What is a tambola pattern?
A tambola pattern is a set of numbers on your ticket — a row, the corners or the whole ticket — and the first player to mark every number in it wins that prize.
The group agrees which patterns are in play before the first number is called. The classic ones are Early Five, the three lines and Full House; many groups add their own house patterns too.
Which tambola patterns does PlayTambola.Live play?
PlayTambola.Live plays 8 patterns — Early Five, Top Line, Middle Line, Bottom Line, Four Corners, Full House, Pairs and All Zeros — and checks every ticket automatically, so nobody has to call out a claim.
A new game starts with the first six switched on. Pairs and All Zeros are optional extras the host can switch on.
- Early Five — any 5 numbers on the ticket (Early Five is also called Jaldi 5).
- Top Line — all 5 numbers in the top row.
- Middle Line — all 5 numbers in the middle row.
- Bottom Line — all 5 numbers in the bottom row.
- Four Corners — the first and last numbers of the top row and of the bottom row — not the corner squares, which are often blank.
- Full House — all 15 numbers on the ticket.
- Pairs — two numbers side by side in the same row, in next-door columns.
- All Zeros — every number on the ticket that ends in 0 (10, 20 … 90). A ticket with none can’t win it.
How do Second House and Third House work?
Second House is possible in PlayTambola.Live by allowing Full House twice. The second Full House goes to the next player or players to complete their ticket on a later number.
Third House works the same way: allow Full House 3 times. The game doesn’t end automatically at the first Full House — the host ends it.
- Up to 10 wins per prize — the host chooses how many times each prize can be won; each extra win goes to the next number on which a player completes it.
- Ties are shared — everyone who completes a prize on the same called number wins it together.
- One win per ticket — a ticket can’t win the same prize twice, so Second House always goes to a different ticket.
What other tambola patterns are there?
Popular house patterns include Star, Pyramid, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Odd and Even, Temperature and Bamboo. None of them is available in PlayTambola.Live, and house rules vary, so agree the rule before the game.
Every diagram uses the same example ticket. The highlighted numbers are the ones you need to mark.
Star (King’s Corners)
1235416074420476685928507990Four Corners plus the centre number — the 3rd number of the middle row.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Pyramid
1235416074420476685928507990Any 1 number from the top row, 2 from the middle row and 3 from the bottom row.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Breakfast
1235416074420476685928507990Every number in columns 1–3 (1 to 29).
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Lunch
1235416074420476685928507990Every number in columns 4–6 (30 to 59).
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Dinner
1235416074420476685928507990Every number in columns 7–9 (60 to 90).
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Odd
1235416074420476685928507990Every odd number on your ticket.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Even
1235416074420476685928507990Every even number on your ticket.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Temperature
1235416074420476685928507990The lowest and the highest number on your ticket.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live
Bamboo
1235416074420476685928507990The 3rd number of each row — 3 numbers down the middle of the ticket.
Not available in PlayTambola.Live