Some people have asked me about the process of writing a novel. Is it fun? It is exciting? Is it frustrating? Is it depressing?
I admit that a few of these ‘people’ are not real people. They are figments of my imagination, created by and residing in the nether regions of my increasingly schizophrenic mind. Nevertheless, I will answer the question, to satisfy myself, even if it serves no practical purpose.
My answer is that it is fun, exciting, frustrating and depressing. The thing is that I love to write. I wrote my first short story when I was ten years old. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night with a desperate craving to write. Tonight is one such night.
However, writing an article or a blog or a short story is all very well. I can get the whole thing done in an hour or two. Writing a full-length novel is an altogether different ball game. I can say, with conviction, that writing a novel is the hardest thing I have ever attempted to do so far in my life. By the same token, I believe it is also the most ambitious.
The task requires a tremendous amount of patience and self-discipline. I have to stick with my plot day-after-day even when it is the least interesting thing in the world to me. The work of a novel continues for an extended period of time, sometimes for more than a year. Initially, any story idea seems thrilling. But, after a few chapters, the initial excitement fades and I have to fight to keep my story alive. Almost every writer experiences the same thing. Believe me, I’ve read tons of interviews and biographies of published authors. Sometime midway through the story, all writers get another ‘better’ idea and are tempted to quit the current, lackluster project and move to the new one. But that is the kiss of death for a novelist. It is the duty and responsibility of the author to give the current story a chance to run its course.
As a novel writer, I have to make endless decisions daily. I have to conjure up plots and subplots, character arcs and scene transitions. I have to concern myself with dialogue tags, sentence structure, paragraph length, repeated words. Most importantly, I have to get my bum in the chair every day to write. This is easier said than done.
Many people believe that for a writer, or for any other artist, producing their work is all a matter of inspiration. What a misconception that is. Inspiration comes to those who put in blood, sweat and tears.
There are some days when I do feel truly inspired. The blood rushes through my veins and the words flow onto the page like running water from an open tap. The characters begin to make choices and take actions that surprise and delight me. This is when I take a step back from the keyboard and shake myself with glee. ‘Wow. It’s alive. It’s alive’ I tell myself.
But such days are rare. They arrive as often as sunny days in Seattle during the month of December. On most days, I come to the blank page and have no idea what to write. My mind is swarming with all the different plots and subplots, the various locations for the action, the motivations of the characters, the links between the scenes, and so on. It is a labyrinth of formidable proportions that I have to grapple with. The cursor on my Word document blinks at me incessantly. ‘Write something. Write something’ it seems to taunt me. But I don’t know what happens next in the story. I don’t know how to resolve the subplot. I don’t know how or where this action will take place. I don’t know how to smoothly move to the next scene. I don’t know anything. I tear my hair in frustration. I can never do this. I can’t be a writer. Who was I kidding?
I have a couple of whiskey shots and wait for the feeling to pass. The difference between a real novelist and a wannabe is that a novelist finishes the manuscript. So, the next day, I go at it again. Word-by-word, I inch forward towards the finish line.
Sometimes, I get a vision. I am at Crosswords bookstore, a favorite hang-out of mine while growing up. It is my book signing event. I sit on a large table and there is a big banner behind me. In front of me, there is a line of people waiting to get my autograph on their copy of my latest novel.
The shrill sound of my alarm clock blurs the vision. My dream felt so real. It is a recurring dream that refuses to leave me. I log into my laptop and the cursor on the empty page blinks insistently. I rub my eyes, crack my knuckles and hit the keyboard. This is my reality. That was my dream. I close my eyes and I am at Crosswords again, signing books. I open them and the page before me is blank.
I know my goal, my destination. But, I don’t have the faintest clue how to get there, when I’ll get there, or even if I’ll ever get there. I don’t have a roadmap. I don’t have a compass. Still, I keep walking down that road, one step at a time. I may make a few wrong turns along the way, but I believe in my heart that if I stay the course long enough, I will reach the destination.
I fight a long, lonely battle, but the journey is magical. Every stage is to be savored. The race is long and in the end it is only with myself.
What's in a name?
“The circuit has three resistors in series and two in parallel…”
Mrs. Kulkarni, the Electronics teacher, lectured in a dull monotone. The classroom was a large one. The students of the last five or six rows were busy writing the Networks assignment that was due later that day. A group of girls occupying the middle benches were engaged in idle gossip. The students in the first two rows appeared somewhat attentive. Mrs. Kulkarni went on reciting the subject matter, seemingly oblivious of what the students in her class were doing.
As is the norm in most engineering colleges in Mumbai, one misguided student had actually written the Networks assignment himself. The rest of the class would then process to mindlessly copy it word-for-word. Seated in the middle of the third last row, Marvin was eager to get his hands on a copy of the assignment. Having just made the transition from diploma to second year engineering, he was halfway through his first month at Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. Before walking into class that day, he was not even aware that there was a Networks assignment due, let alone what the questions were for that assignment. The student behind him had just about completed writing. Marvin borrowed a ball pen and some blank assignment sheets from another student. Taking a copy of the assignment from behind, he began writing rapidly. The assignment was ten pages long.
“Stop writing assignments in my class,” Mrs. Kulkarni bellowed from the front of the class.
Marvin was nearing the end of the second page. So engrossed was he in writing that he took no notice of the teacher.
“You. Stand up!” The teacher’s voice was even louder now.
Now, Marvin looked up and found her staring directly at him. Putting the pen down, he stood up obediently.
“Get out of my class.”
“Why, Ma’am?” Marvin asked innocently.
“What do you mean why? You are not paying attention. Shamelessly writing some assignments in class. Not even looking up when I am talking to you.”
“But Ma’am, everybody here is writing assignments,” Marvin protested.
“Just get out.”
Marvin argued with her for a couple of minutes. He was not used to being kicked out of class. At least, not yet. It was only his first month there.
Finally Mrs. Kulkarni said, “Get out. Write a letter apologizing for your behavior and then request permission to come back in.” and dismissed him.
Picking up his bag, Marvin left the classroom. He found a bench nearby and sat down. He checked the contents of his bag: MP3 player, cell phone charger, motorcycle helmet and gloves. There was no sign of any pen or paper.
“Hey Dude, Can you give me a pen?” Marvin called out to a student passing by.
“Sure.”
“Also, do you have some paper?” Marvin added sheepishly.
“Anything else?” the student asked mockingly as he handed Marvin a pen and some paper.
Marvin smiled and shook his head. He settled on the bench to write the apology letter.
“12th August, 2001.” He wrote on top of the page.
“Dear Mrs.….”
A moment passed. And then another. The realization dawned upon him slowly but surely. He had absolutely no idea who the teacher in there was.
C’mon man, think. You have to know the name of the Electronics teacher, Marvin admonished himself. But, his mind was drawing a blank.
‘Mrs. Shetty? No….Mrs. Sharma? That can’t be….Damn it! What is her name?’
“Dear Mrs. Madhuri,” Marvin wrote decisively after a few minutes of deliberation.
Now, God alone knows why he chose the name Madhuri. Maybe it was a process of elimination. Maybe he was a fan of Madhuri Dixit, the actress. Maybe he simply picked a random name. After all, what’s in a name?
Scribbling a brief apology, he hurried back to the classroom. He entered quietly and handed Mrs. Kulkarni the letter. She read it quickly and looked at him. She looked down at the letter and then looked at Marvin again.
“Who is this Madhuri?”
“Huh?”
Think of something man, Marvin said to himself.
“Who is Madhuri?” the teacher asked again.
“Err….umm…”
Say something. Just say anything now, Marvin thought.
“Ma’am, you are only Madhuri,” He blurted out finally.
“What??” Mrs. Kulkarni was dumbfounded by this response.
The rest of students looked on with puzzled expressions. Then, realizing what he had said, they burst into laughter.
“Shut up, everyone!” Mrs. Kulkarni yelled.
She glared at Marvin.
What does he think of himself, she thought. First, he writes assignments in class without so much as looking up and now this. And who the hell is this Madhuri? Is it some girl from the class?
“Come with me to the Head of Department,” she said, reaching a decision.
Mr. Shinde, the head of the Electronics department, was about to start his lunch, when Mrs. Kulkarni walked into his office with Marvin. After listening to her story, he had a bemused expression on his face.
“Who is Madhuri?” he asked Marvin.
Meanwhile, Marvin had still not come up with a satisfactory answer to this question. He looked towards Mrs. Kulkarni.
“Ma’am is only Madhuri….”
Mr. Shinde looked as if he was not sure whether to laugh or to reprimand Marvin.
“This is Mrs. Smitha Kulkarni, your Electronics teacher for the third semester,” he said, barely able to conceal a grin.
“Now, will you write a proper apology letter addressed to her?”
Marvin nodded, relieved to be let off the hook so lightly. The meeting was over, and Marvin got the hell out of there.
Mrs. Kulkarni, the Electronics teacher, lectured in a dull monotone. The classroom was a large one. The students of the last five or six rows were busy writing the Networks assignment that was due later that day. A group of girls occupying the middle benches were engaged in idle gossip. The students in the first two rows appeared somewhat attentive. Mrs. Kulkarni went on reciting the subject matter, seemingly oblivious of what the students in her class were doing.
As is the norm in most engineering colleges in Mumbai, one misguided student had actually written the Networks assignment himself. The rest of the class would then process to mindlessly copy it word-for-word. Seated in the middle of the third last row, Marvin was eager to get his hands on a copy of the assignment. Having just made the transition from diploma to second year engineering, he was halfway through his first month at Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. Before walking into class that day, he was not even aware that there was a Networks assignment due, let alone what the questions were for that assignment. The student behind him had just about completed writing. Marvin borrowed a ball pen and some blank assignment sheets from another student. Taking a copy of the assignment from behind, he began writing rapidly. The assignment was ten pages long.
“Stop writing assignments in my class,” Mrs. Kulkarni bellowed from the front of the class.
Marvin was nearing the end of the second page. So engrossed was he in writing that he took no notice of the teacher.
“You. Stand up!” The teacher’s voice was even louder now.
Now, Marvin looked up and found her staring directly at him. Putting the pen down, he stood up obediently.
“Get out of my class.”
“Why, Ma’am?” Marvin asked innocently.
“What do you mean why? You are not paying attention. Shamelessly writing some assignments in class. Not even looking up when I am talking to you.”
“But Ma’am, everybody here is writing assignments,” Marvin protested.
“Just get out.”
Marvin argued with her for a couple of minutes. He was not used to being kicked out of class. At least, not yet. It was only his first month there.
Finally Mrs. Kulkarni said, “Get out. Write a letter apologizing for your behavior and then request permission to come back in.” and dismissed him.
Picking up his bag, Marvin left the classroom. He found a bench nearby and sat down. He checked the contents of his bag: MP3 player, cell phone charger, motorcycle helmet and gloves. There was no sign of any pen or paper.
“Hey Dude, Can you give me a pen?” Marvin called out to a student passing by.
“Sure.”
“Also, do you have some paper?” Marvin added sheepishly.
“Anything else?” the student asked mockingly as he handed Marvin a pen and some paper.
Marvin smiled and shook his head. He settled on the bench to write the apology letter.
“12th August, 2001.” He wrote on top of the page.
“Dear Mrs.….”
A moment passed. And then another. The realization dawned upon him slowly but surely. He had absolutely no idea who the teacher in there was.
C’mon man, think. You have to know the name of the Electronics teacher, Marvin admonished himself. But, his mind was drawing a blank.
‘Mrs. Shetty? No….Mrs. Sharma? That can’t be….Damn it! What is her name?’
“Dear Mrs. Madhuri,” Marvin wrote decisively after a few minutes of deliberation.
Now, God alone knows why he chose the name Madhuri. Maybe it was a process of elimination. Maybe he was a fan of Madhuri Dixit, the actress. Maybe he simply picked a random name. After all, what’s in a name?
Scribbling a brief apology, he hurried back to the classroom. He entered quietly and handed Mrs. Kulkarni the letter. She read it quickly and looked at him. She looked down at the letter and then looked at Marvin again.
“Who is this Madhuri?”
“Huh?”
Think of something man, Marvin said to himself.
“Who is Madhuri?” the teacher asked again.
“Err….umm…”
Say something. Just say anything now, Marvin thought.
“Ma’am, you are only Madhuri,” He blurted out finally.
“What??” Mrs. Kulkarni was dumbfounded by this response.
The rest of students looked on with puzzled expressions. Then, realizing what he had said, they burst into laughter.
“Shut up, everyone!” Mrs. Kulkarni yelled.
She glared at Marvin.
What does he think of himself, she thought. First, he writes assignments in class without so much as looking up and now this. And who the hell is this Madhuri? Is it some girl from the class?
“Come with me to the Head of Department,” she said, reaching a decision.
Mr. Shinde, the head of the Electronics department, was about to start his lunch, when Mrs. Kulkarni walked into his office with Marvin. After listening to her story, he had a bemused expression on his face.
“Who is Madhuri?” he asked Marvin.
Meanwhile, Marvin had still not come up with a satisfactory answer to this question. He looked towards Mrs. Kulkarni.
“Ma’am is only Madhuri….”
Mr. Shinde looked as if he was not sure whether to laugh or to reprimand Marvin.
“This is Mrs. Smitha Kulkarni, your Electronics teacher for the third semester,” he said, barely able to conceal a grin.
“Now, will you write a proper apology letter addressed to her?”
Marvin nodded, relieved to be let off the hook so lightly. The meeting was over, and Marvin got the hell out of there.
The Glorious Uncertainties
Will she say yes to me? Will I get that job offer? Will I get admission into that college? Will I be able close the deal with those clients? Will I perform well on stage tonight?
It is thoughts such as these that trouble our minds and make us unhappy. Why do we torture ourselves in this manner? What makes these thoughts pervade our minds day in and day out? It is the same reason that people turn to Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, Tarot Cards, etc to tell them their future. It is the Uncertainty. People have never been able to live with the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen to them. Hence we expend all our energy worrying about the future rather than living in the moment. Our inability to come to terms with this uncertainty makes us suffer.
To deal with the uncertainty, we must first learn to give up the one thing we never had and never will have i.e. Control. We cannot control what will happen in our lives and in the lives of others around us. She may like me or she may not. I may get the job offer or I may not. We must accept that we cannot know how things will turn out. This is the first true realization i.e. not knowing. Once this simple truth dawns upon us then we will have taken the first step towards becoming comfortable with uncertainty.
Consider this situation. What if you were told by a reliable source (say your God), without any room for doubt, about everything that will happen in your future? Say, that you could know all the complete and accurate details about every single day of the rest of your life. Would you like to know this? The first instinct of most people would be Yes, we would like to know. Then we would never have to worry again and our minds would be at peace. But, think about it again. Would you really want to know? If you knew every single thing that is to happen on every single day, then would there be any joy in living that life? If you already knew everything, then you would be reduced to a spectator in your own life. It would be like watching a movie when you know exactly what will happen in every scene. Do you enjoy watching such a movie? Or would you rather watch a movie where it is full of unpredictable twists and turns and you don't where it is heading next?
Thinking about this, we can see that uncertainty is not only inevitable but is also a good thing. Without uncertainty, our lives would be dull and devoid of joy. It is the uncertainties that bring us happiness. If I always knew that she would say yes to me, then, I wouldn't have bought her flowers, hired musicians and gone to all that trouble to win her affections. But, would I be that happy if I already knew how things would turn out and didn't have to bother to do all those things? Probably not. If I knew for certain that I was going to get the job, then I wouldn't have spent time making my resume, preparing for the interview, getting a new suit, etc. Again, if I didn't do all those things with the knowledge that I was to get the job, would the offer give me much joy? Again, it would not. It is the journey that brings us happiness and not the destination. These journeys would not exist without the uncertainty.
We must accept the uncertainties of our lives as they are. We should learn to start liking the uncertainty. Savor the journey and banish from the mind all thoughts of the outcome. We must live in the here and the now and enjoy the moment. If we can do this, we will find that most of our troubles cease to be troubles anymore.
It is thoughts such as these that trouble our minds and make us unhappy. Why do we torture ourselves in this manner? What makes these thoughts pervade our minds day in and day out? It is the same reason that people turn to Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, Tarot Cards, etc to tell them their future. It is the Uncertainty. People have never been able to live with the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen to them. Hence we expend all our energy worrying about the future rather than living in the moment. Our inability to come to terms with this uncertainty makes us suffer.
To deal with the uncertainty, we must first learn to give up the one thing we never had and never will have i.e. Control. We cannot control what will happen in our lives and in the lives of others around us. She may like me or she may not. I may get the job offer or I may not. We must accept that we cannot know how things will turn out. This is the first true realization i.e. not knowing. Once this simple truth dawns upon us then we will have taken the first step towards becoming comfortable with uncertainty.
Consider this situation. What if you were told by a reliable source (say your God), without any room for doubt, about everything that will happen in your future? Say, that you could know all the complete and accurate details about every single day of the rest of your life. Would you like to know this? The first instinct of most people would be Yes, we would like to know. Then we would never have to worry again and our minds would be at peace. But, think about it again. Would you really want to know? If you knew every single thing that is to happen on every single day, then would there be any joy in living that life? If you already knew everything, then you would be reduced to a spectator in your own life. It would be like watching a movie when you know exactly what will happen in every scene. Do you enjoy watching such a movie? Or would you rather watch a movie where it is full of unpredictable twists and turns and you don't where it is heading next?
Thinking about this, we can see that uncertainty is not only inevitable but is also a good thing. Without uncertainty, our lives would be dull and devoid of joy. It is the uncertainties that bring us happiness. If I always knew that she would say yes to me, then, I wouldn't have bought her flowers, hired musicians and gone to all that trouble to win her affections. But, would I be that happy if I already knew how things would turn out and didn't have to bother to do all those things? Probably not. If I knew for certain that I was going to get the job, then I wouldn't have spent time making my resume, preparing for the interview, getting a new suit, etc. Again, if I didn't do all those things with the knowledge that I was to get the job, would the offer give me much joy? Again, it would not. It is the journey that brings us happiness and not the destination. These journeys would not exist without the uncertainty.
We must accept the uncertainties of our lives as they are. We should learn to start liking the uncertainty. Savor the journey and banish from the mind all thoughts of the outcome. We must live in the here and the now and enjoy the moment. If we can do this, we will find that most of our troubles cease to be troubles anymore.
Citizen Soldiers
Starting on 26th November, 2008 and continuing for three agonizing days, was another brutal terrorist attack on the city of Mumbai. They were the some of the worst scenes that I've seen in Mumbai city in the 26 years that I've been alive.
As the city recuperates, the mood amongst the people is one of anger and bitterness. People want revenge on the terrorists and want them tortured and killed. This is especially true of people who have lost someone they loved.
But if we fill our minds with hatred and fury, then we will never find peace. Instead, we must have compassion in our hearts. We must reach out and help those we who we can. Even if we help one person who needs it, then we have fulfilled our duty as citizens of the country.
It's time for us be to Citizen Soldiers.
I present below the lyrics of a song called 'Citizen Soldier' by 3 Doors Down:
Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights
Stand the heroes waiting for your cries
So many times you did not bring this on yourself
When the moment finally comes, I'll be there to help
On that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
When there's people crying in the streets
When they're starving for a meal to eat
When they simply need a place to make their beds
Right here underneath my wing, you can rest your head
On that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
Hope and pray, that you never need me
The rest assured I will not let you down
I walk beside you, but you may not see me
The strongest among you may not wear a crown
On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
On that day when you don't have strength for the burden you bear
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
Here is the song on youtube:
Citizen Soldiers
As the city recuperates, the mood amongst the people is one of anger and bitterness. People want revenge on the terrorists and want them tortured and killed. This is especially true of people who have lost someone they loved.
But if we fill our minds with hatred and fury, then we will never find peace. Instead, we must have compassion in our hearts. We must reach out and help those we who we can. Even if we help one person who needs it, then we have fulfilled our duty as citizens of the country.
It's time for us be to Citizen Soldiers.
I present below the lyrics of a song called 'Citizen Soldier' by 3 Doors Down:
Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights
Stand the heroes waiting for your cries
So many times you did not bring this on yourself
When the moment finally comes, I'll be there to help
On that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
When there's people crying in the streets
When they're starving for a meal to eat
When they simply need a place to make their beds
Right here underneath my wing, you can rest your head
On that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
Hope and pray, that you never need me
The rest assured I will not let you down
I walk beside you, but you may not see me
The strongest among you may not wear a crown
On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care
I'll be right here
On that day when you don't have strength for the burden you bear
I'll be right here
Citizen soldiers
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered
We'll always be ready because we will always be there
Here is the song on youtube:
Citizen Soldiers
Teen Patti Basic
This document will attempt to explain the basics of the game of teen pati also know as flush in some circles. This document can be called ‘Teen Pati for Dummies’ or ‘Varun’s Teach Yourself Teen pati in 30 minutes’.
The basic simple game without any variations or complications is called the ‘royal’ game. All other games are built upon this basic game. Now, in this game each player is dealt 3 cards. Then turn by turn players can bet some money in the center depending on how good their game is. Now, how to decide which game is better?
First, on the individual card level what is the order of priority amongst the cards?
The following is the order of cards Ace being the highest and 2 being the lowest:
Ace, King Queen, Jack, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2
Further, the suits also have an ordering amongst them i.e. Spades is the highest followed by diamonds followed by clubs followed by hearts. Thus ace of spades is a higher card than ace of clubs. Ace of spades is the highest individual card possible and 2 of hearts is the lowest possible.
Now, that the individual card level is dealt with, we will look at the different combinations of games and their ordering.
The following are the different levels of games in decreasing order of priority i.e the higher priority games win over the lower priority ones:
Highest priority
• Trio i.e. all 3 cards of the same number i.e. 3 aces, or 3 kings
• Color Sequence i.e. 3 cards of the same suit and in sequential order e.g. 6, 7, 8 of spades.
• Simple Sequence i.e. 3 cards in sequential order but not necessarily of the same suit e.g. 6 of hearts, 7 of diamonds, 8 of clubs
Amongst sequences the highest sequence is Ace, 2 and 3. the next highest is Ace, King and Queen. After this are all sequences is order of the cards i.e. next is King, Queen and jack and then is Queen, Jack and 10 and so on.
• Color i.e. 3 cards of the same color (i.e. same suit), but not in sequential order e.g. 4, 6 and 8 of spades. Amongst the suites, as mentioned earlier the order is spades followed by diamonds followed by clubs followed by hearts
• Pairs i.e. 2 of the three cards of the same number e.g. 2 aces and a 7. The ordering here is based on the order of the paired card which is based on individual card ordering as described above. (i.e. when two ‘pair’ games are to be compared, then the one with the higher pair wins)
• Simple top card: if the cards have none of the possibilities above i.e. neither color nor sequence nor pair, then it is a simple ‘top card’ game i.e. the game is rated by the top card of the game i.e. an ‘ace top’ game is better than a ‘king top’ game. If the 2 top cards are same then the second highest card of the games is compared.
Lowest priority
This describes how to decide which 3 card game is higher in the ‘royal’ game.
Now to discuss some other rules like betting, blind , show and side-show.
Once the cards are dealt to each player, they have the option of either seeing their cards and betting money accordingly or betting money ‘blind’ i.e. without seeing their cards. The players who have seen their cards have to bet double the amount what the players who are blind are betting. At any time players can raise the stakes currently being bet e.g. if the current stake is 2 counters for seen, then a player can raise the stakes by betting 4 counters which means that the going stake will now be 4 counters and every subsequent player will have to play 4 counters if seen and 2 counters if blind. The option of playing blind is often a useful strategy, especially in some of the variations. There is certain limit set on how high the stakes can be raised. Usually, the max stake is 5 counters for blind and 10 counters for seen. There is also a limit how many rounds a player can go blind. Usually, the max number of blind rounds is 3, after which the players must see their cards.
How does the game terminate?
Players who do not want to play either because their game is bad or because the stakes are too high can ‘pack’ at any time which means quitting the game. Finally if there are only 2 players left either of them can call for a ‘show’ at their turn after putting the required money in the center as per the current stakes. At this point both the players show their cards and the player with the higher game wins and takes the money in the center. At the start of each game, the dealer has to put 2 counters in the center and every other player has to put one counter in the center. If there are 2 or more players still playing and none of them are saying ‘show’ or ‘packing’ then the rule is that after 3 rounds of no change in the stakes being bet, a table show is initiated. If 2 or more players have exactly equal games (this can happen is some variations if both players have all jokers) then it is up to the players to decide how to split the tie: the 2 usual options are to either share the money or have a ‘open flush’ that decides the winner. An open flush is nothing but a simple royal game, but there is no additional betting involved, each player is given 3 cards open on the table. In many joker-based variations, the way we played is a game of all 3 jokers is considered higher than all 3 pure aces. This is because more number of jokers means the variation was fully exploited. Another rule is something called ‘side-show’ where the player can ask for a side-show with the player immediately after him in the playing order…the next player may or may not agree to this side-show. If he agrees, then the two players compare their games and the player with the lower game will have to pack. None of the rest of the players get to see their games. In a side-show, normally the player asking for a side-show pays the current stake and then calls for a side-show. However, if the 2 players agree they can both split the stake between by both paying half and half of the current stake and then comparing their games. Also, the tricky thing about calling for a side-show is that in case the 2 players have exactly equal games, then the player who called for a side-show has to be the one to pack his game.
The basic simple game without any variations or complications is called the ‘royal’ game. All other games are built upon this basic game. Now, in this game each player is dealt 3 cards. Then turn by turn players can bet some money in the center depending on how good their game is. Now, how to decide which game is better?
First, on the individual card level what is the order of priority amongst the cards?
The following is the order of cards Ace being the highest and 2 being the lowest:
Ace, King Queen, Jack, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2
Further, the suits also have an ordering amongst them i.e. Spades is the highest followed by diamonds followed by clubs followed by hearts. Thus ace of spades is a higher card than ace of clubs. Ace of spades is the highest individual card possible and 2 of hearts is the lowest possible.
Now, that the individual card level is dealt with, we will look at the different combinations of games and their ordering.
The following are the different levels of games in decreasing order of priority i.e the higher priority games win over the lower priority ones:
Highest priority
• Trio i.e. all 3 cards of the same number i.e. 3 aces, or 3 kings
• Color Sequence i.e. 3 cards of the same suit and in sequential order e.g. 6, 7, 8 of spades.
• Simple Sequence i.e. 3 cards in sequential order but not necessarily of the same suit e.g. 6 of hearts, 7 of diamonds, 8 of clubs
Amongst sequences the highest sequence is Ace, 2 and 3. the next highest is Ace, King and Queen. After this are all sequences is order of the cards i.e. next is King, Queen and jack and then is Queen, Jack and 10 and so on.
• Color i.e. 3 cards of the same color (i.e. same suit), but not in sequential order e.g. 4, 6 and 8 of spades. Amongst the suites, as mentioned earlier the order is spades followed by diamonds followed by clubs followed by hearts
• Pairs i.e. 2 of the three cards of the same number e.g. 2 aces and a 7. The ordering here is based on the order of the paired card which is based on individual card ordering as described above. (i.e. when two ‘pair’ games are to be compared, then the one with the higher pair wins)
• Simple top card: if the cards have none of the possibilities above i.e. neither color nor sequence nor pair, then it is a simple ‘top card’ game i.e. the game is rated by the top card of the game i.e. an ‘ace top’ game is better than a ‘king top’ game. If the 2 top cards are same then the second highest card of the games is compared.
Lowest priority
This describes how to decide which 3 card game is higher in the ‘royal’ game.
Now to discuss some other rules like betting, blind , show and side-show.
Once the cards are dealt to each player, they have the option of either seeing their cards and betting money accordingly or betting money ‘blind’ i.e. without seeing their cards. The players who have seen their cards have to bet double the amount what the players who are blind are betting. At any time players can raise the stakes currently being bet e.g. if the current stake is 2 counters for seen, then a player can raise the stakes by betting 4 counters which means that the going stake will now be 4 counters and every subsequent player will have to play 4 counters if seen and 2 counters if blind. The option of playing blind is often a useful strategy, especially in some of the variations. There is certain limit set on how high the stakes can be raised. Usually, the max stake is 5 counters for blind and 10 counters for seen. There is also a limit how many rounds a player can go blind. Usually, the max number of blind rounds is 3, after which the players must see their cards.
How does the game terminate?
Players who do not want to play either because their game is bad or because the stakes are too high can ‘pack’ at any time which means quitting the game. Finally if there are only 2 players left either of them can call for a ‘show’ at their turn after putting the required money in the center as per the current stakes. At this point both the players show their cards and the player with the higher game wins and takes the money in the center. At the start of each game, the dealer has to put 2 counters in the center and every other player has to put one counter in the center. If there are 2 or more players still playing and none of them are saying ‘show’ or ‘packing’ then the rule is that after 3 rounds of no change in the stakes being bet, a table show is initiated. If 2 or more players have exactly equal games (this can happen is some variations if both players have all jokers) then it is up to the players to decide how to split the tie: the 2 usual options are to either share the money or have a ‘open flush’ that decides the winner. An open flush is nothing but a simple royal game, but there is no additional betting involved, each player is given 3 cards open on the table. In many joker-based variations, the way we played is a game of all 3 jokers is considered higher than all 3 pure aces. This is because more number of jokers means the variation was fully exploited. Another rule is something called ‘side-show’ where the player can ask for a side-show with the player immediately after him in the playing order…the next player may or may not agree to this side-show. If he agrees, then the two players compare their games and the player with the lower game will have to pack. None of the rest of the players get to see their games. In a side-show, normally the player asking for a side-show pays the current stake and then calls for a side-show. However, if the 2 players agree they can both split the stake between by both paying half and half of the current stake and then comparing their games. Also, the tricky thing about calling for a side-show is that in case the 2 players have exactly equal games, then the player who called for a side-show has to be the one to pack his game.
Teen Patti Variations
The game of teen pati has an ever-growing library of variations that make the game more interesting and entertaining. Once any one gets the hang of the game, then they can contribute by coming up with some innovative variations of their own. It becomes more fun if more people come up with thoughtful variations. Anybody reading this document who has a fair grasp of the game and has played at least a few sessions is encouraged to invent variations of their own and let us know about them. Many variations that seem good at first, on trial in an actual game are not as fun as they seemed and fizzle out. We have tried and tested many variations and this is the complete set of games that worked. Many of these variations are quite complex and require a fair amount of explanation. These variations are best understood by practical examples with a deck of cards in hand. So, it is challenging to attempt to explain these games in a text document. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to do so. Here goes:
• Simple Royal (normally the first round of games of the session)
• Lowest game wins
• Discard One: Give 4 cards, players pick the best 3 and discard the 4th
• Imagine One: Give 2 cards instead of 3, players imagine whatever 3rd card they like that best completes their game
• Add up get joker: give 5 cards to everyone, open one card….any card/cards that add up to that number form a joker
• Highest card /lowest card joker: Give 4 cards to everyone, each person’s lowest card is their own personal joker
• Jokers in the middle: Give 3 cards to everyone, open 2 cards on the table…all numbers in between those 2 are jokers (e.g. if we open 3 and 7 then 4,5,6 are jokers)
• Jokers galore: Give 3 cards to everyone…all reds or all blacks are jokers
• AK47: Give 3 cards to everyone….Ace, King, 4 and 7 are jokers
• Skip-sequence: give 5 cards , a skip i.e. 2 cards with a gap of one ( e.g 3 and 5) or a sequence i.e. 2 consecutive cards ( e.g 3 and 4) form a joker…minimum one joker is required to play, and skip and sequence can each be used only once
• Pairs are Jokers: Give 7 cards to everyone, pairs are jokers….minimum one joker required to play..all pairs must be used as jokers
• Passing cards: give 3 cards to everyone, then 3 extra cards to the first player..each player passes 3 cards to the next till we reach the dealer who puts three back into the pack….then 3 jokers open
• Pack jack: 3 cards to everyone, 3 cards are open as jokers, whenever anyone packs their cards become the new 3 jokers
• Plus Sign: 2 varieties of this game:
o 3 cards to everyone, 5 cards arranged as a plus sign put out on the table…players can select jokers either from the vertical or the horizontal set of cards of the plus sign
o In this modified version, give 6 cards to everyone put out the plus sign as before…now for three rounds people will cover one of the open cards of the plus sign with one of their cards…then at the end of 3 rounds, everyone will have 3 cards and the final set of jokers of the plus sign will be what on the table…then normal game proceeds
• Joker Hunt : give 3 cards to everyone, then open on the table cards which are twice the number of players plus three…e.g. if there are 5 players, then open 5*2 + 3 = 13 cards on the table. Now the game has 2 rounds in which each player
either picks up one open card and discards one of his own into the pack or if he doesn’t want to pick any card, he just closes one card on the table i.e. turns it face down…….so, in each round 5 cards, one per player, will be closed or removed and after 2 such rounds we will be left with three cards open on the table..which will be the three jokers…then the game proceeds as normal…
• Closest to 555: give 3 cards to everyone, the best game is the one closest to 555 arranging the cards as digits (ace being 1 and picture cards being 0) ..closest can be either greater or lower than 555…for 2 rounds player can exchange one card of their game with a new one from the pack in order to improve their game by paying 2 counters for it…they have to first give up a card and then get a new card…after 2 rounds we have normal betting
• Rotating jokers: give each player 3 cards..in front of each player we have one open card and one closed card, the open card is that players private joker…normal game goes one…if any player packs his game, then the closed card in front of that player becomes a universal joker for everyone and the all the open jokers rotate in the direction of the deal…i.e. each player now gets the joker of the player before him
• Closest to 51: the goal of this game is to get closest to 51 without going over… (ala blackjack) initially 3 cards are dealt to each player….then in the beginning we have some rounds of buying cards…where each player pays two counters to buy additional cards to get as close as possible to 51..when all players are satisfied and want no more cards, then normal game proceeds
• Banko: this game proceeds turn-wise…each player plays separately. At the players turn, the dealer opens cards in front of him…and the player has to bet some amount based on how likely he thinks the next card will lie sequentially in between the 2 open cards ( for e.g 3 and 10..player has to bet how likely he thinks the next card will be in between 3 and 10) ….the minimum bet is always 1 counter…initially the maximum allowed bet is 1/4th the amount in the center..then after a player wins 1/4th, the next max is ½ and then full…game goes on till some player wins the full money
• Complete game with 2 open in the center: Give each player one card….then on the table open 4-5 sets of 2 cards side by side…the idea is that the players can match their card with any of the sets of open cards on the table to complete their game….so each player’s game is one card of their plus any one set of 2 cards from those opened on the table. Normal game proceeds with each player knowing in their head what their game is.
• Jokers open at 10, 20 30: Give 3 cards to everyone, keep 3 cards on the table face down….these are three jokers but are not shown in the beginning..the first one will open when the money on the table is 10, the 2nd one will open when the money is 20 and 3rd one when the money is 30.
• In-Out: This game is played in a number of different ways..the way we play it turn-wise…Each player puts 2 counters on the table…. The dealer gives each player 3 cards and opens 3 jokers on the table..then turn by turn each player says whether he is ‘in’ or ‘out’ meaning whether or not he thinks his game is good enough to play…If a player says out then his cards now are the new jokers replacing the previously opened jokers…then finally once everyone has their turn, if more than one player in ‘in’ then they compare games based on the final jokers and optionally one universal joker that remains stable i.e. is never replaced. The player with the highest game takes all the money in the kitty and the loser/losers have to pay that same amount in the center…the game continues till there is no money in the table, which can happen only when there is only one player who says ‘in’ and then he has to compete against a new ‘bank’ game removed fresh from the pack…If the only ‘in’ player wins against the bank then he collects all the money on the table and the game is over….if he loses then he puts that much in the center..while the game is going on, the dealer rotates as usual, so that everybody gets a fair chance to deal….When the money in the center gets too high, we usually put a limit on how much one has to pay on saying ‘in’ and losing..say max 30 or so…If player has to put 60 if he loses, then it becomes too much and nobody will be ‘in’
Alternatively, the game can be played not turn-wise, but with with a stable set of three jokers and everybody simultaneously says ‘in’ or ‘out’…this is done by everybody putting their hands out, and then on the count of 3, everyone simultaneously puts their thumbs either up or down indicating ‘in’ or ‘out’ respectively..in this game, optionally one could open an additional surprise joker after all players have made their choice.
• 3-2-1: In this game, each player gets 6 cards, and he has to arrange the cards into three separate games: the first game has three cards and is a normal royal game, the second game is of two cards and is just ‘imagine one’ and last game is one card and is highest card wins…After all players have arranged their cards, the game proceeds by betting first on the 3 card game, then on the 2 card game and finally on the 1 card game…the player who wins the 2 (or more) out of the three games, wins the overall ‘3-2-1’ and takes all the money…if there is a 3-way tie i.e. 3 different players win one game each, then ‘3-2-1 repeats with only these three players…the others are eliminated
Optionally, in this game one could have 2 jokers for the 3 cards game and 1 joker for the 2 card game…the jokers open only after each player has set his game i.e. decided how to split the 6 cards as 3, 2 and 1 card games
• 3-2-1-1: This game is almost identical to the above described 3-2-1, except for the last additional ‘1’ card game which is nothing but lowest card wins game
• 1-2-3 shopping : In this game each player initially gets three cards, and then there are 3 rounds of shopping. In the first round each player can pay 1 counter and for that he has to first discard one card and then gets a new card. In the second round, each player can pay 2 counters and then this time he first gets one car and then discards after seeing all four cards. In the third round of shopping, each player can pay 3 counters and gets 2 cards and then decides his best game based on that by discarding 2 cards and retaining 3 cards finally. The players need not participate in all or any of these rounds of shopping for new cards. After all three round are done, normal game proceeds. Optionally, a joker can be opened at the end of all 3 rounds of shopping to add a little twist at the end.
• Auction : In this game, each player gets 3 cards. On the table, there are two ‘games’ of 3 cards kept each with 2 cards closed and 1 card open…Now, the 2 cards open i.e. one from each game on the table are the jokers for everyone…those two ‘games’ are now open to auction where all players turn-wise bid some amount of money to buy the games from the table…both these game have atleast one joker, so if they are better than the player’s current game then they should consider bidding for the. Turn by turn each player makes some bid for the game currently on auction….the players may simply pass the bid if they do not want to buy the games..when both the games are sold then normal betting proceeds
• One joker, one bust…..pay to see: In the game, each player gets three cards. There are two cards kept on the table face down. One of them is a joker an done of them is a ‘bust’ card (also known as ‘killer’ card in some circles, which basically means that any game that has that number is a losing game). Now, players can pay 5 counters to see both the cards and then both the joker and bust are active for them. Players can pay 10 counters to see only the joker and in that case only the joker is active for them and the bust is not. For players who do not pay anything, neither the joker or bust is active. No side-show is allowed in this game. After players optionally pay for the cards, then normal game proceeds. In this game, we can optionally also have another globally visible joker for everyone.
• 2 rounds of Buying cards from each other: Each player gets 3 cards and initially one card is open in front of each player. There are 2 rounds of players buying these open cards from each other to try and build a game. This proceeds turn-wise…the first players open card is first up for sale and every other player turn-by-turn bids for that card. Note that players are not allowed to bid for their own card. At the end of the bidding, the player who wins the card picks up the card and replaces it with a card from his game. This continues for all the players’ open cards. Now, the entire process repeats for one more round as players who have picked up cards have also opened a new one in its place, so there could be a different set of cards up for sale in the next round. After 2 rounds of acquiring cards are over and the players have built up their game, then an normal game proceeds.
• buying jokers…seen and unseen : In this game, each player gets 3 cards initially. Then there are 2 rounds of buying jokers. In the first round, each player gets a chance to pay 5 counters and buy a joker for himself i.e. a card is opened from the deck in front of that player and that number becomes a joker for only that player
(e.g. if the player pays 5 counters and then gets a 7 opened in front of him, then only for that player all 7s are now jokers). In this way, each player gets a chance to buy a joker. In the second round, players can buy each others’ jokers which are opened from the first round. In order to share another players’ joker, the player pays the other player 5 counters an puts 5 counters in the center and then that number becomes a joker for him as well. The cost of getting jokers in the second round is 10 counters because this time the players can see beforehand which jokers they are buying unlike in the first round where they were buying unseen jokers. The jokers that players acquired in the first round are retained though they now maybe shared by different players. After 2 rounds of acquiring jokers, normal game proceeds.
• 1 to 10…playing against dealer: In this game the deal rotates to every player. In each game, the dealer sets a range of allowed bets i.e. say from 1 to 5 or something to that effect. The upper and lower bound of the range is from 1 to 10. Say for example if the dealer says the range is 1 to 5. Then each player can bet any number of counter between1 and 5 counters….this is betting on the fact that his game will be better than the dealer. In this game like in BlackJack in a Casino, everybody plays against the dealer. Now, all players have to decide their bet in advance before the card are dealt. Then the cards are dealt to each player open i.e. it’s a simple royal open flush, which means each player is dealt 3 cards open on the table. Now, each players game is compared with the dealers’s. If the player is better than the dealer by 2 levels, then the dealer has to pay the player 2 times what he bet in the beginning and vice-versa. The levels we are talking of here are the normal levels of a royal game i.e. top card, pairs, color, sequence, pure sequence, trio. If the player is better than the dealer at the same level, then the dealer pays the same amount as the player has bet. If the dealer is better, then the player pays the dealer: the number of levels above his game is that many times the amount the player bet in the beginning. The game continues for one whole round wherein each player on the table has had the chance to be the dealer.
• All open..seing each others’ game : This game is one that requires all the players to be very honest. In this game, each player is dealt 3 cards like a simple royal. Now, each player takes his cards and without looking at them puts them on the head such that everybody else can see them. In this way each player can see everybody else is cards beside their own. The cool part in this game is to judge other people reactions to figure out how your game is, and to see everyone else’s game to see if it is worth playing. The game proceeds as normal royal otherwise.
• Temperature : This game is a variation of in-out where each player is given 3 cards and there are 3 jokers open on the table. The players must all at the same time state whether they are ‘in’ or ‘out’. This is done by everybody simultaneously putting their thumbs up or down and the difference is the ‘temperature’ card that opens in the end. After everybody says whether they are in or out, a card is taken from the deck and kept open on the table..this is the ‘temperature’ card. If the card is between ace and 6, the the lowest game wins and if it is between 7 and king , then the highest game wins as normal. This is the twist to the normal ‘in-out’ game. The rest of the rules remain the same as in the ‘in-out’ game described above.
New Ideas (untested)…inspired by the Gods of SiddhiVinayak mandir
• One card down..personal joker, then one round buying each other’s : In this game, each player is given 4 cards initially. Out of these four, each player has to put one card down before him and that card becomes their own personal joker. Now, in one round if buying each players joker is available to be shared by any of the other players. Any player wanting that card as his joker has to pay 3 counters to the owner player and 3 counters in the center, then that card becomes the player’s joker as well i.e. that number is now a joker for him. After this round gets over, normal game proceeds.
Alternatively, the players put one card down not as jokers as just a card up for sale. And then in one round each players card is put up for auction to be bought as a card not as a joker.
• Two cards in hand, two cards down…trading floor: In this game, each player is dealt 2 cards closed and 2 cards open on the table. All these four cards form the person’s game. Now, after dealing a trading floor begins, wherein turn-by-turn each player’s 2 cards are up for grabs only if the person wants to trade them. Now, other players wanting to buy the cards should offer the player some money plus either or both of the 2 cards open in front of them. Note that players can offer to trade only on the open cards and not on the cards in their hand. The trading continues till all players’ cards have been offered for trading. After the trading round is over, normal game proceeds.
• Each person calls a number as their joker : In the game 3 cards are dealt to each player. Then turn-by-turn each player put 5 counters in the center and either calls a certain number as joker or cancels someone else’s joker. The number each player calls as joker becomes joker for everyone. Now players can play positively or pro-actively by each calling a new number as a joker or can play negatively or reactively and try to destroy other people’s games by paying money to cancel someone else’s joker. The players need not participate in this round of paying for calling or canceling jokers if they do not want to. After one such round of creating or canceling jokers normal game proceeds.
Note: This document is based on the countless card sessions played in the living room of the Vaswani residence a.k.a. ‘The Casino’. The core of the card playing group include Sahil, Suren and Varun. Many of the ideas for new variations were thought up while standing in the exceedingly long line outside SiddhiVinayak Mandir on those glorious Tuesday mornings.
• Simple Royal (normally the first round of games of the session)
• Lowest game wins
• Discard One: Give 4 cards, players pick the best 3 and discard the 4th
• Imagine One: Give 2 cards instead of 3, players imagine whatever 3rd card they like that best completes their game
• Add up get joker: give 5 cards to everyone, open one card….any card/cards that add up to that number form a joker
• Highest card /lowest card joker: Give 4 cards to everyone, each person’s lowest card is their own personal joker
• Jokers in the middle: Give 3 cards to everyone, open 2 cards on the table…all numbers in between those 2 are jokers (e.g. if we open 3 and 7 then 4,5,6 are jokers)
• Jokers galore: Give 3 cards to everyone…all reds or all blacks are jokers
• AK47: Give 3 cards to everyone….Ace, King, 4 and 7 are jokers
• Skip-sequence: give 5 cards , a skip i.e. 2 cards with a gap of one ( e.g 3 and 5) or a sequence i.e. 2 consecutive cards ( e.g 3 and 4) form a joker…minimum one joker is required to play, and skip and sequence can each be used only once
• Pairs are Jokers: Give 7 cards to everyone, pairs are jokers….minimum one joker required to play..all pairs must be used as jokers
• Passing cards: give 3 cards to everyone, then 3 extra cards to the first player..each player passes 3 cards to the next till we reach the dealer who puts three back into the pack….then 3 jokers open
• Pack jack: 3 cards to everyone, 3 cards are open as jokers, whenever anyone packs their cards become the new 3 jokers
• Plus Sign: 2 varieties of this game:
o 3 cards to everyone, 5 cards arranged as a plus sign put out on the table…players can select jokers either from the vertical or the horizontal set of cards of the plus sign
o In this modified version, give 6 cards to everyone put out the plus sign as before…now for three rounds people will cover one of the open cards of the plus sign with one of their cards…then at the end of 3 rounds, everyone will have 3 cards and the final set of jokers of the plus sign will be what on the table…then normal game proceeds
• Joker Hunt : give 3 cards to everyone, then open on the table cards which are twice the number of players plus three…e.g. if there are 5 players, then open 5*2 + 3 = 13 cards on the table. Now the game has 2 rounds in which each player
either picks up one open card and discards one of his own into the pack or if he doesn’t want to pick any card, he just closes one card on the table i.e. turns it face down…….so, in each round 5 cards, one per player, will be closed or removed and after 2 such rounds we will be left with three cards open on the table..which will be the three jokers…then the game proceeds as normal…
• Closest to 555: give 3 cards to everyone, the best game is the one closest to 555 arranging the cards as digits (ace being 1 and picture cards being 0) ..closest can be either greater or lower than 555…for 2 rounds player can exchange one card of their game with a new one from the pack in order to improve their game by paying 2 counters for it…they have to first give up a card and then get a new card…after 2 rounds we have normal betting
• Rotating jokers: give each player 3 cards..in front of each player we have one open card and one closed card, the open card is that players private joker…normal game goes one…if any player packs his game, then the closed card in front of that player becomes a universal joker for everyone and the all the open jokers rotate in the direction of the deal…i.e. each player now gets the joker of the player before him
• Closest to 51: the goal of this game is to get closest to 51 without going over… (ala blackjack) initially 3 cards are dealt to each player….then in the beginning we have some rounds of buying cards…where each player pays two counters to buy additional cards to get as close as possible to 51..when all players are satisfied and want no more cards, then normal game proceeds
• Banko: this game proceeds turn-wise…each player plays separately. At the players turn, the dealer opens cards in front of him…and the player has to bet some amount based on how likely he thinks the next card will lie sequentially in between the 2 open cards ( for e.g 3 and 10..player has to bet how likely he thinks the next card will be in between 3 and 10) ….the minimum bet is always 1 counter…initially the maximum allowed bet is 1/4th the amount in the center..then after a player wins 1/4th, the next max is ½ and then full…game goes on till some player wins the full money
• Complete game with 2 open in the center: Give each player one card….then on the table open 4-5 sets of 2 cards side by side…the idea is that the players can match their card with any of the sets of open cards on the table to complete their game….so each player’s game is one card of their plus any one set of 2 cards from those opened on the table. Normal game proceeds with each player knowing in their head what their game is.
• Jokers open at 10, 20 30: Give 3 cards to everyone, keep 3 cards on the table face down….these are three jokers but are not shown in the beginning..the first one will open when the money on the table is 10, the 2nd one will open when the money is 20 and 3rd one when the money is 30.
• In-Out: This game is played in a number of different ways..the way we play it turn-wise…Each player puts 2 counters on the table…. The dealer gives each player 3 cards and opens 3 jokers on the table..then turn by turn each player says whether he is ‘in’ or ‘out’ meaning whether or not he thinks his game is good enough to play…If a player says out then his cards now are the new jokers replacing the previously opened jokers…then finally once everyone has their turn, if more than one player in ‘in’ then they compare games based on the final jokers and optionally one universal joker that remains stable i.e. is never replaced. The player with the highest game takes all the money in the kitty and the loser/losers have to pay that same amount in the center…the game continues till there is no money in the table, which can happen only when there is only one player who says ‘in’ and then he has to compete against a new ‘bank’ game removed fresh from the pack…If the only ‘in’ player wins against the bank then he collects all the money on the table and the game is over….if he loses then he puts that much in the center..while the game is going on, the dealer rotates as usual, so that everybody gets a fair chance to deal….When the money in the center gets too high, we usually put a limit on how much one has to pay on saying ‘in’ and losing..say max 30 or so…If player has to put 60 if he loses, then it becomes too much and nobody will be ‘in’
Alternatively, the game can be played not turn-wise, but with with a stable set of three jokers and everybody simultaneously says ‘in’ or ‘out’…this is done by everybody putting their hands out, and then on the count of 3, everyone simultaneously puts their thumbs either up or down indicating ‘in’ or ‘out’ respectively..in this game, optionally one could open an additional surprise joker after all players have made their choice.
• 3-2-1: In this game, each player gets 6 cards, and he has to arrange the cards into three separate games: the first game has three cards and is a normal royal game, the second game is of two cards and is just ‘imagine one’ and last game is one card and is highest card wins…After all players have arranged their cards, the game proceeds by betting first on the 3 card game, then on the 2 card game and finally on the 1 card game…the player who wins the 2 (or more) out of the three games, wins the overall ‘3-2-1’ and takes all the money…if there is a 3-way tie i.e. 3 different players win one game each, then ‘3-2-1 repeats with only these three players…the others are eliminated
Optionally, in this game one could have 2 jokers for the 3 cards game and 1 joker for the 2 card game…the jokers open only after each player has set his game i.e. decided how to split the 6 cards as 3, 2 and 1 card games
• 3-2-1-1: This game is almost identical to the above described 3-2-1, except for the last additional ‘1’ card game which is nothing but lowest card wins game
• 1-2-3 shopping : In this game each player initially gets three cards, and then there are 3 rounds of shopping. In the first round each player can pay 1 counter and for that he has to first discard one card and then gets a new card. In the second round, each player can pay 2 counters and then this time he first gets one car and then discards after seeing all four cards. In the third round of shopping, each player can pay 3 counters and gets 2 cards and then decides his best game based on that by discarding 2 cards and retaining 3 cards finally. The players need not participate in all or any of these rounds of shopping for new cards. After all three round are done, normal game proceeds. Optionally, a joker can be opened at the end of all 3 rounds of shopping to add a little twist at the end.
• Auction : In this game, each player gets 3 cards. On the table, there are two ‘games’ of 3 cards kept each with 2 cards closed and 1 card open…Now, the 2 cards open i.e. one from each game on the table are the jokers for everyone…those two ‘games’ are now open to auction where all players turn-wise bid some amount of money to buy the games from the table…both these game have atleast one joker, so if they are better than the player’s current game then they should consider bidding for the. Turn by turn each player makes some bid for the game currently on auction….the players may simply pass the bid if they do not want to buy the games..when both the games are sold then normal betting proceeds
• One joker, one bust…..pay to see: In the game, each player gets three cards. There are two cards kept on the table face down. One of them is a joker an done of them is a ‘bust’ card (also known as ‘killer’ card in some circles, which basically means that any game that has that number is a losing game). Now, players can pay 5 counters to see both the cards and then both the joker and bust are active for them. Players can pay 10 counters to see only the joker and in that case only the joker is active for them and the bust is not. For players who do not pay anything, neither the joker or bust is active. No side-show is allowed in this game. After players optionally pay for the cards, then normal game proceeds. In this game, we can optionally also have another globally visible joker for everyone.
• 2 rounds of Buying cards from each other: Each player gets 3 cards and initially one card is open in front of each player. There are 2 rounds of players buying these open cards from each other to try and build a game. This proceeds turn-wise…the first players open card is first up for sale and every other player turn-by-turn bids for that card. Note that players are not allowed to bid for their own card. At the end of the bidding, the player who wins the card picks up the card and replaces it with a card from his game. This continues for all the players’ open cards. Now, the entire process repeats for one more round as players who have picked up cards have also opened a new one in its place, so there could be a different set of cards up for sale in the next round. After 2 rounds of acquiring cards are over and the players have built up their game, then an normal game proceeds.
• buying jokers…seen and unseen : In this game, each player gets 3 cards initially. Then there are 2 rounds of buying jokers. In the first round, each player gets a chance to pay 5 counters and buy a joker for himself i.e. a card is opened from the deck in front of that player and that number becomes a joker for only that player
(e.g. if the player pays 5 counters and then gets a 7 opened in front of him, then only for that player all 7s are now jokers). In this way, each player gets a chance to buy a joker. In the second round, players can buy each others’ jokers which are opened from the first round. In order to share another players’ joker, the player pays the other player 5 counters an puts 5 counters in the center and then that number becomes a joker for him as well. The cost of getting jokers in the second round is 10 counters because this time the players can see beforehand which jokers they are buying unlike in the first round where they were buying unseen jokers. The jokers that players acquired in the first round are retained though they now maybe shared by different players. After 2 rounds of acquiring jokers, normal game proceeds.
• 1 to 10…playing against dealer: In this game the deal rotates to every player. In each game, the dealer sets a range of allowed bets i.e. say from 1 to 5 or something to that effect. The upper and lower bound of the range is from 1 to 10. Say for example if the dealer says the range is 1 to 5. Then each player can bet any number of counter between1 and 5 counters….this is betting on the fact that his game will be better than the dealer. In this game like in BlackJack in a Casino, everybody plays against the dealer. Now, all players have to decide their bet in advance before the card are dealt. Then the cards are dealt to each player open i.e. it’s a simple royal open flush, which means each player is dealt 3 cards open on the table. Now, each players game is compared with the dealers’s. If the player is better than the dealer by 2 levels, then the dealer has to pay the player 2 times what he bet in the beginning and vice-versa. The levels we are talking of here are the normal levels of a royal game i.e. top card, pairs, color, sequence, pure sequence, trio. If the player is better than the dealer at the same level, then the dealer pays the same amount as the player has bet. If the dealer is better, then the player pays the dealer: the number of levels above his game is that many times the amount the player bet in the beginning. The game continues for one whole round wherein each player on the table has had the chance to be the dealer.
• All open..seing each others’ game : This game is one that requires all the players to be very honest. In this game, each player is dealt 3 cards like a simple royal. Now, each player takes his cards and without looking at them puts them on the head such that everybody else can see them. In this way each player can see everybody else is cards beside their own. The cool part in this game is to judge other people reactions to figure out how your game is, and to see everyone else’s game to see if it is worth playing. The game proceeds as normal royal otherwise.
• Temperature : This game is a variation of in-out where each player is given 3 cards and there are 3 jokers open on the table. The players must all at the same time state whether they are ‘in’ or ‘out’. This is done by everybody simultaneously putting their thumbs up or down and the difference is the ‘temperature’ card that opens in the end. After everybody says whether they are in or out, a card is taken from the deck and kept open on the table..this is the ‘temperature’ card. If the card is between ace and 6, the the lowest game wins and if it is between 7 and king , then the highest game wins as normal. This is the twist to the normal ‘in-out’ game. The rest of the rules remain the same as in the ‘in-out’ game described above.
New Ideas (untested)…inspired by the Gods of SiddhiVinayak mandir
• One card down..personal joker, then one round buying each other’s : In this game, each player is given 4 cards initially. Out of these four, each player has to put one card down before him and that card becomes their own personal joker. Now, in one round if buying each players joker is available to be shared by any of the other players. Any player wanting that card as his joker has to pay 3 counters to the owner player and 3 counters in the center, then that card becomes the player’s joker as well i.e. that number is now a joker for him. After this round gets over, normal game proceeds.
Alternatively, the players put one card down not as jokers as just a card up for sale. And then in one round each players card is put up for auction to be bought as a card not as a joker.
• Two cards in hand, two cards down…trading floor: In this game, each player is dealt 2 cards closed and 2 cards open on the table. All these four cards form the person’s game. Now, after dealing a trading floor begins, wherein turn-by-turn each player’s 2 cards are up for grabs only if the person wants to trade them. Now, other players wanting to buy the cards should offer the player some money plus either or both of the 2 cards open in front of them. Note that players can offer to trade only on the open cards and not on the cards in their hand. The trading continues till all players’ cards have been offered for trading. After the trading round is over, normal game proceeds.
• Each person calls a number as their joker : In the game 3 cards are dealt to each player. Then turn-by-turn each player put 5 counters in the center and either calls a certain number as joker or cancels someone else’s joker. The number each player calls as joker becomes joker for everyone. Now players can play positively or pro-actively by each calling a new number as a joker or can play negatively or reactively and try to destroy other people’s games by paying money to cancel someone else’s joker. The players need not participate in this round of paying for calling or canceling jokers if they do not want to. After one such round of creating or canceling jokers normal game proceeds.
Note: This document is based on the countless card sessions played in the living room of the Vaswani residence a.k.a. ‘The Casino’. The core of the card playing group include Sahil, Suren and Varun. Many of the ideas for new variations were thought up while standing in the exceedingly long line outside SiddhiVinayak Mandir on those glorious Tuesday mornings.
Putting Things in Perspective
“Kaise ho, bhaiya?” The boy had a big smile on his face as he spoke.
My car had stopped at the same traffic signal it always does. The boy stood outside my back seat window, his right hand holding a stack of novels.
“Kaise ho, Amit? Sab theekh?” I rolled down the window and returned his smile.
“Ha, bhaiya. First class. Aur Aunty theekh hai?” He inquired back.
Amit was referring to my mother. My mother and I have a tradition of taking all the street kids in our neighborhood out for a hearty meal every Diwali. Last year, Amit was one of these kids whom we had taken to a nearby Udipi restaurant. I still remember how he had relished his masala dosa and Pepsi.
I looked across at Amit now. His t-shirt was torn in several places. His lips were parched in the heat of the Mumbai summer. Yet, his smile was one of bliss. Here I was, complaining about my iPod battery being discharged and ineffective air-conditioner in my car. I had all the luxuries in the world, but I complained. Amit had next to nothing given to him, but he smiled.
“Jeffrey Archer ka naya book aa gaya, bhaiya. Aapka favorite.” Amit handed me a book from his stack. Apparently I had bought enough books from him that he was tuned to my preferences. It was amazing how much English he had picked up by listening to people talk in their cars.
I began to recollect all the things Amit had told us about his life that day in the restaurant. He never knew where his next meal would come from. Often, he didn’t sell enough books to buy any food. Sometimes, his bosses cheated him of his earnings. The police were constantly harassing him. He usually slept with some friends in their slum dwelling. But, they had been thrown out from one slum to another and were sleeping on the street till they could find another place.
One night, he and his friends had been peacefully sleeping on the footpath when a drunken car driver pulled up there. He got out of his car and proceeded to beat the hell out of those defenseless kids for no apparent reason. For no fault of his, Amit suffered a concussion, broken bones in his left arm, and damaged kneecaps. He spent six months in the municipal hospital recovering from his wounds.
Amit had never known who his parents were. He grew up in an orphanage with several other homeless kids. He believes that as a baby he was found abandoned on the streets and was taken by someone to the orphanage. He says that the kids were treated very badly in that place, but he had made many close friends there.
From my interactions with Amit, I know that this kid was smart. I don’t mean just street smart which these kids need to be, but also intelligent in the raw sense. He was only twelve years old and never went to school, but had picked several languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati and even a bit of English. He was a keen observer of people and had learned many things about the habits of the car owners who regularly drove by in the neighborhood.
The speed with which Amit could add or multiply two numbers in his head was impressive to say the least. He showed this ability everyday while haggling for the price of his books with customers. That day in the restaurant, Amit seemed engrossed in his food but when the bill arrived before me, he could tell the total down to the paise and the breakdown of which kid spent exactly how much. I had barely glanced at the prices, but Amit had not missed a single thing. I got the feeling that if Amit had been given the same opportunities for education that I had, he would go far in life.
I reflected on how lucky I was and how much I took for granted. I have a loving family, a circle of friends, a great education and all the comforts of a home. Comparing my life with Amit’s, I concluded that all my so-called ‘problems’ could not even be considered problems at all. So, I lost my father at an early age and have had my heart broken by a girl or two. Big Deal. Life goes on and I have so much to be thankful for. I felt that there was really no reason for me to complain about anything in my career, my relationships, or anything else in my life.
Strangely, I envied Amit in a way. Not his misfortunes, but rather his ability to take them in his stride. I could never imagine myself facing the things he had been through. He was only twelve but had seen more pain and trauma than most people I know face in their whole lives. But there he was outside my car window, selling his books, cheerful as ever. He looked like he didn’t have a worry in the world. How did he manage to be so happy? How did I manage to worry so much when I have everything given to me? This is why I looked up to Amit and prayed to the gods to make me as strong a person as Amit was.
“Bhaiya?” Amit gave me a questioning look and I snapped out of my reverie.
The signal had turned green. I gestured to my driver to wait. I handed Amit money for the book and also a packet of chocolate chip cookies that I had in my car.
“Thank you, Bhaiya.” Amit waved as the driver started the car amongst the honking horns.
For the rest of my journey, I sat silently in the back seat with a whole new perspective.
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