How to Play Tambola?

How to play tambola

To play Tambola, you need Tambola tickets. A caller/organizer of the tambola game randomly announces the numbers (ranging from 1 to 90) one at a time, and the players strike out those numbers. To win, the players need to match the winning combos.

You can also play Tambola online, where the tickets are generated digitally. There are many formats of tambola available online with an added element of twist. For example, Zupee Cricket X Tambola is based on playing tambola online while watching Live cricket. Based on the Live cricket game, you get to strike off the numbers on your ticket.

The game’s ultimate goal in both versions is to mark off a winning combination’s numbers. This article will discuss playing Tambola and winning real money online and offline.

How to play Tambola?

You can play tambola either online or offline. Both game variants involve a set of rules and strategies to follow. However, the overall game objective remains to mark off all the numbers on the tambola ticket and match a winning combination.

Although the game’s objective is similar, playing tambola online and offline has a few key differences. Watch the video below to learn how to play Tambola online on Zupee:

Click on the “Download App” button to play Cricket Tambola online and win up to Rs.10 lakhs!

Now that you know how to play tambola online on Zupee, let us compare the gameplay of classic vs. Cricket X Tambola.

Here are the steps to playing Tambola:

  • Step 1: Know the Tambola Game Prerequisites
  • Step 2: Announce the Tambola number
  • Step 3: Strike the number on the ticket
  • Step 4: Match a tambola winning combination
  • Step 5: Win the Tambola Game

To play tambola, you need to buy at least one tambola ticket. A traditional tambola ticket consists of three rows and nine columns. So there are 27 spaces with 15 numbers marked on them ranging from 1 to 90. Also, no tambola tickets feature the same numbers on them.

The players’ objective is to strike out all the numbers announced by the dealer in their respective tambola tickets. Players need to aim and match tambola winning patterns to win the game. Below is the step-by-step procedure for playing the tambola.

Step 1 – Know the Tambola Game prerequisites

To play the classic Tambola game (Offline), the organizer needs to:

  • Decide the winning points of the game and inform the audience. Generally, the ultimate winning pattern for a tambola game is to have a ‘Full House,’ which means all the ticket numbers are struck.
  • Sell the tambola tickets to everyone who wants to play the game, i.e., the target audience.
  • Hand out a pencil/pen/toothpick to the audience so they can strike out the number on their ticket when the caller announces it.
  • Arrange a non-transparent container or a box that will hold all the numbers, starting from 1 to 90.

What are the prerequisites to playing tambola online?

To play Tambola online on Zupee, you don’t need to wait for someone to organize the game. Download the Zupee App, locate the Cricket X Tambola game, and join a tournament. The online tambola tournaments are available 24/7.

Step 1 - how to play tambola

All players get 2 locked tickets. The tickets get unlocked when an event occurs in a Live cricket match. The tickets will have four types of numbers on them – LD; 1,2,3; 4,6; 0.

How to play tambola - Step 1.12

Step 2: Announce the Tambola numbers

When you play the classic Tambola game, the organizers are called callers. The caller is responsible for drawing and announcing the number to the players. To announce the tambola number, the caller:

  • Jiggles the box or container with all the numbers.
  • Picks up a number from the box without looking inside and loudly reads the chosen number.
  • Announces the number in funny ways, bringing more excitement and fun to the game. After using the funny phrase or rhyme, they will call out the actual number at the end. Some examples are ‘Top of the house number 1’, ‘Uncle Ben number 10, ‘Goodbye teens at number 19’, and many more.

Who announces the Tambola online ticket numbers?

When you play Tambola online on Zupee, there is no caller. After every delivery in the live cricket match, a set of events are displayed on your mobile screen. The events can be:

  • Legal delivery (LD)
  • 0 runs
  • 1,2 or 3 runs
  • 4 or 6 runs

Once an event is displayed, your tickets get unlocked. Based on the event that occurs, all the relevant numbers will get highlighted automatically on the ticket. Remember, ball-to-ball live match events are highlighted on the ticket.

How to play tambola - Step 2

Step 3: Strike the numbers on the tambola ticket

In the classic tambola game, once you hear the number announced by the caller, it will be your responsibility to check all the rows or columns thoroughly. If the number exists on your tambola ticket, you must dab it. If the number called out by the organizer is not present on the ticket, you must not get impatient. Relax and wait for the caller to announce the next number.

Players must be careful when striking out the numbers. If they strike off a wrong number by mistake, it will create problems in winning the game.

How to cut numbers on tambola online tickets?

In the online tambola game, you get 15 sec to strike off two highlighted numbers in the boxes. Just tap on the box to cut it. Post that, the tickets get locked again until the next event on the Live match occurs.

How to play tambola - Step 3

Step 4: Match a Tambola winning combination

While playing the classic Tambola game, you need to be aware and constantly check if you have completed matching a winning combination. There are nearly 22 different winning combinations in the tambola. Some major tambola winning combinations include Early 5, Topline, Middle line, Bottom line, Four corners, and Full house.

Once you have achieved a particularly winning combo, claim it immediately. Stand up and shout out loud to report to the caller. If you fail to claim your winning points, you do not win. Hence, you will miss out on the exciting prizes

In cases when more than one player has matched a winning combo, the first player to announce a winning combo gets the chance to go to the caller and verify their ticket.

How to earn points on an online tambola game?

While playing Tambola online on Zupee, you earn a certain number of points:

  1. Full house: 10 points
  2. Center Row: 6 points
  3. Top Row: 4 points
  4. Bottom Row: 4 points
  5. Corner: 3 points

Once you form a winning combination, it is automatically claimed, and points are added to your score. So, there is no hassle of verifying the tickets.

It is possible that many other players would have claimed the same corners, rows, or full house at the same time. All players get the same points for claiming the same corners, full house, or rows.

How to play tambola - step 4

Step 5: Win the Tambola Game

In a classic tambola game, ticket verification is essential to ensure that the numbers struck out by the player claiming to have won the game are correct. Once the classic tambola game winners are known, it’s time for the organizer/caller to reward the respective winners with the amount collected by the sale of the tambola tickets.

If the claimed ticket matches a winning combo, the player is the winner of the game. If a player fails to match a winning combo, you can continue to play the game by calling the next numbers until someone claims the ticket correctly.

How to win an online tambola game?

In an online tambola game on Zupee, you don’t need to verify your tickets. The tournament ends when one or more player claims the Full house. The player/s with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the game.

How to play tambola - Step 5

Click on the “Download App” button to play Cricket X Tambola and win up to Rs.10 lakhs!

Take a look at other real cash games on Zupee:

  1. Ludo Supreme – an online time-based Ludo game
  2. Ludo Ninja – a dice-less ludo online game
  3. Ludo Turbo – a move-based online ludo game
  4. Ludo Supreme League – a single-player tournament
  5. Trump Cards Mania – IPL-based Trump cards game

How to play tambola – Key Takeaways

Here are some key takeaways from the article:

  • Understand the rules of the tambola game.
  • Online Tambola games are more convenient and easy to access than offline games.
  • Offline Tambola games must be conducted with physical tickets and an actual caller, which requires more effort to organize.
  • Be quick to call out when you have a winning row or a full house. In the case of online tambola games, you don’t need to call out. If you win a row or corner, the points get automatically added.
  • Online Tambola is the ideal way to play Tambola if you want to enjoy the game quickly, easily, and conveniently.
  • You can stand a chance to win real money by playing tambola online on Zupee.

Looking for creative tambola ideas for your next game night? Read this article.

How to play Tambola? FAQs

What is Tambola?

Tambola is a number-based board game where you can test your luck and win exciting prizes. The game involves dabbing out the numbers in your tambola ticket announced by the caller and then making various winning combos to win the game.

Can I play tambola online?

Yes. You can play tambola online on various mobile applications and websites. One such online game is Cricket X Tambola.

What are the rules of Tambola?

As a rule, each tambola ticket has 3 horizontal rows and 9 vertical columns. There are 27 boxes, with 5 numbers written in each horizontal row. Look at this article to know the 8 must-know rules of the game.

What are the different ways to play Tambola?

Apart from the top line, middle line, bottom line, and full house, there are numerous variations to playing Tambola, such as Ludo tambola, pyramid tambola, and Danda. Here are 10 creative ways to play Tambola.

What is the difference between Tambola and Housie?

There is no difference between a tambola and housie. Housie, Tambola, and Bingo are different names for the same game.