How to Win in Bingo
If you’re interested in bingo, you probably already know that it’s a popular game, played in brick-and-mortar venues, as well as online, all over the world. Bingo is a game of pure chance, so there’s not a whole lot that you can do to influence the outcome. However, this is also at the heart of why the game is so popular.
Statistically speaking, anyone can win at bingo. You don’t need any special skills, and the rules are pretty straightforward. You’re never guaranteed a win, of course, but on the flip side, it’s always possible that you might get one, even if it’s your very first try at playing bingo online.
Learning the rules: how to win at bingo
The first step is to learn the rules of the game. If you’ve seen it played before, you might think that you already know exactly how to play, but there’s actually a bit more to it than meets the eye.
Apart from anything else, you need to know about the different variations. There are different kinds of bingo, so make sure that you know which one you’re playing, and what the rules are. You may end up playing 90-ball, 80-ball or 75-ball bingo, so before you jump into a game, find out which one it is, and make sure that you know a bit about how to play it.
How to win in 90-ball bingo
In 90-ball bingo, the numbers are laid out on your bingo card in three horizontal rows, with nine vertical columns. This is the traditional form of bingo that you’ve likely played before or seen other people playing. As each number is called, you’ll mark it off on your card.
The first aim here is to fill up a ‘line’ (that is, get all the numbers on one row), and you’ll usually get a prize for being the first to complete a row. There are bigger prizes, the more rows you fill. The grand prize goes to the first person to fill up their whole card and get a ‘full house’.
How to get a bingo win with 80-ball and 75-ball bingo
These types of bingo are a bit different from the traditional game, in more ways than one. As you’d expect from the names, they involve fewer balls! However, there are also differences in the way that the cards are laid out.
With 80-ball bingo, you’ll be marking off those numbers on a four-by-four grid, and there are more ways to win. You can still win by forming lines, but with this game they can go horizontally, vertically and even diagonally.
In 75-ball bingo, the game is different again. Now, you’re playing on a five-by-five grid, and you’re aiming to make patterns across the card. Just to keep you on your toes, the patterns change from one game to another. Lots of players like this variation, but it’s a bit harder than the others as it’s pretty easy to miss a winning pattern if you’re not 100% focused on your card.
Even within each variation, a particular venue might have particular rules, so it’s always a good idea to turn up early and listen to anything that the caller says before play starts. It might be mostly warm-the-crowd-up banter, but there could be some extra rules you need to know about.
Does buying more cards ensure a bingo win?
In most bingo games, you can buy multiple cards if you want to, and having more cards definitely increases your chances of winning. However, it’s really important to remember that there are no guaranteed ways to win at bingo.
You’re dealing with a game of pure luck, and buying more cards can’t ensure a win. In fact, you could spend a lot of money buying lots of cards, only to watch someone with just one card walk away with the prize you had your eye on.
Statistically, buying more cards increases the chances of you having the numbers called on one of your cards, but pure luck could mean that all the winning numbers are all on just one card. If you have the budget, by all means consider playing with multiple bingo cards. Just remember, it only boosts your chances of winning. It doesn’t make it a sure thing.
What’s more, in a real-world venue, having lots of cards in front of you can mean that you’re more likely to miss a number, especially if you’re not a seasoned bingo player. When you play online bingo, however, that’s not really a problem, and we’re about to explain why.
How to win online bingo
Online bingo tends to follow the same rules as the offline version of the game, but it is, most people would argue, easier to play. That’s because you don’t generally have to keep track of everything and mark your cards as you go along, as you would in a real-life bingo game.
When you play online, bingo games are auto-played, and the game can mark your cards for you, which is very convenient. You can just sit back and watch your card fill up as the caller reads out the numbers.
So, if you’ve been worried about how hard it might be to monitor if you’ve won a game of online bingo, it really isn’t! The game does the work for you, and, unlike when you play in a real-life bingo hall, you can’t miss a number or fail to notice that you’ve filled a line.
This also means, of course, that if you have the budget, you can buy as many cards as you like. You’re not limited to an amount you can easily lay out in front of you and scan for numbers each time the caller reads one out. The game will find those numbers for you and mark them off, even if you’ve got a bit carried away and bought a few too many to keep an eye on.
Using the chat feature when you play bingo online
Bingo is a very social game, and when you play online, you can use the chat feature to befriend other players. Lots of players enjoy this sociable gameplay and find that it really adds to the feeling of playing a proper game with other (usually very friendly) competitors.
You can use the chat feature to talk about the game or chat with other players about how to play the game and how to win. Just remember, everyone has an opinion about how to win bingo, but not everyone is right. As we’ve already said, it’s a game of chance, so there are no real strategies as such.
Knowing the rules is important, and it is useful to be aware of the fact that more cards give you a bit of an edge statistically. However, one of the big advantages of bingo is that it does all come down to luck.
This means that anyone can get a bingo win. Even if it’s your first time playing and you only have one card, you could still go home with the grand prize if Lady Luck is smiling on you. That’s part of why bingo is so popular.