India is the country known for its trick taking card games and Mindi is one of the various card games that India gave to the world. Mindi is one of the most interesting card games where four players are divided into two teams of 2 players each, positioned opposite each other. The objective of Mindi is to win as many hands with a maximum number of tens from all four suits. Mindi roughly translates to “ten” in the English language.

Mindi is a fascinating trick taking card game played in India, Nepal, Pakistan and it is played with minor variations in other parts of the world. Dehla Pakad is one such amazing variation which is also available on the Mela app.

Mindi is played with a standard card deck of 52 cards. In the traditional game, the partnership formation, seating positions, and first dealer is done in a number of ways. The usual method is to draw cards and the two players with the highest ranked cards form a team and play against the other two players. Interestingly, the player drawing the highest card would be the designated first dealer.

After partnerships are formed and the first dealer is decided, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals the first hand. The cards are dealt in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. The custom was to deal the cards in a batch of five, next batch of four and a final batch of four cards. Once all the players have received their cards, they can pick up their cards to examine and strategize further.

In the traditional game, the trump was not decided in the beginning of the game. The trump was usually decided during the play when one of the players doesn’t have a card of the same suit.

Since decades, not a lot has changed in Mindi. Now, the game is popular amongst teenagers and young adults as they can play Mindi on the Mela app.