Bingo is extremely easy to play, as it is a basic game where randomly selected numbers are drawn and called while players cover the corresponding numbers on their cards. It can be played both online and in Bingo halls.
How To Play Bingo – Playing Online Bingo
Online bingo is probably the easiest form of bingo to play. Most online casinos offer bingo, although you may need to download some software in order to play.
Once you are ready to play online bingo, you will see your bingo card together with a bingo draw grid in front of you. You then click on the “start” button and the bingo draw will automatically begin. As the numbers are drawn they will be highlighted on the bingo draw grid, and when any numbers appearing on your bingo card are drawn these will also change colour on your bingo card.
The aim of the game is to complete your bingo card (i.e. all the numbers on the card having been drawn and marked off) with as few numbers being drawn as possible.
The cash prizes are determined by the amount of numbers that need to be drawn in order for you to complete your card, the number of players taking part and the entry fee.
How To Play Live Bingo
Playing live bingo in bingo halls is still very easy to learn how to do, but it is more complicated than online bingo because you have to know which lines you can claim on. Another aspect of playing live bingo is that you must pay attention to which numbers are drawn as you will be responsible for keeping track of whether you have won.
Each player is given a card at the beginning of the game containing horizontal rows and vertical columns with printed numbers, and in some places also with a few blank spaces. When players are sitting down and are ready to play, the winning pattern is announced. The pattern can be one line, two lines or full house – meaning all numbers on the card must be filled.
A caller then starts announcing the numbers as they are drawn. The number, usually printed on a small ball or on a dice-shaped wooden piece, is then put aside to avoid it being called again.
As each number is being announced, the players search their cards to see if they have corresponding numbers on their cards. If they do, the number is either covered by a special made token or marked with a special made Bingo-pen called a dauber.
The caller continues to randomly pick up and call out numbers until a player forms the previously announced pattern on their card with the called out numbers and therefore shouts out loud either the name of the pattern or Bingo!
How To Play Live Bingo – The Different Patterns
The patterns mentioned above – one line, two lines and full house – are the classic and most common versions when playing Bingo. The full house pattern, which in Canada and the United States is called Blackout or Coverall, means that all numbers on the card have to be marked.
Other patterns, although mainly used on the North American continent, are shaped as X – called centre cross – L and Y, as well as, an inner square (4×4), a roving square (3×3) and a roving kite (a diamond-shaped 3×3). They must be fully filled and roving squares and kites can be positioned anywhere on the card.
How To Play Live Bingo – Layout Of The Bingo Card
Bingo cards typically have three rows and nine columns. Five squares in each row contain numbers ranging from 1 to 90 while the rest are blank spaces. The caller is generally quite quick in calling the numbers so players rarely have time to play more than a set six cards at a time – also called a Bingo book – which contains all the 90 numbers with 15 on each card and five in each row.
A unique serial number is printed on each card in order to allow for quick authentication by a computer.
Take a look at our Where to play Bingo page if you want to improve your Bingo game.