poker · India and South Asia (also Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)
3 Patti Cobra (Maatha)
Also known as Teen Patti Cobra · Cobra · Maatha · Matha · Teen Patti Maatha · Teen Patti Matha · Forehead Teen Patti · Indian Poker (Teen Patti style) · One-Card Teen Patti · तीन पत्ती कोबरा · माथा
3 Patti Cobra — also called Maatha (Matha, meaning "forehead") — is the most famous party twist on India's beloved Teen Patti. Instead of three hidden cards, every player gets a single card and holds it face-out on their forehead, so you can see everyone else's card but never your own. Nobody can fold, so once the cards are up you must read the table — the wins, the smirks, the way rivals are betting — to guess whether the card stuck to your own head is a winner or a loser. When the betting ends, cards come down and the highest single card scoops the pot. It's fast, hilarious, and pure psychology: the same game Westerners call "Indian Poker" or "Blind Man's Bluff." This page launches our Teen Patti engine in its Cobra/Maatha mode — completely free, in your browser, against friends or smart bots, with no download and no signup.
3–10 players · free · no download · no signup
How to play 3 Patti Cobra (Maatha)
- Open the table and choose the Cobra (Maatha) variant so the engine deals one card each and hides your own card from you.
- Every player posts the boot (ante) to start the pot, then receives a single card.
- Each player's card goes face-out on their forehead — you see everyone else's card but never your own.
- Read the table: judge how strong your card might be from the cards you can see and how your rivals are betting.
- Bet chips into the pot on your turn — remember there is no folding, so you are in until the showdown.
- If your group allows it, spend a chip to ask the player on your left one yes/no question about your hidden card.
- When betting ends, everyone takes their card down and reveals it — the highest single card wins the pot.
- Collect the pot, then pass the deal clockwise and start a new hand with a fresh boot.
3 Patti Cobra (Maatha) rules
Objective
Cobra (Maatha) strips Teen Patti down to a single card. The goal is to win the pot — all the chips wagered in a deal — and at the showdown the player holding the HIGHEST single card wins. The catch that gives the game its name: your one card lives on your forehead facing outward, so you can see every other player's card but never your own. You bet purely on what you can deduce from everyone else's cards and their behaviour. There is no folding, so every player who antes stays in until the cards come down.
The deck and the deal
Cobra uses a standard 52-card pack with no jokers. It plays well with anywhere from 3 to 10 players, and because each person needs only one card, even a large group is easy to seat. Before the deal everyone posts an equal forced bet called the boot (ante) to seed the pot. The dealer then gives each player exactly ONE card, dealt or taken face down so nobody peeks. On the dealer's signal, every player raises their card to their forehead — facing out — without looking at it. Now the table can see all cards except, for each person, their own.
Card visibility — the forehead twist
This is the heart of Cobra/Maatha. Each player holds their lone card flat against their forehead with the face pointing away, exactly like the Western party game Indian Poker. You instantly know what every opponent is holding, and they know yours — but your own card is a complete mystery to you. The whole game becomes an exercise in reading the room: if everyone around you looks confident or bets big, your card is probably weak; if they hesitate or fold-talk, you might be sitting on an Ace. Honest, face-out placement is essential, so this variant is usually played as an open, trust-based round among friends.
Card ranking
Cards rank by single-card value, high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 — the Ace is always high. There are no pairs, sequences, or flushes to worry about because everyone holds just one card. If two or more players tie on rank at the showdown, the tie is usually broken by suit order (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs, highest to lowest) or the pot is split — agree the convention before a casual game. On this portal the engine settles every tie automatically.
No folding — everyone stays in
Unlike Classic Teen Patti, Cobra has NO fold (pack) option. Once you have posted the boot and put your card on your forehead, you are committed to the showdown. This is what makes the game so wild: you cannot escape a bad card and you cannot protect a great one by scaring people out early — you can only bet. Because nobody folds, the pot is contested by every player every hand, and luck plays a bigger role than in standard Teen Patti.
Betting rounds
After the boot and the forehead reveal, play goes clockwise from the dealer's left. On your turn you bet chips into the pot based on what you can read — the strength of the cards you can see and how worried (or smug) the others look. Tables either play a fixed number of betting rounds (commonly one to three) or simply bet until everyone has matched the current stake. Some friendly groups add a 'question' rule, where for a chip you may ask the player to your left one yes/no question about your own card ('Is it red?', 'Is it higher than a 9?') to gather clues. There is no blind/seen distinction here — by design nobody can ever see their own card.
Showdown — highest card wins
When betting is complete, everyone takes their card down from their forehead and reveals it. The player holding the single HIGHEST card wins the entire pot. Because hands are just one card each, the showdown is instant and dramatic — half the fun is finally discovering whether the card you have been bluffing about was an Ace or a deuce. After the pot is awarded the deal passes clockwise and a fresh boot starts the next hand.
How Cobra runs on our engine
Honesty note: there is no standalone 'Cobra' game here — this page launches our standard Teen Patti engine in its Cobra/Maatha mode. Pick the Cobra variant at the table and the engine deals a single card per player, hides your own card from you while showing your opponents', disables folding, runs the betting, and scores the showdown by highest single card. Everything else — boots, the pot, virtual chips, smart bots, and multiplayer with friends — works just like the rest of our Teen Patti tables. There is no real money; you play purely for fun.
Strategy tips
- You can see everything except your own card, so count the table: if you spot several high cards (Aces, Kings) on other foreheads, those are off the deck and your unseen card is more likely to be middling or low.
- Watch the betting, not just the cards. When opponents who can see your card start betting aggressively, your forehead card is probably weak; when they get cautious, you may be holding a monster.
- Control your own reaction. Since rivals decide how to bet based on the card they see on YOUR head, a calm poker face when you see a low card on someone else can disguise the whole table read.
- There is no fold, so don't over-commit on a hunch early — pace your chips across the betting rounds and add pressure only once the table's behaviour confirms you likely hold a high card.
- If your group uses the yes/no question rule, spend early on the most narrowing question ('Is it higher than a 9?') to roughly place your card before the big bets go in.
- Accept the variance. Cobra is far more luck-driven than Classic Teen Patti — bankroll-style chip management and steady reads beat big swings over a long session.
- Bluff with confidence: because nobody can ever check their own card, a bold, unwavering bet can convince others you have read the room and hold an Ace, pushing them to bet small into you.
Variants
Classic Teen Patti (three cards, highest hand wins) · Cobra / Maatha (one card on the forehead, highest card wins) · Maatha with yes/no questions (pay to ask about your hidden card) · Three-card Maatha (three cards held face-out) · Muflis (Lowball — lowest hand wins) · AK47 (A, K, 4, 7 wild) · Joker / Lowest-Card Wild
3 Patti Cobra (Maatha) — frequently asked questions
What is 3 Patti Cobra (Maatha)?
Cobra, also called Maatha (Matha, 'forehead'), is a Teen Patti variant where each player gets a single card and holds it on their forehead. You can see everyone else's card but never your own, there is no folding, and the highest single card wins the pot. It's the Teen Patti version of the party game known in the West as Indian Poker or Blind Man's Bluff.
Why is it called Maatha (Matha)?
Maatha means 'forehead' in Hindi. The name comes from the core rule: every player sticks their one card face-out on their forehead, so the whole table can see it while the holder cannot. 'Cobra' is the common alternative name for the same forehead-card variant.
How many cards does each player get in Cobra?
Just one. Unlike Classic Teen Patti, where you get three hidden cards, Cobra deals a single card per player, which you hold on your forehead without looking at it.
Can I fold in 3 Patti Cobra?
No. Cobra has no fold (pack) option — once you post the boot and put your card on your forehead, you are committed to the showdown. Every player contests every pot, which is why the game is fast and high-variance.
How is the winner decided?
After the betting, everyone takes their card off their forehead and reveals it. The player with the highest single card wins the whole pot, with the Ace ranking highest. Ties are broken by suit order or split, depending on the table rule — our engine settles ties automatically.
How do I play 3 Patti Cobra here?
This page launches our standard Teen Patti engine in its Cobra/Maatha mode — there is no separate Cobra game. Pick the Cobra variant at the table and the engine deals one card each, hides your own card while showing your opponents', disables folding, and scores the highest card. It's completely free, in your browser, with friends or smart bots, and no download or signup.
How many players can play 3 Patti Cobra?
Because each player needs only one card, Cobra scales well from 3 up to about 10 players on a single 52-card deck, making it a great large-group party game.