Tambola for senior citizens' groups and families

Tambola is a game many of our parents and grandparents have played for decades. The only new part is the phone. This guide shows how to set up a phone once, run a relaxed first game, and keep a weekly round going for a senior citizens' club or a family spread across cities.

Set up the phone once

Ten minutes of setting up saves a lot of trouble later. If you are helping a parent or grandparent, do these steps together, so they see where everything is.

Open the link. Open tambolapro.com in the phone's browser, or tap the game link sent on WhatsApp. There is nothing to sign up for and no password to remember.
Add the site to the home screen. On most Android phones, open the browser menu (the three dots) and choose "Add to Home screen". On an iPhone, tap the Share button in Safari and choose "Add to Home Screen". The game now has its own icon, like any other app.
Raise the media volume. Phones have separate volumes for ringing and for media. The voice that reads the numbers uses media volume. Press the volume-up button while the game is open, or raise "Media" in the phone's sound settings.
Choose the text size. In the game's Settings, tap A+ for the largest text. A is the normal size and A− is smaller.
Try High Contrast. Also in Settings. Some players find the ticket easier to read with it on. Try both and keep whichever is more comfortable.
Stop the screen from locking. Many phones switch the screen off after 30 seconds. Raise the screen timeout in the phone's own settings to 5 minutes or more. On Android it is usually under Display, as "Screen timeout". On an iPhone it is under Display and Brightness, as "Auto-Lock".

Menu names differ a little from one phone maker to another. If you cannot find a setting, search for the word "timeout" or "volume" inside the phone's Settings.

Settings at a glance
Setting	Where it is	What to choose
Text size	Game Settings	A+ for the largest numbers
High Contrast	Game Settings	On, if it is easier to read
Voice	Game Settings	On, so every number is read aloud
Vibration	Game Settings	As the player prefers
Media volume	Phone volume buttons	High enough to hear across the table
Screen timeout	Phone Settings, Display	5 minutes or more

Run a practice round first

Before the first proper game, play a short round with no prizes. Give everyone one ticket. Call ten or fifteen numbers slowly and let each player try these things:

Tap a called number to mark it.
Tap a marked number again to remove the mark.
Tap a number that has not been called, and see the "Not called yet" warning. Nothing breaks. The app simply does not mark it.

A practice round takes away the fear of pressing the wrong thing. After it, most people are ready to play properly.

Keep a comfortable pace

For a new group, leave a little more time between numbers than you think is needed. A number every 10 to 12 seconds is a gentle start. Once everyone is comfortable, 8 to 10 seconds suits most groups.

Begin with one ticket per player. Move to two only when people ask for more.

Read the numbers aloud

The app reads each number in English. If you are the host, repeat it in your own voice, and in the language your group is most at home in. Say the digits first and then the number: "four and seven, forty seven". For single digits say "single number five".

There is more on this in our guide to number calls.

Paper tickets and a phone caller

Some players will always prefer paper, and that is perfectly fine. Use Call Numbers Only. The host's phone shows each number very large and reads it aloud, and everyone marks a paper ticket with a pen or pencil.

Our printable tickets page makes fresh tickets that print six to an A4 page, in large type. For anyone who needs them bigger still, ask the print shop to enlarge the page to A3.

Seating and sound in a hall

Seat players who are hard of hearing nearest to the caller or the speaker.
Connect the host's phone to a speaker, and test it from the back row before people arrive.
Switch off a noisy cooler or fan near the caller if the weather allows.
Use tables, so tickets and phones lie flat and hands are free.
Check the lighting. A bright tube light straight above a phone causes glare on the screen.
Write each called number on a board with a thick marker, as a back-up for anyone who missed it.
Keep a helper free to walk around. One volunteer for every eight or ten players is a comfortable number.

Helping someone join from another city

You can guide a parent into a game over an ordinary phone call. It works best with two devices at their end, such as a landline or a spouse's phone for talking and their own phone for the game. With one phone, put the call on speaker.

Send the game link on WhatsApp. It looks like tambolapro.com/join/TMB482.
Ask them to tap the blue link in the message.
Ask what they see. They should see a box for their name.
They type their name and tap the button to join.
Wait until you can see that they have joined, and tell them so.

If the link does not open, they can open tambolapro.com, tap Join Game, and type the code as you read it out, letter by letter.

If someone taps the wrong thing

What happened	What to do
Marked the wrong number	Tap it again. The mark is removed.
Tapped a number that was not called	Nothing to fix. The app shows "Not called yet" and does not mark it.
Tapped Leave by mistake	The app asks for confirmation before leaving. Choose to stay.
The game closed or the phone lost signal	Open it again and tap Rejoin Game. The ticket and marks are kept.
The screen went dark	Unlock the phone. Then raise the screen timeout, as described above.

Above all, never take the phone out of someone's hands to fix it for them. Tell them what to tap and let them do it. Next week they will manage without help.