Why a Sequence Beats a Colour in Teen Patti

Quick answer: In Teen Patti a sequence ranks above a colour because, with three cards, sequences are rarer. There are 720 ordinary sequences but 1,096 colours among the 22,100 possible hands. Card games rank rarer hands higher, which is why Teen Patti reverses the poker order where a flush beats a straight.

Counting colours

Choose a suit (4 ways) and any 3 of its 13 cards (286 ways): 1,144 same-suit hands. Remove the 48 that are also runs (pure sequences): 1,096 colours.

Counting sequences

There are 12 runs (A-K-Q down to 4-3-2, plus A-2-3). Each can be made in 4 × 4 × 4 = 64 suit combinations: 768 hands. Remove the 48 that are all one suit: 720 sequences.

The comparison

Hand	Ways	Probability
Sequence	720	3.26%
Colour	1,096	4.96%

Why poker is different

With five cards, the opposite holds: there are 5,108 flushes and 10,200 straights (excluding straight flushes) out of 2,598,960 hands, so a flush is rarer and ranks higher. The number of cards changes which pattern is harder to make.

What it means at the table

If you hold a colour, remember that any run beats you. If you hold a run, only pure sequences and trails do. Our hand rankings and probability tables put this in context.

Frequently asked questions

Does a flush beat a straight in Teen Patti?

No. A sequence (straight) beats a colour (flush).

Is a pure sequence a colour?

No. It is its own higher category: three consecutive cards of one suit.

Why do some people get this wrong?

Because they learned poker first, where the order is reversed.