Bingo Beginners Guide: Rules & How to Play
There are traditionally two different types of Bingo: The first is 75-ball Bingo, and the second is 90-ball Bingo. Recently an 80-ball Bingo game was developed by Bingo.com, an online Bingo gaming company.
75-Ball Bingo
75-ball Bingo is traditionally played in North America. In this Bingo style, players purchase cards with numbers in a 5 by 5 grid, with a header on each column spelling out each letter of B-I-N-G-O. Numbers are drawn at random out of a total of 75 balls, until the point where a single player in the competing group completes one of several possible bingo patterns. Bingo patterns can be straight lines from side to side, top to bottom or diagonally blackout (where the entire card is filled in), a letter C, a cross, and so on.
Bingo cards contain a total of twenty five boxes on them, with a number in each individual box with the exception of the box in the very middle which is a free space. The numbers that appear in the remaining twenty four boxes are chosen at random.
- The numbers in the B column range between 1 and 15,
- The I column contains numbers that range from 16 to 30,
- The N column contains numbers that range from 31 to 45,
- The G column contains numbers that range from 46 to 60,
- The O column contains numbers that range from 61 to 75.
Players can typically choose from as many as 6000 unique Bingo cards, which means that the game of Bingo is essentially a game of chance rather than of skill. However, there is some skill in the game as efficient players can play multiple cards all at once, significantly increasing their chances of winning.
90-Ball Bingo
90-Ball Bingo is the traditional form of Bingo being played in most other countries. When playing online, you will find that most Internet Bingo gaming websites offer both 75-ball and 90-ball Bingo styles, and some even offer 80-ball Bingo.
90-Ball Bingo cards contain three lines and nine different columns, and sometimes these cards are bound up in book form. Single books generally have ten pages, meaning ten separate bingo cards and each usually has its own unique color. Skilled players can play six books at once but there is nothing wrong with playing only a single book, or even just a single card.
In 90-Ball Bingo, each individual card is known as a ticket. Bingo tickets consist of three separate rows, and nine separate columns. Each row contains a total of five random numbers and four blank spaces. 90-ball bingo is often played with strips of tickets, and a set of six tickets contains all ninety numbers distributed throughout it. When a full strip of 90-ball Bingo tickets is played in a single game, it means that every possible number from 1 to 90 will be covered, so a number is crossed off or marked with each and every bingo call. You can purchase strips of tickets at the very beginning of each game, with a maximum of up to 48 tickets.
This game of Bingo is played with three different patterns, known as One Line, Two Lines and Full House. The first player who is able to correctly cross off a horizontal line is the winner of the first prize. Then the Bingo game will continue until someone is able to cross off two horizontal lines, which wins the second prize. The third prize, the maximum prize, is won by the first player who is able to cross off all of the numbers on a ticket, which is known as a Full House.
Playing 75-ball and 90-ball bingo Online – When you are playing Bingo online, you will be given choice of how many Bingo cards you want to play, and you will also be given the opportunity to choose a new set if you are not happy with the set that you receive. Each Internet bingo game has a caller, and a display board that reveals the bingo numbers. The game pattern will also be displayed. You will find more often than not that the game cards are marked automatically, which means you can select a large number of cards without hassle.
