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Housie

A housie (tambola) number game played on your TV, with your phone as the controller.

  • 2-8 players
  • Multiplayer
  • Plays in the browser

Housie, also called tambola, is the classic Indian number game for two to eight players. The TV or laptop is the caller: it draws the numbers 1 to 90 one by one, shows a big ball, reads out a call in the traditional style and keeps the board of called numbers. Every player gets their own ticket on their phone, marks it by tapping, and claims prizes. It is played for points only.

How to play Housie

  1. Each player gets a different ticket: 3 rows and 9 columns with 15 numbers, five in every row. The first column holds 1-9, the next 10-19, and so on up to 80-90.
  2. A new number is called every 3 to 3.5 seconds. Tap it on your ticket if you have it. Only numbers that have been called can be marked, and a number you have not marked does not count for a claim until you mark it.
  3. Mark the latest number before the next one is called for a Quick Dab: 1 point each.
  4. Claim a prize with its button: Early Five (any five numbers, 20 points), Top Line, Middle Line or Bottom Line (a whole row, 30 points each) and Full House (all 15 numbers, 60 points).
  5. The big screen checks every claim at once. Players who make a correct claim for the same prize before the next number is called share its points. A wrong claim is a bogey: it costs 10 points and blocks your claims until the next number.
  6. Every 20 numbers, the player furthest behind gets a Lucky Pick and chooses the next number out of three. While that player still has numbers waiting to be called, at least one of the three is on their own ticket.
  7. The game ends when someone claims Full House, or when all 90 numbers have been called and the last chance to claim is over. A game usually lasts four to five minutes. Places are by points; marked numbers break ties.

Controls

Your ticket fills the phone: tap a number to mark it. Below it are five claim buttons, one for each prize.

Tips

  • Keep your eyes on your ticket, not the TV: the phone shows the latest numbers too, and fast taps earn Quick Dab points.
  • Check the whole row before you claim. A bogey costs 10 points, half of an Early Five.
  • Do not tap everything: a number that has not been called freezes your ticket for a moment.
  • If someone claims a prize you also have, press the same button at once to share it.
  • In a Lucky Pick, a number with a star is on your own ticket. If two have a star, take the one that finishes a line.

Start Housie in three steps

  1. Open play.codewithshamil.com on a TV or laptop and press Host a game.
  2. Connect each phone to the same WiFi and scan the QR code on the screen.
  3. The first player picks Housie from the menu on their phone.
Play Housie

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