Play Poker and Card Games With Friends in Telegram
Open our bot in Telegram, tap Play, pick a game and invite your friends to a table with a free seat. Texas Hold'em takes up to 9 players, Durak and Five-card draw up to 6, Bura up to 4, and Chess, Russian checkers and Backgammon are for two. All play is free, with play chips.
- Where
- Inside Telegram, as a Mini App
- Group sizes
- 2 to 9 players, depending on the game
- Chips
- Free play chips with no cash value
- Invites
- To accepted friends, for a table with a free seat
On this page
Our games at a glance
The learning curve column is a qualitative guide. "Quick" means you can play your first game after reading the rules once. It does not say how long it takes to play well.
| Game | Players | Learning curve | Our suggestion for group size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Hold'em | 2-9 | Quick basics, but a long road to play well | 4-6 friends |
| Five-card draw | 2-6 | Quick, with few rules | 3-5 friends |
| Durak (throw-in and Transferable) | 2-6 | Quick for throw-in, Transferable adds one rule | 3-5 friends |
| Bura | 2-4 | Medium, because of the card order and the sets | 2-4 friends |
| Russian checkers | 2 | Quick rules, but forced capture takes practice | Two friends |
| Chess | 2 | Moves take a while to learn, mastery takes much longer | Two friends |
| Backgammon | 2 | Quick start, two variants to choose from | Two friends |
How to start
- Open our bot in TelegramThe game runs inside Telegram, so you need nothing else to install.
- Tap PlayThis opens the lobby with all the games.
- Pick a gameGames with two variants, such as Durak and Backgammon, let you choose the variant on the game screen.
- Open a table or join oneJoin a table that is waiting for players, or open your own and wait for friends to sit down.
How invites work
An invite goes to a friend from your friends list, once the friend has accepted you. You can invite only to a table that is waiting for players and still has a free seat.
- If your friend is online in the app, they get an invitation card.
- If your friend is offline, they get a message from our bot with a button that opens the table.
There are no private messages. Talk to your friends in Telegram itself, and use the in-game chats for the table.
Which game for how many players
| Group | Games that fit |
|---|---|
| 2 players | Chess, Russian checkers, Backgammon (long or short), and heads-up Texas Hold'em, Five-card draw, Durak or Bura |
| 3-4 players | Durak, Bura, Five-card draw and Texas Hold'em |
| 5-9 players | Texas Hold'em takes up to 9. Durak and Five-card draw take up to 6 |
Bura stops at 4 players. For a group of 7 to 9 friends, Texas Hold'em is the only game in the list with enough seats.
Which games are quick to learn
If some of your friends have never played, start with Durak or Five-card draw. Both have a short list of rules. Add the transfer later with the Durak transfer rules.
Read Texas Hold'em for beginners and the hand rankings before the first poker night. For board games, see Russian checkers capture rules and long vs short backgammon. Bura players should read about the Bura combinations.
Start with Five-card draw. The rules take a few minutes, and everyone gets a feel for poker hands.
Switch to Durak when someone wants a different pace. Four players is a comfortable size.
If two friends want a quiet game, they can open a table of Chess, Russian checkers or Backgammon while the others keep playing.
Chat etiquette
The club chat and the table chat share one moderation filter. Messages are limited to 200 characters. Links, @handles and phone numbers are rejected. Repeating the same message is rejected too, and swear words are replaced by asterisks.
- Keep messages short, and do not send the same message again and again.
- Do not paste links or contacts. The filter will reject them.
- Moves have a timer, so do not leave a table waiting for you.
- Be kind to new players. Everyone starts by not knowing the rules.
About chips
The chips you play with are free play chips. They have no cash value, and they are only a way to keep score at the table. Read our responsible play page if you want to know more.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play poker with friends in Telegram?
Yes, open our bot in Telegram, tap Play and pick Texas Hold'em or Five-card draw. Then open a table and invite your friends.
How many friends can play at one table?
It depends on the game: up to 9 in Texas Hold'em, up to 6 in Durak and Five-card draw, up to 4 in Bura, and 2 in Chess, Russian checkers and Backgammon.
Which game is best for beginners?
Durak and Five-card draw are quick to learn, so they are a good first choice for a mixed group. This is our suggestion, not a rule.
Can I invite a friend who is offline?
Yes, an offline friend gets a message from our bot with a button that opens the table. The friend must be on your friends list, and the table must have a free seat.
Are the chips real?
No, they are free play chips with no cash value.