BINGO

If you have never played Bingo before, then you are probably in a minority.

Bingo has been played the world over in one form or another for centuries from kindergarten playing lotto or housie – housie, through to adulthood playing bingo for cash and prizes. There are a number of variations of the game, but probably the most popular today, is the game played in Bingo halls across the UK.

The Bingo Tickets

The picture above shows a collection of bingo tickets used for games in the UK. Typically, these are normally stapled together to form what is known as a book of tickets. Each book can consist of anything from two to nine pages (games).

Each page has every number from 1 to 90 imprinted on it.

Each page is coloured and used in a single game. The colour of the ticket is normally used to identify which game is being played. At the commencement of each game, the Bingo caller (The person drawing the numbers) announces which game is to be played next and which colour ticket to use. Playing on the wrong colour ticket, will void that ticket.

Each page is also divided into six separate tickets which are perforated, enabling any participant to purchase anything from one to six tickets at a time and each ticket has 15 random numbers (5 on each line) printed on it from 1 to 90. A whole page of 6 tickets contains every number from 1 to 90.

The Object Of The Game

The object of the game of Bingo is simple, to be the first person to cross off or mark all numbers on a single ticket, a total of 15 numbers. A Full House or “Bingo”

Depending on the game being played at the time, there may be secondary objectives en route to the main objective of a Full House

Secondary objective 1:  To be the first person to mark off 5 numbers in a single row, known as “Any one Line”

Secondary objective 2: To be the first person to mark of 2 rows of 5 numbers on the same ticket, known as “Any two Lines”

Playing The Game Of Bingo

As with any game, there are rules and Bingo is no exception. The rules themselves are simple to understand and follow.

If playing a game simply for fun, then rules can be bent. But when playing for cash or prizes, it is important that you understand the rules in order for you to be able to claim your winnings when you are fortunate enough to have your numbers called out before anyone else. If you intend playing for cash prizes, then make sure you read the rules of the Bingo club beforehand in order to avoid any disputes or disappointments.

Basic Rules:

• Before playing, make sure you have selected the correct ticket to play on. The Bingo Caller will normally announce this at the commencement of each game, usually identifying the correct ticket by its colour or name imprinted on it.

Failure to play on the correct ticket will render that ticket null and void.

• It is important that you pay close attention to the Bingo Caller as he calls out each number. Mark off each number on your ticket as it is called out by the caller. If you mark off all the numbers required according to the game being played, you must shout out “Bingo” before the next number is called.

Failure to stop the game by calling out “Bingo” before the next number is drawn, will mean you miss out and forfeit your prize which will then be awarded to the next person to call Bingo.

• On occasion, there will be more than one person who calls out “Bingo” at the same time on the drawing of the same number. In this event, the prize will be shared between each successful player.
• When marking off numbers on your Bingo Tickets, it is important that the numbers remain legible in order for the ticket to be checked as a possible winner.

Some Bingo Clubs will void the prize if the drawn numbers are illegible on your ticket. For this reason, most seasoned Bingo players will use highlighters to mark their Bingo tickets with. There are purpose made highlighters available for Bingo players known as “Dobbers”  In the absence of a highlighter, you can circle drawn numbers with a ballpoint pen.

Getting The Most From Your Game

A lot of people when they first start playing Bingo find it hard to keep up with the Bingo Caller and end up missing numbers on their tickets. As a result of this, they limit their game to purchasing only two tickets at a time.

To maximise your winning potential, playing more tickets obviously means more chances of winning. By applying a little bit of logic, it is an easy task to play up to six tickets at a time.

Playing six tickets means you will mark every single number the Bingo Caller calls out but finding the location of each number is where many people struggle.

If you look at a sheet of six tickets, you will see that the logical process of finding each numbers location is relatively simple. In column one, the only numbers are from 1 to 9, in column 2 the numbers from 10 to 19 and in column three, the numbers from 20 to 29 and so on. Using this little tip will ensure you never miss a number again.

Calling out “Bingo” is obviously the preferred bingo call, but many people will shout out “here you are” or “Yes” – it really doesn’t matter just make sure you stop the game before the next number is called.

There are two types of bingo played around the world. North America plays 75-ball bingo on a 5×5 card with the centre square usually marked ‘free’.

The desired pattern which players aim to achieve in 75 ball can vary dramatically, from a simple single line to more complicated themed patterns. The aim of the game, however, is always the same: to mark off the numbers to achieve the desired pattern. Speed Bingo is a variation played exactly the same, but numbers are simply called much quicker.

Have fun and good luck.