Rules
Indian Hold’em is the sister of Indian Poker, played as a death match and in the final of The Genius Season 2. Each player can see the opponent’s card but not their own, and two shared cards on the table turn one card into a poker hand. You have to judge your hand from the cards you can see and from how your opponent bets against it.
The deck
The deck has 40 cards: the numbers 1 to 10, four times each. The same deck is used hand after hand and is only replaced with a fresh shuffled deck when all 40 cards have been dealt, so keeping track of what has come out matters.
A hand
- Both players put 1 chip into the pot.
- Two community cards are dealt face up for both players to use.
- Each player gets one card that only the opponent can see.
- Players take turns betting. You can call (match the bet), raise (match it and add more) or fold (give up the hand).
- When a bet is called, both cards are shown and the better hand wins the pot.
- If a player folds, the other player takes the pot without a showdown.
Hands
Your hand is your own card plus the two community cards. From best to worst:
| Hand | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Triple | Your card matches both community cards | Your 4 with 4 and 4 on the table |
| Straight | The three cards are three numbers in a row | Your 3 with 4 and 5 on the table |
| Pair | Your card matches one community card | Your 4 with 4 and 9 on the table |
| High card | None of the above | Your 2 with 4 and 9 on the table |
The numbers wrap round, so 10 connects to 1: 9-10-1 and 10-1-2 are straights.
When both players have the same kind of hand, the higher own card wins. If both own cards are equal, the hand is a draw and the pot carries over to the next hand.
The fold penalty
Folding while your hidden card makes a Straight or a Triple costs an extra 10 chips, paid to the opponent. In the Season 2 final, folding a Pair also cost 5. You cannot see your card, so the penalty is worked out from the hand you really held, which is shown once the hand ends.
End of the game
Hands continue until one player has no chips left. That player loses.
Our version
- A deck of 40 cards (1 to 10, four times each) is used hand after hand until it is empty, then a fresh shuffled deck is opened. That is exactly 10 hands per deck.
- We play the Season 2 final penalties: folding a Straight or Triple costs 10 extra, folding a Pair costs 5. The penalty is capped at the chips you have left.
- A Pair needs your own card. A pair among the two community cards on its own is not a Pair.
- Between two hands of the same kind, the higher own card wins, including two straights (on 9 and 10, a straight with an 8 beats a straight with a 1).
- A coin flip picks the first bettor for hand 1, then the first bettor alternates every hand.
- The first bettor must bet at least 1 chip or fold. After that, players alternate: call, raise (+1, +3, +5 or all-in) or fold. The show had no betting limit.
- A bet can never be larger than what the opponent can still match, so there are no side pots.
- If a draw leaves a player with no chips, the pot is split back evenly so the match can go on.
- Both hands are shown after every hand, folds included, so the used-cards tracker works.
- The used-cards tracker (on by default) shows how many of each number have been seen from the current deck, and lists which of your possible cards would cost a penalty to fold.
- You can start with 10, 15 or 20 chips (the final used 20). Quick mode is 10 chips. The match ends when a player has no chips.
- Online rooms: a finished hand stays on screen until either player deals, or 15 seconds pass.
Sources: fan wikis and the show’s rule cards.
Strategy
Read the board before the bet. The community cards decide which hidden cards make a Straight, a Pair or a Triple. With 5 and 6 on the table, a 4 or a 7 makes a Straight and a 5 or a 6 makes a Pair. With 2 and 8, no card makes a Straight at all.
Their hand sets your target. If the opponent only has a high card, any Pair or Straight beats it. If they hold a Straight, you need a better Straight or a Triple.
Count the deck. Only four of each number exist per deck, and you can see three cards every hand. Use the tracker to see which of your useful cards are still out there.
The penalty cuts both ways. Folding is cheap when the board gives you few ways to have a good hand. When most of your possible cards make a Pair or better, folding often costs more than calling.
Read the bet. Your opponent sees your card. A big raise often means your hand looks weak from their side; a quick fold can mean it looks strong.
Watch the carry-over pot. After a draw the next pot starts larger, so that hand is worth playing more carefully.