All players receive a hand of cards at the start of the game, which can accommodate two to six players. A card is taken out of the deck to identify the inititeen pattaal dealer at the beginning of the game. Next, depending on the variation being played, the dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player a certain number of cards. To create the draw pile, all the remaining cards are arranged face down on the table, while the top card is turned face up to begin the discard pile.