Indian people are proud of their long-held traditions. They keep them going from generation to generation. Many of these traditions involve social pastimes that can be enjoyed by anyone.
Playing cards is one of these pastimes that is a feature of the long history of culture in India. It’s just as prevalent today as it’s ever been. There are five social card games that are especially popular; Rummy, Teen Patti, Satte pe Satta, Teen Do Paanch, and Poker.
Let’s take a look at them in more detail.
Indian Rummy
Rummy is the most popular card game in India. Players have to calculate probabilities and understand potential scenarios in order to build a winning hand.
This is done by picking and dropping cards. It’s a pretty simple game that is usually played at a fast pace.
Teen Patti
Teen Patti is a traditional game that can now also be played online or by using an app. The game is the same whether it’s played digitally or with actual cards.
Teen Patti is similar to Poker. The players place a stake and are then dealt three cards each. Players then increase their stake if they think that they have a good hand. They can also surrender and leave the game at any time.
Satte Pe Satta or 7-on-7
This game is played by any number of players using several decks of cards. It starts when the seven of hearts is placed by the player who has it.
If the next player has a seven of a different suit they must lay that down next. They can also place a six of hearts or an eight of hearts. The aim of the game is for a player to get rid of all of their cards first. They do this by playing strategically in order to stop other players from placing their cards.
Teen Do Paanch
This is a card game for three players which uses only 30 cards from the deck; the seven to the Ace of spades, the seven to the Ace of hearts, the eight to the Ace of diamonds and the eight to the Ace of clubs.
A two, a three and a five card are then taken from the remaining pack and shuffled. Each player is dealt one card. The player who gets the two is the dealer and needs to create two hands. The player directly to their right needs to create five hands and the other player needs to create three hands. The first player to create more than their minimum number of hands is the winner.
Poker
Poker is a game that people learn to play the world over so it’s not traditional to India. However, it is very popular in the country.
There are several different variants of the game. One of the most simple involves each player being dealt five cards. Players then place bets based on the hand that they have. There is also a certain amount of bluffing involved in order to get other players to surrender from the game leaving one remaining winning player or a player who wins based on the quality of their hand.
These social card games are all hugely popular in India, both digitally and using traditional cards.