Rules
Indian Poker is a two-player betting game with a twist: each player can see the opponent’s card but not their own. On The Genius the cards were held against the forehead, face out, so every player was reading the other’s card and the other’s face at the same time.
The deck
The deck has 20 cards: the numbers 1 to 10, twice each. The same deck is used hand after hand and is only replaced with a fresh shuffled deck when all 20 cards have been dealt. Keeping track of what has already come out is a big part of the game.
A hand
- Both players put 1 chip into the pot.
- Each player gets one card. You see your opponent’s card, but your own stays hidden.
- 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 higher card wins the pot.
- If the cards are equal, nobody wins and the pot carries over to the next hand.
- If a player folds, the other player takes the pot without a showdown.
The 10 penalty
Folding while holding a 10 costs an extra 10 chips, paid to the opponent. This stops players from folding every time the opponent’s card looks strong, because the card you cannot see might be the best in the deck.
End of the game
Hands continue until one player has no chips left. That player loses.
Our version
- A deck of 20 cards (1 to 10, twice) is used hand after hand until it is empty, then a fresh shuffled deck is opened.
- Each player antes 1 chip per hand. You see the AI’s card, never your own until the hand ends.
- 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.
- A bet can never be larger than what the opponent can still match.
- A call ends the hand and the higher card takes the pot. Equal cards carry the pot over to the next hand.
- Folding while holding a 10 costs 10 extra chips paid to the opponent, or all your chips if you have fewer.
- Both cards are shown after every hand, folds included.
- The used-cards tracker (on by default) lists every card seen from the current deck.
- You can start with 10, 15 or 20 chips. The match ends when a player has no chips.
Strategy
Start from the card you can see. If the AI holds a 1, almost any card beats it. If it holds a 10, you can at best tie. Their card sets the odds for yours before anyone bets.
Count the deck. Only two of each number exist per deck. Use the tracker, or your own memory, to work out which cards are still out there and how likely you are to be holding a high one.
Read the bet, not just the card. The AI sees your card. A big raise from them often means your card looks weak from their side, and a quick fold can mean it looks strong.
Fold cheaply, but remember the 10. Folding early only costs the ante. But if the AI’s card is low and they still bet hard, you may be holding a 10, and folding it costs 10 more chips.
Small raises gather information. A +1 raise costs little and shows you how the AI reacts. Save the bigger raises for hands where their card is low and the deck is rich in high cards.
Watch the carry-over pot. After a tie the next pot starts larger, so the next hand is worth playing more carefully than usual.