Tambola prize money for 20, 50 and 100 players: worked examples

These are the splits the Tambola prize calculator gives for the games people most often host, so you can look up yours and read it out. Every table uses the same rules:

• The suggested split: early five 10%, each line 15%, full house 45%, with any extras taking their own share and every other prize shrinking in proportion.
• Rounded to ₹10, with smaller prizes rounded down and the remainder going to full house.
• Every rupee collected goes in prizes unless a host’s share is shown.

How the split works, and why the order matters, is in how to divide Tambola prize money.

20 players: a kitty or a family night

Game	Pool	Early five	Each line	Extra	Full house
20 players, ₹100 each	₹2,000	₹200	₹300	—	₹900
20 players, 2 tickets at ₹50	₹2,000	₹200	₹300	—	₹900
The same, plus four corners	₹2,000	₹180	₹270	Four corners ₹180	₹830
15 members, 2 tickets at ₹50, plus four corners	₹1,500	₹130	₹200	Four corners ₹130	₹640

Two tickets each at ₹50 raises the same money as one at ₹100, but gives every player twice as many numbers to watch, which is why most kitties prefer it. The kitty party games guide plans the whole afternoon around a six-prize Tambola like the third row.

50 players: a society hall or a big family function

Game	Pool	Early five	Each line	Extra	Full house
50 tickets at ₹50	₹2,500	₹250	₹370	—	₹1,140
50 tickets at ₹100	₹5,000	₹500	₹750	—	₹2,250
50 at ₹100, host keeps 10% (₹500)	₹4,500	₹450	₹670	—	₹2,040
The same, rounded to ₹50	₹4,500	₹450	₹650	—	₹2,100
50 at ₹100, four corners and second full house	₹5,000	₹380	₹570	Four corners ₹380, second full house ₹760	₹1,770

The first row shows rounding at work: 15% of ₹2,500 is ₹375, which rounds down to ₹370 for each line, and the ₹15 saved goes to full house. A fixed ₹500 for the hall gives the same split as 10% here, because 10% of ₹5,000 is ₹500.

For a hall game, a second full house is worth adding. With 50 players, the first full house can come while most of the room still has numbers to mark, and a second prize keeps everyone playing to the end.

100 players: an office party or a festival night

Game	Pool	Early five	Each line	Extra	Full house
100 tickets at ₹20	₹2,000	₹200	₹300	—	₹900
100 at ₹20, plus second full house	₹2,000	₹160	₹250	Second full house ₹330	₹760
100 tickets at ₹50	₹5,000	₹500	₹750	—	₹2,250
100 tickets at ₹100	₹10,000	₹1,000	₹1,500	—	₹4,500
100 at ₹100, plus breakfast, lunch and dinner	₹10,000	₹760	₹1,150	₹760 each	₹3,510
The same, host keeps ₹1,000	₹9,000	₹690	₹1,030	₹690 each	₹3,150

With a hundred players, a cheap ticket goes a long way: ₹20 each builds the same ₹2,000 pool as a twenty-member kitty at ₹100. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are popular extras for big rooms because they are won mid-game, when attention dips. The rule for each is in breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tambola.

When your numbers are different

Your game will rarely match a row exactly. A few patterns help you sanity-check whatever split you use:

• Double the pool, double every prize. ₹5,000 pays exactly two and a half times what ₹2,000 does, apart from a few rupees of rounding.
• Each extra costs everyone. Adding four corners to a ₹2,000 pool takes ₹20 from early five, ₹30 from each line and ₹70 from full house.
• Round to ₹1 for small pools. With 30 tickets at ₹30, rounding to ₹10 makes each line ₹130 and full house ₹420. Rounding to the rupee keeps the exact ₹135 and ₹405.

The quickest way is to type your own numbers into the prize calculator: ticket price, tickets or players, the host’s share and the dividends you play. Copy the result into the group chat before the first call, so everyone knows what each win is worth. Then print the tickets and run the calls with the Tambola ticket maker.