Tam meaning pick up, puduo large pot describes the starting of the game where seeds from one house are picked up and placed in the next adjoining house.
At the start of the game the 2 row by 6 column board is set out with four playing pieces in each of the twelve houses, making a total of 48 pieces.
The game starts with each player taking it in turns to chose a house from which all four seeds are picked up and placed in the adjoining house. This house with eight seeds is now the accumulator house.
In the next move a house is chosen from the four houses left. All the seeds are collected and sown in an anti-clockwise direction. One seed is placed in each house including the accumulator house on one’s own side. If the last seed lands in a house with seeds in them except the accumulator house, all those seeds are picked up and sown one by one into the next houses except the opponents accumulator house. The move ends when the last seed lands in the accumulator house or an empty house.
The only exception to moving consecutively is when a house that is being played has 12 or more playing pieces in it. With this situation one will be able to place a playing pieces in each house until one comes back to the original house that one started from. The next playing piece is not placed in this house but in the one after it. The same is repeated on subsequent circumnavigation of the board.
If a player has no seeds to move the opponent will play several moves until all the seeds are sown into their accumulator house or seeds are sown onto the opponent side.
Whenever a four is made on your side, the four are captured and added to the accumulator house. If your last seed on the opponents side makes a four. These are also captured and added to your accumulator house (pouduo).
If a player forgets to collect four seeds on their side before the opponent places a seed in that house to make a five or more, it becomes an accumulator house for both players. The opponent is duty bound to announce that the house is now an accumulator house for both players. Seeds are sown into this house until there are eight seeds in it. It is then shared equally between both players.
If this announcement is not made and it comes attention of the players whose side the four was made. The player can announce that a four was made previously and add them to their accumulator house.
If by mistake a seed is placed in the opponents accumulator house. The opponent can take all the seeds in your accumulator house and add it to theirs.
The game ends when one player has 25 seeds or more. It can also end when one player has no seeds to move. In this case the opponent adds the rest of the seeds on their side to the accumulator house.
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