Tambola (Housie) online: rules, claims and how to play free

Tambola, also called Housie, is the number game of every kitty party, society mela and family function. Everyone holds a ticket with 15 numbers, numbers from 1 to 90 are called, and the first person to finish a pattern claims it. Simple, loud, and it always ends in an argument about whether 36 was really called.

Mandli lets you play tambola online free with family and friends on phones, in one drawing room or across three cities. The app makes the tickets, calls the numbers and checks every claim against the numbers actually called, so nobody has to trust the chacha with the pen.

Here are the tambola rules exactly as Mandli plays them: tickets, all six claims with points, the bogus claim rule and the host controls.

Kya chahiye: Just phones. The app makes the tickets, calls the numbers and checks claims.

Rules: kaise khelte hain

How a tambola ticket works

Everyone gets one fresh ticket when the game starts.

• 3 rows and 9 columns, 15 numbers in total.
• Every row has exactly 5 numbers and 4 blanks.
• Column 1 holds 1 to 9, column 2 holds 10 to 19, and so on. The last column holds 80 to 90.
• Every column has 1 to 3 numbers, going up from top to bottom.
• No number appears twice.

Your ticket is private until the game ends.

How the numbers are called

All 90 numbers are shuffled at the start. The first number comes 4 seconds in, then one every 8 seconds unless the host changes the speed.

Each number shows up big on every phone with its own call, old housie style with Hindi: 1 is "Kelly's eye, number ek", 22 is "Do bataakh, baais", 90 is "Top of the house, nabbe". The last few numbers stay in a strip, and the Board button shows all 90 with the called ones lit up. Sitting together? Let the loudest person read the calls out.

Marking your ticket

Auto-mark is on by default, so called numbers get struck off by themselves. Prefer the old way? Switch it off and tap numbers to cut them yourself.

Marks are only for you. A claim is always checked against the numbers actually called, so a wrong tap can't win you anything and a missed tap can't cost you a claim.

The six claims (tambola dividends)

• Early 5: any 5 of your numbers called. 10 points.
• Top line: all 5 numbers in the top row. 15 points.
• Middle line: all 5 numbers in the middle row. 15 points.
• Bottom line: all 5 numbers in the bottom row. 15 points.
• Corners: the first and last number of the top row and of the bottom row, 4 numbers in all. 15 points.
• Full house: all 15 numbers. 40 points.

Corners means the first and last numbers in those rows, not the first and last columns. Rows have blanks, so a corner can sit in column 2 or 3.

Claiming, and how the app checks

Claim buttons sit at the bottom of the screen. When a claim is complete on your ticket its button lights up, but you still have to tap it. Busy with gossip? Someone else gets there first.

The server checks your ticket against the called numbers, and a good claim shows on every phone, like "Priya ki Top line pakki! +15". Each claim is won only once, by the first valid claim the server receives, so two people can't tie.

Bogus claims

If you tap a claim that isn't complete, you are out of that claim for the rest of the game, and everyone sees your claim was wrong. Your other claims stay open, so a wrong Top line tap doesn't stop you winning Full house later.

Host controls

Only the host sees these:

• Speed: 5, 8 or 12 seconds between numbers. 8 is the default.
• Pause and resume, for the chai or the doorbell.
• Agla: call the next number right away. It works while paused too, and the game stays paused.

The host gets a ticket and plays like everyone else.

When the game ends

The game ends the moment someone wins Full house. If all 90 numbers are called and nobody has claimed it, everyone gets one more interval to claim, then the game ends.

The result screen shows each claim's winner, the number it was won on, and every winner's ticket. A player who leaves mid-game loses their ticket but keeps points already won. Someone who joins mid-game watches the board and gets a ticket next game.

Points kaise milte hain

Early 5 is 10 points, each line is 15, Corners is 15 and Full house is 40: 110 points per game. Points add to your room score, which carries across every game in the room. Tambola is often played with cash dividends at home, but Mandli is points only: no money, no ticket price, no prizes.

Jeetne ke tips

• Keep Auto-mark on when elders or kids are playing.
• Watch the claim buttons, not just your ticket. Lit means tap now.
• Tap only when a button lights up. A bogus claim locks you out of that claim.
• Corners needs only 4 numbers, so watch it early.
• Hosts: start at 12 seconds for a family crowd, then go to 5.

Ghar wale rules aur variants

Tambola online kaise khelein

Make a room, pick Tambola and share the link on WhatsApp, or show the QR code to people in the same room. Friends without the app join from the browser link, with no login, just a name and a colour. Up to 50 people fit in a room. In Saath mode everyone sits together and talks out loud. In Door mode the voice chat inside the game (mic and speaker buttons) keeps the "arre, 36 kab aaya?" live, and nothing is recorded. If someone's internet drops, their seat is held. It's free with no ads. The Android app is in beta with the Play Store coming, and iPhone users play in the browser at /play.

Abhi browser mein room banao

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