Know the game
What is a seal card?
Some pull-tab deals come with a poster on the wall and a prize hidden under a little peel-off seal. That is a seal card game, and it adds a shot at a bigger, delayed payoff on top of the instant wins you get from the tabs themselves. Here is how it works.
The basic idea
A seal card is a poster that accompanies a pull-tab deal. Printed on it is one or more winning numbers, hidden under a covering seal that nobody can see through. As players buy tabs from the deal, the game builds toward a moment at the end when the seal comes off and the hidden number is revealed. Whoever holds the matching qualifier wins the sealed prize.
How a seal card game plays out
- You buy pull tabs from the deal like normal, winning or losing on each one instantly.
- Some tabs are qualifiers. A tab with the right symbol lets you write your name or a number on the seal card, putting you in the running for the sealed prize.
- The seal stays shut until the deal sells out or hits the point the flare specifies. No one, including the venue, knows the hidden number before then.
- The reveal. The seal is peeled back, the winning number is read, and the matching qualifier collects the prize.
Why the seal matters
The seal is what keeps the game fair: because the winning number is covered and fixed in advance, no one can steer the outcome. It is the same predetermined-but-fair principle behind every pull tab, just with the reveal saved for the end.
Why players like them
A standard pull tab is over the second you open it. A seal card game stretches the fun out: it builds a bigger, shared prize as the deal sells, and the reveal is a small event that the whole bar can watch. It turns a solo instant game into something a little more communal.
Seal cards versus regular pull tabs
Every seal card game is built on a normal pull-tab deal, so the instant wins work exactly as they do in any pull tab. The seal just layers a delayed prize on top. If you have seen a similar board where quarters or numbers get revealed from under a seal, you may be thinking of a tip board: the two overlap, and the differences are covered in pull tabs vs tip boards.
Run into other unfamiliar terms at the bar? The pull-tab glossary decodes flares, deals, pickle jars, and the rest.
Seal card FAQ
- What is a seal card in pull tabs?
- A seal card is a poster that goes with a pull-tab deal and has one or more winning numbers covered by a peel-off seal. Buying tabs can qualify you for the sealed prize, which is revealed only after the deal sells or reaches a set point, adding a bigger payoff on top of the instant tab wins.
- How do you win a seal card game?
- You buy pull tabs from the deal. Certain tabs are marked as qualifiers, and your name or number goes on the seal card. When the seal is removed at the end, the revealed winning number decides who takes the sealed prize. So a seal card game has instant tab winners plus a final sealed winner.
- What is the difference between a seal card and a regular pull tab?
- A regular pull tab is decided the instant you open it. A seal card game adds a second layer: a prize that stays hidden under a seal until the deal is done, then is revealed. Regular tabs are all instant; seal cards mix instant wins with a delayed, usually larger, reveal.
- Are seal cards the same as tip boards?
- They are close cousins. Both post a board and reveal a winner from under a seal, and the terms are sometimes used loosely. In practice a seal card is paired with a pull-tab deal, while a tip board can stand on its own. See our pull tabs vs tip boards guide for the finer points.