1 / 8Exams and entertainment, conferences and idle chats, this has been a year of everything online. Now, add to the list card games that are an integral part of Diwali for so many people, including those who usually stay away from any sort of gambling.2 / 8COVID-19 has robbed many of the razzmatazz of Diwali parties, small and close-knit or lavish, glittering society dos with scores of people at different tables gambling away many thousands and even lakhs of rupees.3 / 8 But the stakes are higher this year with the pandemic and few are willing to take the risk of sitting closely to shuffle playing cards and pass around counters, coins or wads of notes.4 / 8Enter apps and websites such as Baazi Games, Stickpool and Pocket52 that offer a variety of games, including poker, rummy and that Diwali staple ‘teen patti’.5 / 8These apps give the user the opportunity to play poker or other card games either with family and friends or professionals.6 / 8As COVID-19 continues its spread Delhi, for instance, on Tuesday recorded 7,830 cases to take its COVID-19 count to 4,51,382 a 29-year-old entrepreneur in the city was among those betting on the online cards trend.7 / 8The lack of invitations for card parties was a “big shock”, said the young man who was banking big on Diwali to make up for the loss of nearly Rs 2 lakh last year.8 / 8“Since last Diwali I have been telling myself I’ll cover the loss this year. But due to the coronavirus, not many people in my circle are hosting card parties. I did call up people to check and even thought of hosting a party myself but there was no positive response. While Stickpool has already registered a “five time” spike in its user base during the festive season, Pocket52 expects an increase of “40-45 percent” in its user base.