The Beginner's Guide to Pull Tabs: How to Play and Win

A common sight in bars across Minnesota is the group of friends sitting around a table, peeling open little bits of cardboard and celebrating with each other. They're playing pull tabs — one of the most ubiquitous but rarely discussed bar activities in the Midwest.

If you've never played before, how can you learn how to play pull tabs? You can either ask someone who knows or keep reading. We're going to give you everything you need to know to go from a pull tab rookie to a savvy veteran in no time.

A quick dip into a pull tab lottery can turn your night out into a profitable adventure, or it can just be a source of fun with friends around a table that might pay for a round of drinks or two. Either way, the more you know, the more fun you can have.

The Basics of How to Play Pull Tabs

Before we look at how to win at pull tabs, we need to look at how to play pull tabs. It's pretty simple. The back of a pull tab card has little cardboard strips that you pull open. If the revealed symbols match one of the winning sequences, you win.

When you get to a place that has them, look for where to play pull tabs. There will be a booth or counter area set up with containers full of pull tabs for purchase. This is often called a jar bar. Each container will show the potential values for winning cards.

Each box, or "deal," of pull tabs are printed together with the same serial number. Every deal has a specific number of winners at each prize level printed randomly within it. That means that, depending on how many cards have been sold out of a box, the better the game odds are for pulling a winner.

The people running the pull tabs game at your bar of choice — like, for instance, The Rabbit Hole — will update the amount won out of each box as it progresses. So if the biggest prize has already been claimed, you don't have a shot at it. But there are a lot of different prize values in every box, so just because the grand prize is gone doesn't necessarily mean that you are totally out of luck.

This is where pull tab strategy (strategies) come into play.

Playing to Win

As with any game, the fun of pull tabs is in the playing. The satisfying sound of the cardboard tearing open, the company of your friends, these are the best. That being said, winning feels good and who doesn't want to feel good?

No look at how to play pull tabs is complete without a look at strategy, so let's get into it. The first thing you need to know is the kind of game you're playing. There are different kinds of pull tab games with slightly different payout rates and prize structures.

Some game types may have Last Ticket prizes to incentivise people to keep buying until a deal is empty — if you buy the last ticket from a box, you get a prize no matter what. Some have Progressive Jackpots that won't necessarily have a winning ticket for the biggest prize printed in every box. With progressive jackpots, the top prize increases as deals are opened without any winners. Instant Win games let you win based on the symbols on your ticket as well as through text that just tells you that you've won.

The best pull tab games to play depends on your preference. When it comes to strategy, you want to look for a deal that has plenty of prizes still available with the fewest remaining tickets. As far as gambling tips go, that isn't much, but it works pretty well.

Pull tabs are about as pure a game of chance as you can get. There isn't another player to compete against like in poker, so picking which bin to buy out of is about the best strategy you can get.

Pull Tab Etiquette

All bar games have their own rules. Some are spoken, some are unspoken. But just as you don't want to set your drink on the felt of a pool table, you don't want to break the etiquette of pull tabs. So here are some Do's and Don'ts.

Do

• Play responsibly and within your means. There are no pull tab rules and regulations that say you need to set a certain amount that you will limit yourself to spending, but maybe you should do that anyway. It keeps things fun for everyone.
• Dispose of your losing tickets. Don't let your losses fill up your table and fall all over the floor. Keep it tidy!
• Be a good winner. Especially if you swoop in on a box that a group has been sitting on for a few hours. Things can get testy when people get out of hand with their celebrations.
• Tip the person working the pull tabs game when you win big. It's customary.

Don'ts

• There are plenty of merits to discuss when comparing pull tab machines vs paper pull tabs, but no matter how you play, don't hog the spot. Don't get in the way of other people looking to play. It's rude.
• Even if you're playing pull tabs for charity (charities), do not pressure someone to spend more money than they are comfortable spending. It's supposed to be fun. Peer pressure isn't fun.
• Don't yell at the person working at the jar bar. They're just working. They have no control over jackpot prizes. 

Pull Tabs at The Rabbit Hole

As the newest and coolest bar in The North Loop, you know The Rabbit Hole has pull tabs. When you come in, you'll find multiple games with progressive jackpots benefitting Firefighters for Healing — a non-profit that helps burn survivors get the medical, emotional, and educational support they need.

From 3 PM to Midnight on weekdays and 11 AM to Midnight on weekends, you can put your knowledge of how to play pull tabs to the test while enjoying drink specials and a full, chef-crafted menu.

Pull tabs are a Minnesota mainstay, so come down to The Rabbit Hole and see what you can walk away with.