Kauda (कौडा) is the cowrie game played across Nepal during Tihar. The default mode here follows the traditional rules: four seats, one thrower (हाते haate) who holds the shells and the bank. You and three bots play with free play chips only, no real money.

The four seats (दाउ dau)

• Four players sit on four dau: तिया Tiya (3), चौका Chauka (4), पन्जा Panja (5) and छक्का Chakka (6). You pick your seat at setup, or get one at random.
• The game starts with Tiya throwing. The throw then moves Tiya → Chauka → Panja → Chakka → Tiya.

The throw

• The haate throws 16 cowrie shells. The result is how many land open (groove up), 0 to 16.
• Each count belongs to one dau by what is left after dividing by 4:

Every shell is taken as a fair 50/50, so the chances are exact counts out of 2¹⁶ = 65,536 throws. Chauka gets one more outcome (0 and 16, all closed or all open) and comes up a little more often.

Betting

• Before each throw, everyone except the haate bets chips on any dau except the haate's own dau. You can bet on more than one dau.
• Pick a chip (10, 50, 100 or 500) and tap a box. Up to 5,000 per box. Clear takes your bets back, Repeat places last round's bets again, Ready lets the haate throw. You have 20 seconds.
• When it is your turn as haate you do not bet: wait for the bets, then tap Throw.

Who gets the chips

• The count lands on the haate's own dau ("मार्यो", a hit): the haate collects every chip on the mat and throws again.
• The count lands on another dau: bets on that dau are paid double (your stake back plus the same again, paid by the haate). All bets on the other dau go to the haate. Then the throw passes to the next seat.
• If the haate cannot cover every payout, the winners share what the haate has (stakes are always returned). A seat that runs out of chips is refilled: you get a free refill, a broke bot is replaced.

Example. Bina sits on Chauka and is haate. You bet 100 on Tiya, Hari bets 200 on Tiya, Sita bets 50 on Panja. The shells show 7 open → तिया Tiya. You get 200 back (your 100 plus 100 from Bina), Hari gets 400, and Sita's 50 goes to Bina. Bina pays out 300, takes in 50, and the throw passes to Panja. Had it been 4, 8 or 12 open (Chauka), Bina would have taken all 350 and thrown again.

More players and your role

• The four dau are the throwing seats. Up to six extra bettors can sit around the mat (up to 10 players). They bet on any dau except the haate's and never throw.
• Seat player (default): you hold a dau seat, bet when others throw, and throw when the shells reach your seat.
• Thrower only (हाते): you keep the shells every round and never bet. Settlement is the same: a hit takes the whole mat; otherwise you pay double on the winning dau and collect the rest. Tap Pass to hand the throw to the next seat; it comes back to you when it reaches your seat.
• Bettor only: you sit as an extra bettor and never throw.

Options

• Streak rule (regional, off by default): when the haate hits twice in a row the minimum bet doubles to 20, then 40, 80 and so on (up to 320) while the streak lasts.
• Stop when Chauka shows (off by default): many families end the session when a Chauka result comes. With this on, the game stops there and shows your result.
• The haate wins on three dau out of four, so the seat has the edge. That is why the throw keeps moving round the circle.

Rules from "Rules for Kauda कौडाको नियम" (kbhom.wordpress.com) and "Kauda temptations" (myRepublica). Rules change from village to village and house to house; this is one common version, not the only correct one.

Number mat mode

• A casino-style version: you and the bots bet against the mat (the house) and the tosser changes every round.
• Exact number 1 to 16; Low (0 to 6), Middle (7 to 9) and High (10 to 16); Odd or Even (0 counts as even). An all-closed toss counts only as Low and Even.
• ×N means a winning bet pays back N times the bet, including the bet itself. 100 on Middle at ×1.75 returns 175. Each payout comes from the real chance of that result with a house edge of about 5%, rounded to a friendly number.

Play chips have no cash value and cannot be bought or cashed out. If you run out, you get a free refill.