Teen Patti the Movie – Gambling, Greed and Mathematics
Teen Patti, a movie all about gambling, greed and mathematics has been released though it has received mixed reviews from the critics.
Teen Patti is a card game not that dissimilar from poker. It originated in India and is also known as Flash. Each player contributes to the pot and the players are dealt three cards on which they bet. Each player can either fold, call (bet the same as the previous bet) or raise. It is also possible to play blind (not look at one’s cards) which allows the player to bet half the amount on non-blind players. Betting continues until only two players remain and one of them sees the other for twice the current bet amount. This betting structure means that bets can become very big and often limits are applied. Hand ranking is similar to poker with three aces being an unbeatable hand.
This game forms the backdrop to the movie. Venkat Subramaniam is a mathematics professor who develops a theory on randomness which he applies to Teen Patti. This allows him to predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy which hand is the strongest. Shantanu is a colleague who is in need of money and he persuades Venkat to test theory in various gambling clubs.
The pair of them enrol a number of students and create a sign language which they use to exchange information on hands. Initially they experience considerable success, but slowly things get out of hand and human foibles, which include blackmail and a Bonnie and Clyde type of love affair, get in the way of what could have been a successful enterprise. Although ultimately the gambling enterprise fails, eventually Venkat Subramaniam is hailed as a mathematical genius and receives the Isaac Newton award.
In fact the movie lacks originality. It has borrowed extensively from “21”, the film about the Blackjack card counters from the MIT. The plot is at least a little cheesy though there are some good performances from the cast which includes Ben Kingsley playing a mathematician from Cambridge University.
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