How to Play Bingo

There is more than one type of Bingo game. When you go to play on an online website to play Bingo, it is important to understand the various ways to play.

75-Ball Bingo

This type of Bingo is traditionally played in North America. Players purchase cards with 5 x 5 grids of numbers. These cards have a very specific layout.

One letter tops each column—either B-I-N-G, or O. In the columns, the numbers are randomly chosen; however, the numbers are selected within certain criteria. Numbers under the ‘B’ are always between 1 and 15; numbers under ‘I’ are between 16 and 30. Under the ‘N,’ the middle space is a FREE space; the other four spaces contain numbers between 31 and 45. The numbers under ‘G’ include ones between 46 and 60. Finally, the ‘O’ column contains numbers between 61 and 75.

For play, numbers are drawn out one at a time. Players mark off the numbers on their cards that match the drawn numbers. For 75-Ball Bingo, up to a total of 75 random balls are drawn until a player gets a Bingo.

A Bingo can be a straight line, from corner to corner. Or, it can be another type of pattern. What counts as a ‘Bingo!’ will be stated on the particular Bingo website on which a person is playing. There are 6000 different Bingo cards a person can play on, so

90-Ball Bingo

This type of Bingo is played in most other countries besides North America. Tickets for 90-Ball Bingo are very different from 75-Ball Bingo cards.

These Bingo tickets contain nine columns and three rows each. Tickets are often bound in books, with ten cards in a book. Each card contains six tickets. Because of this, cards are also called ‘strips of tickets.’

The numbers 1 through 90 are randomly distributed on each ticket; however, there is a certain order to how the numbers are placed on the tickets. On a ticket strip, or card, every number between 1 and 90 is somewhere on the card. Each row contains 5 numbers and 4 blank spaces.

Players call “Bingo!” when they have achieved a certain pattern. The first pattern, called “One Line,” is just as it sounds—it is accomplished by crossing off all of the squares in one horizontal line. The second pattern is called “Two Lines.” Players must cross off all squares in two horizontal lines to win this pattern. For the third pattern, “Full House,” players need to cross off all of the numbers on their ticket.

Playing Bingo Online

Many sites will offer a choice of either 75-Ball Bingo or 90-Ball Bingo. And, there are a few Bingo websites that have developed a new Bingo game called 80-Ball Bingo. Make certain you know which type of Bingo is being played before you put money into a site—you want to understand the rules before you begin.

Sites generally have a caller that you can hear as well as a place where you can see the numbers that have been called. In addition, many sites automatically mark Bingo cards, making it easier to play several cards at once.

Most Bingo websites also allow players to select different cards if they don’t like the cards they are given at first—before play begins, of course.

Tags:
online bingo, bingo