seen’ player as well. And apart from you two, there must also be other players still in the game. Now, you can place twice the stake amount in the pot and make your request. And once your request has been conveyed to the previous player, he can either accept or refuse it. If he accepts it, and you find out that his cards are better than yours, especially when you work out the Poker Hand Rankings, you can always fold. On the other hand, if your cards are better than his then he has to fold. That’s it, that’s a slideshow, in a nutshell.
Limited and Unlimited Stakes:
Think of it as a cap, to prevent unfortunate outcomes. Essentially, a limited stake is exactly that, where the stake amount is limited. The pot starts with just 2inr, and the number of times you can go ‘blind’ is four, ‘chaal’ is limited to 256 and the pot is capped at 2408. And at the next level, it is set at double the amount with the entry boot at 4 inr and the chaal and table limit being doubled as well. As for the unlimited stakes, there are no limits and that’s the beauty of the game.
This information should give you the down-low on 3 Patti (तीन पत्ती) and in the process, enable you to play like a real professional. All the best!
