Teen Patti Hierarchy: The Full Hand Order Explained
Six hand types decide every Teen Patti pot, and the whole game fits in one ladder: Trail › Pure Sequence › Sequence › Colour › Pair › High Card. Most disputes at the table aren't about that order though — they're about what happens when two players hold the same type. This guide gives you the full hierarchy, the exact tie-breaker for every rung, how rare each hand really is, and the variations that turn the ladder upside down.
The hierarchy, top to bottom
| Rank | Hand | Also called | What it is | Example | Approx. odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trail | Set, Trio, Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | A♠ A♥ A♣ | 1 in 425 |
| 2 | Pure Sequence | Straight Flush | Three in a row, all one suit | A♥ K♥ Q♥ | 1 in 459 |
| 3 | Sequence | Run, Straight | Three in a row, mixed suits | 10♠ 9♥ 8♣ | 1 in 30 |
| 4 | Colour | Flush | Three of one suit, not in a row | J♦ 7♦ 3♦ | 1 in 20 |
| 5 | Pair | Double | Two cards of the same rank | K♠ K♥ 5♣ | 1 in 6 |
| 6 | High Card | No Pair | None of the above | A♠ 9♦ 4♣ | 3 in 4 |
Two things about this ladder surprise almost everyone. First, a trail is actually slightly more common than a pure sequence, yet every app ranks it higher — the order is tradition, inherited from three-card brag. Second, look at the bottom row: roughly three hands in four are plain high-card hands. Teen Patti is mostly a game of weak cards and strong nerves, which is why blind play and betting matter more than waiting for monsters.
Tie-breakers: same hand, who wins?
- Trail vs trail: higher rank wins — A-A-A beats K-K-K, and 2-2-2 is the weakest trail (still beats any pure sequence).
- Sequence vs sequence (pure or mixed): the higher run wins. A-K-Q is top, then A-2-3 in most apps, then K-Q-J down to 4-3-2. A pure sequence only competes against other pure sequences.
- Colour vs colour: compare highest cards; if equal, the second, then the third. Suits never break ties.
- Pair vs pair: the pair rank decides; if both hold the same pair, the third card (kicker) decides.
- High card vs high card: highest card, then second, then third. Identical ranks all the way down means a split pot in most apps.
When the hierarchy flips: Muflis, AK47 and friends
- Muflis (Lowball): the entire ladder inverts — high card beats pair beats colour, and the player with the weakest normal hand wins. 5-3-2 is king.
- AK47: aces, kings, 4s and 7s act as jokers. The order stays the same, but trails and pure sequences stop being rare — fold-worthy hands change completely.
- Joker / Wild Draw: random wild cards each round; same ladder, wilder swings.
- Lowest Joker: your lowest card (all four of that rank) becomes wild — a subtle middle ground.
Full rules for each variation, with examples, are in our hands & variations guide. If you're still learning the basic flow — blind vs seen, show, sideshow — start with how to play Teen Patti, and the sister game's ladder lives in our rummy points table.