Indian Poker is a famous game that has some different rules from other poker games because you can see all other players’ cards but not your own, which is why it is also called Blind Man’s Bluff. That sounds interesting, right! Let’s see what the Indian Poker rules are and the top strategies that you can apply.
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Rules of Indian Poker
Indian Poker is played with a normal deck consisting of 52 cards and a minimum of two players. Here are the steps or rules that you need to know to successfully play a game.
1. Distribution of Cards
The cards are placed on the table, and each player has to choose one, and the one who got the highest-ranked card will choose the seat, and so on. After that, the dealer will give one card to each player from a well-shuffled deck that cannot be seen by any player.
2. Placing the Bets
Every player will have to show their card to other players by placing it on their forehead, and then use the reverse bluff strategy to place a bet based on the other players’ cards. The three types of bets an Indian poker player can choose from are:
- In the call bet, a player will place the same bet as his previous opponent has made in the clockwise direction. If all players don’t bet, then the player who has not chosen to call will win the round.
- In the raise bet, you will place a higher bet, and this will raise the level of the overall game.
- In the fold bet, you are forgoing that round and will fold your cards and lose the money.
3. Declaration of Winner
If all the players decide to call or raise, the round continues the same, and if all the players have folded their cards, the rounds come to an end and the winner will be decided. In this last round, only the players who have not backed out or folded in the previous round will be considered winners. A player who has the highest-numbered card, regardless of suit or any hand rankings, will be the winner because Indian poker does not use these standard rules, and the full pot is given to him. If two players have the same cards, then the pot is split equally between the two of them.
Top Strategies for Indian Poker
It is very clear that the Indian poker player’s aim is to get a pot that has all the bets, and it’s very important to have a confident expression that makes other players fold their cards. Here are the top strategies that you can apply to your game:
Strategies to apply in the Indian poker game.
1. Know the bluffing strategies
Bluffing is very important because your body language and voice will affect your opponent’s decision to back out since you don’t have any control over your cards.
2. View opponent’s body language
As you can’t see your own cards, focus on the opponent’s body language and the bets that he might have placed in previous rounds.
3. Know the other version of games
There are other versions of Indian Poker that needs to be clear in order to apply any strategy:
. Two-Card Game
In this type of game, you will get two cards, and the player with the highest total of numbered cards will be the winner. If the two players got the same two cards, then the player with a spade card would win.
. Up Hand and Down Hand
In this game, the dealer will draw an extra card after distributing one card to each player. He will show this extra card to all players in open, and if it is a black card with a spade or a club suit, it is the situation of the up hand. If it is a red card with a heart or a diamond suit, it is a down card situation. In the up hand situation, the normal game will continue. In the down hand, all players can see only their own cards but not the opponent’s cards, and the game will continue in the same manner.
. Reverse Scoring
In each round, the player who chose to fold his bet receives one point, the remaining player who does not have the highest numbered card receives three points, and the player with the highest numbered card receives five points. At the end of the game, the player with the lowest total of points will be declared the winner.
Indian Poker is one of the best games to get a feel of traditional poker. After knowing the rules and strategies for playing it, you can rest assured that you are trying your level best to win the game. However, many will say that it slightly depends on your luck, but this is not true. The better you play, you will have better chances of winning the game. So, keep playing!