🎉 What is Tambola?
Tambola (also popularly known as Indian Bingo or Housie) is one of the most celebrated social games in South Asia. Played at family Diwali gatherings, kitty parties, society clubs, weddings, and corporate celebrations, Tambola brings groups together through the thrill of lucky numbers and lightning-fast claims.
The game uses numbers from 1 to 90. A caller draws numbers one by one, while players strike off (dab) corresponding numbers on their 3×9 grid tickets. The first player to complete a designated pattern shouts "Tambola!" or claims their prize.
🎫 Tambola Ticket Layout (3×9 Grid)
Every Tambola ticket consists of a 3-row by 9-column grid (27 total cells) containing exactly 15 numbers:
- Each horizontal row contains exactly 5 numbers and 4 blank spaces.
- Numbers in each vertical column are arranged in strict ascending order from top to bottom.
- Each column represents a distinct 10-digit decade range:
💡 DabHousie generates tickets from an 8.1 trillion combination permutation algorithm to guarantee zero duplicate tickets across all players in your room.
| 1–9 | 10–19 | 20–29 | 30–39 | 40–49 | 50–59 | 60–69 | 70–79 | 80–90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 21 | 47 | 53 | 72 | ||||
| 15 | 34 | 58 | 65 | 83 | ||||
| 7 | 28 | 49 | 78 | 90 |
🏆 Standard Tambola Winning Patterns (Dividends)
In a standard match of Tambola, multiple prizes are awarded as numbers are announced. Here are the most popular winning combinations in order of play:
Jaldi 5 (Early 5)
The first player to strike off any 5 numbers anywhere on their ticket.
Four Corners
The 4 corner numbers: the first and last numbers of the 1st row and 3rd row.
Top Line (Row 1)
All 5 numbers completed on the top (first) horizontal row of the ticket.
Middle Line (Row 2)
All 5 numbers completed on the middle (second) horizontal row of the ticket.
Bottom Line (Row 3)
All 5 numbers completed on the bottom (third) horizontal row of the ticket.
Full House (Housie)
All 15 numbers on the entire ticket completed. Often features 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Full House prizes!
🛡️ Bogey Claims & Fair Play
In paper Tambola, when a player mistakenly claims a dividend without having all numbers called, it is called a Bogey (or false claim).
How DabHousie solves Bogey disputes: Every claim submitted by a player is verified instantly against the server-side sequence of called numbers. If a number hasn't been called yet, the system warns the player before disqualifying, ensuring 100% fair and transparent play for everyone in the room.
Live server validation in action: premature or invalid claims are flagged with clear explanation before prize approval
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