Lotería boards

Lotería boards, the tablas, are what each player marks. For all 54 cartas, in order, see lotería cards.

Why every tabla needs its own mix

Two identical tablas finish every pattern together, so a set with repeats ends in ties. A traditional tabla holds 16 cartas, as the Library of Congress notes, from a deck of "about 50 or so cards." Our traditional deck has 54, so each tabla shows fewer than a third of them.

A 4×4 tabla gives you 10 lines to win on: 4 rows, 4 columns and 2 diagonals. The table below shows which patterns two tablas made here can share.

A short deck means more cartas in common. Take a deck of 20 cartas. Each 4×4 tabla uses 16 of them and leaves out only 4. So any two tablas share at least 12 cartas. A set holds up to 100 tablas. If your list can't fill the count you picked, the app says how many different tablas it can make. Then add cartas or print fewer tablas.

How long a round lasts

Our simulation used 54 cartas, 4×4 tablas with no free space, every tabla different, 1,000,000 games per group size. The first full line came after a median of 17 calls with 10 players, and 15 calls with 20. In 8 games out of 10, it took 12 to 23 calls with 10 players, and 10 to 19 with 20.

Patterns to announce

The PDF prints only the line rule. Announce any other pattern before the first carta. PBS suggests covering only the four corners, or even filling the whole tabla. The Library of Congress post names "a complete column, row, or square" as a win.

If two tablas have the same cartas in a pattern's squares, they finish it on the same call. A short deck can even give two tablas the same 16 cartas in a different order. Expect more ties on these three patterns.

Tablas for a class or a party

Every square prints its carta's number, as on the cartas and the call sheet. Students who don't read Spanish yet can match by number. The names keep their articles, like El Pizarrón or El Búho, which suits a vocabulary unit. Tablas are art, too: the Smithsonian American Art Museum holds Lotería-Primera Tabla, a 1972 color etching by Carmen Lomas Garza. For more vocabulary decks, see Spanish class bingo.

At a party, pick one angle from the ideas, such as a Mexican kitchen deck with El Comal and La Concha. Markers can be "beans, pebbles, or something similar," as the Library of Congress suggests.

Make your own lotería boards

Start from 20 to 54 cartas, then rename, add or trim.

Each carta can carry a verso, a riddle of up to 240 characters, for the cantor to read. The pictures are AI-generated illustrations in one of 5 styles, drawn for your deck rather than copied from a commercial one.

Words-only tablas are free and unlimited. Your first illustrated set is free to preview in full. To print it, the illustrated PDF takes an Event pass ($4.99 once, per set) or a Pro plan. Make your lotería boards.