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Teen Patti is often called "Indian poker", and the name is fair up to a point. Both games are about holding the best hand or making others believe you do, and both are won as much by betting as by cards. The details are different enough that a good poker player can lose quickly at a Teen Patti table, and the other way round.
Teen Patti is closest to three-card brag, an old British game, rather than to the Texas Hold'em most people mean by "poker".
The short comparison
| Teen Patti | Texas Hold'em poker | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards per player | 3, all private | 2 private, plus 5 shared on the table |
| Hand size | 3 cards | Best 5 of 7 cards |
| Shared cards | None | 5 community cards |
| Forced bet | A boot from every player | Small and big blinds from two players |
| Betting rounds | Continuous, until a show | Four (pre-flop, flop, turn, river) |
| Blind play | Yes, you may bet without looking | No |
| Side show | Yes, compare privately with one player | No |
| Possible hands | 22,100 | 2,598,960 five-card hands |
| Usual table | 3 to 7 players | 2 to 10 players |
Cards and hands
In Teen Patti you get three cards and that is your hand for the whole round. Nothing is added or replaced. In Hold'em you get two cards, five more are dealt to the table over three rounds, and you make the best five-card hand from all seven.
This changes how the game feels. A Teen Patti hand never improves, so the only question is how good it already is and how many players you face. In Hold'em a weak start can turn into the best hand on the river.
Why the hand order is different
Both games rank hands by how rare they are. With three cards, the rarity order is different from five-card poker:
| Hand | Ways to be dealt in Teen Patti (of 22,100) | Teen Patti rank | Five-card poker rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind (trail) | 52 | 1st | Below straight and flush |
| Straight flush (pure sequence) | 48 | 2nd | Above four of a kind and three of a kind |
| Straight (sequence) | 720 | 3rd | Below flush |
| Flush (colour) | 1,096 | 4th | Above straight |
| Pair | 3,744 | 5th | Below two pair |
| High card | 16,440 | 6th | Last |
Two differences confuse poker players most:
- A sequence beats a colour in Teen Patti. With three cards, a straight (720 ways) is rarer than a flush (1,096 ways), so it ranks higher. In five-card poker a flush is rarer, so it is the other way round.
- A trail beats a pure sequence, even though a pure sequence is slightly rarer (48 against 52). That is tradition: almost every family and app keeps the trail on top. Casino "three card poker" puts the straight flush first.
Teen Patti also has no two pair, full house or four of a kind, because three cards cannot make them. Our hand rankings guide shows how each count is worked out.
Betting: boot, blind and seen
Poker uses two forced blinds and then betting rounds tied to the cards being dealt. Teen Patti starts with a boot from everyone, then betting goes round the table until only one player is left or two players go to a show.
The rule with no poker equivalent is blind play. You can bet without looking at your cards, and a blind player pays half as much per bet as a seen player. It is a cheap way to stay in, and it makes you hard to read because even you do not know your hand. You can switch from blind to seen, but never back. Our walk-through of a Teen Patti table explains blind, chaal and see in the order you meet them.
The side show
A seen player can ask the seen player before them for a side show: the two compare hands privately, and the weaker hand packs. The other player can refuse. Nothing like this exists in poker, where cards are only shown at the end.
Side shows thin the table without anyone showing their cards to the room. A player with a middling hand can use one to find out cheaply whether they are behind.
Which game needs more skill?
Hold'em gives you more decisions per hand: four betting rounds, shared cards to read and position to think about. That is why it is played as a skill game in tournaments around the world.
Teen Patti has fewer decisions, and each one matters more. How many players you face changes the value of your hand completely. A pair of 10s wins about 85% of showdowns against one opponent and about 45% against five, as our winning chances table shows. Knowing when to stay blind, when to ask for a side show and when to pack is most of the skill.
The law in India is the same for both
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans online money games whether they are games of skill or chance. Online poker and online Teen Patti for money are both banned in India. Playing either for free, or at home with no money, is not the target of the ban. See the legal guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teen Patti the same as poker?
No. Teen Patti is related to poker but uses three private cards, no shared cards, a different hand order, blind play and side shows. Its closest relative is three-card brag.
Why is Teen Patti called Indian poker?
Because both are betting games about the best hand and bluffing, and poker is the betting card game most people know. The rules are different enough to treat them as separate games.
Does a flush beat a straight in Teen Patti?
No. In Teen Patti a sequence (straight) beats a colour (flush), because with three cards a sequence is rarer: 720 ways against 1,096.
Is Teen Patti easier than poker?
The rules are simpler and a round is faster. The skill is in judging your hand against the number of players and choosing when to play blind, ask for a side show or pack.
Is online poker legal in India?
Online poker for money is banned under the 2025 Act, the same as online Teen Patti for money. Free play is not the target of the ban.