Blind, seen and side show rules in Teen Patti

New Teen Patti players usually lose chips through the betting rules. They look at their cards too early and pay double for it, or they ask for a side show at the wrong moment. This post covers the three rules that decide what you pay: blind play, seen play and the side show.

The numbers below are the standard Indian rules used by most apps. Home games often change the details, so treat them as a starting point.

The boot and the stake

Every round starts with a boot: each player puts the same small amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. The boot is also the first stake. Every later bet is measured against the current stake, and the stake goes up whenever someone bets more than the minimum.

Playing blind

A blind player bets without looking at their cards. On your turn you pay one to two times the current stake. If the stake is 10 chips, a blind bet is 10 or 20.

Whatever you bet as a blind player becomes the new stake for blind players, and seen players have to match double that.

You can stay blind for as long as you like, but you can never go back once you look. Many apps also cap the number of blind rounds, after which the game asks you to see your cards or pack.

Playing seen

A seen player has looked at their cards. Their bet is called a chaal, and it costs two to four times the current stake. With a 10-chip stake, a chaal is 20 to 40.

Seen play costs more because you know your hand and the blind players do not.

The side show

A side show is a private comparison between two seen players. The rules most tables use:

1. Only a seen player can ask for one, and only from the player who bet just before them.
2. That previous player must also be seen.
3. At least three players must still be in the round. With two left, you ask for a show instead.
4. You pay your chaal as usual and ask. The other player can accept or refuse.
5. If they accept, the two of you compare cards privately. The weaker hand packs.
6. If the two hands are equal, the player who asked packs.

Rule 6 surprises people. Asking for a side show is a small risk on its own: if you hold the same strength as the other player, you are the one who goes.

A refused side show tells you something too. A player who refuses usually thinks their hand is better than average and wants to keep betting, though some players refuse every time on principle.

The show

When only two players are left, either can ask for a show. Both hands are turned face up and the better hand takes the pot.

Rules for a show between a blind player and a seen player vary more than anything else in the game. In many apps a seen player cannot force a show against a blind player, and the blind player pays a blind bet to ask for one. Read the table rules screen before you rely on it.

Many tables also have a pot limit. When the pot reaches it, betting stops and all remaining hands are shown.

A short example

Four players, a boot of 10 chips, so the stake is 10.

• Asha plays blind and bets 10. The stake stays at 10.
• Ravi looks at his cards and plays seen. His chaal must be at least 20.
• Meena plays blind and raises to 20. The blind stake is now 20, so seen players must bet at least 40.
• Asha, still blind, bets 20.
• Ravi bets 40, then asks the player before him for a side show. Asha is blind, so he cannot ask her. He keeps betting instead.

That last step is where most beginners go wrong: a side show needs the previous player to be seen.

Blind tips that hold up

"Teen Patti tricks" videos promise ways to win every hand. None of them work, because the deal is random and no app or video can change it. A few habits do save chips, though:

• Stay blind for the first round or two. You pay half what seen players pay, and your bets are harder to read.
• Watch for blind players who raise. A blind raise is a bluff or a bet on the odds, since nobody knows their cards, so it tells you less than a seen raise.
• Do not ask for a side show with a weak pair. If the other player has the same pair, you lose the tie and pack.
• Pack early with a low high-card hand once the stake has doubled. About three hands in four are high-card hands, so yours is rarely special.
• Set a stop point before you start, whether that is a chip count or a time.

The odds behind these tips are in the post on pure sequences and the hand rankings. For a full walkthrough of a round, read Teen Patti rules for beginners.