Getting started with Internet Bingo

Getting your feet wet with online bingo

You probably already know how to play bingo but have you been putting off dipping into online bingo? Well we are going to change all that and make getting on line and enjoying online bingo as quick and easy as possible.

Playing bingo on line is not unlike playing bingo in a bingo hall. In a bingo hall environment you have your friends and companions who just like you enjoy playing bingo and socializing. You may ask… If I am playing online bingo in front of a computer with no one around, how can I be socializing with my friends? Good question… while you are playing bingo online you will also be able to chat or communicate with your new bingo friends on line. It gets even better, you can play bingo any time 24/7, not just when the bingo hall is open.

Like many others, you may be uncomfortable with or dislike computers. You may feel that learning how to use the computer and learning how to play internet bingo is too much trouble. You might be interested to know that there are thousands of people just like you who are enjoying online bingo right now. In addition, the companies that manage and operate on line bingo try to make the signup and learning process as simple as possible. It is to their advantage to do so.

On most bingo sites the process of signup is as follows:

Review the rules

This is always a prudent thing to do as the rules and conditions may differ between companies.

Register to become a player

If you are satisfied with the rules you can then register online. The information asked for may be your email, desired password, alias etc. The alias you choose will be your name in chat and will be the name that all other players know you by. Your password enables you to log into the site, play the games, access your account information, make deposits and apply for cash outs. Before you present this information read the privacy policy of the online bingo company. That way you can see what they do with the information they receive from you. If for any reason you do not like something in their privacy policy, then do not continue with the signup.

Funding your account

If you are satisfied with the privacy policy, then read the banking rules that are usually posted on the web site. Here you will be shown how to fund with various methods of deposit options. You will also be asked to supply your name, address and other pertinent information that will enable the bingo company to credit you with your cash winning when the time comes. You will also be asked your currency preference. If you will be playing free online bingo, you will not need to provide the above information or fund your account.

Some bingo companies have online live customer support or a toll free number to call so there should be someone there to help you if you have a question.

Install bingo software

There are usually various options of download bingo software or no download Flash bingo. Recommended system and internet connection requirements are usually published so that you install the right software for your computer.

Now start playing on line bingo and having fun!

Once you start playing and making new friends you will wonder why you never started playing online bingo sooner. You will soon discover that Internet bingo is one cool online game. GL2y… oh, that’s bingo chat lingo and means Good luck to you.

If you want to get the feel of real free online bingo game, go here. If you would rather play for prizes click here.

How to play Bingo online

There are two types of bingo played online, and in bingo halls around the world. In the UK, Europe, Australia and parts of South America 90 ball bingo using a 9×3 card is common. In North America 75 ball bingo using a 5×5 card with the center marked ‘FREE’ is the norm. Here we are going describe how to play 75 ball bingo. Keep in mind that the rules may differ slightly between online bingo web sites.

The Bingo Card

The 75 ball bingo card is a 5 by 5 grid of numbers with the letters B-I-N-G-O at the top of each column. Each column contains 5 numbers within a given range. In the middle of the grid in the N column and 3 lines down, there is a FREE cell. This cell is automatically highlighted and counts as a legitimate cell in a winning pattern.

Patterns

There is a variety of different winning patterns which makes the game so interesting. The basic ones are:

• Single line across
• Single line down
• Diagonal line
• Four corners

The current pattern being played is always indicated on the computer screen with other information such as the prize and game stats information.

Selecting/Purchasing cards

Select the card or cards you want by clicking once anywhere on the face of the card and complete the purchase by pushing the ‘BUY’ button. You must purchase at least one card in order to participate in a game. To de-select a card, click on each selected ticket. If you don’t like the numbers of the cards shown, you can click on ‘Get New Cards’ to display a new set of cards to choose from.

Game time everyone!

If the bingo caller calls a number that the player has, the player then daubs every cell on their card(s) with the matching number. In order to win the daubed numbers on a bingo card must form a specific pattern, which is displayed on the screen. The player who correctly completes the winning pattern of numbers on their card wins.

Helper options

Some bingo web sites have bells and whistles that make the game easier such as a ‘Quick Buy’ button that allows you to instantly buy 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 or MAX which allows you to buy the maximum number of cards.

• Sound on/off: Controls the callers voice
• Auto-daub: Daubs the numbers as they are being called automatically
• Auto-bingo: To call BINGO automatically when you win.
• Auto-wager: Allows you to keep wagering and playing while you are busy doing something else
• Cards: To play, you will need to purchase bingo cards. Just click on ‘CARDS’ to choose to play from (1) to about (30) cards
• Help: Will display the Official Rules
• Call: Shows all the numbers that have been called for the game in progress. The number currently being called is displayed larger somewhere on the screen.

Chat while you play

All bingo players enjoy chatting while playing. To do that just type in a message in the chat bar and press enter on your keyboard. You may want to review Bingo Chat Acronyms or Bingo Chat Etiquette to brush up on the ‘Shorthand’ method of communicating with your fellow players.

Bingo chat etiquette

Bingo chat etiquette

Etiquette is the name for the code of rules governing socially acceptable behavior. These codes may vary from place to place, because of differing customs. All cultures around the world have developed forms of etiquette which are used to safeguard against conflict in social interactions.

There are special kinds of etiquette such as Poker Etiquette or Golf Etiquette which have special rules relating to their disciplines. In modern western etiquette, we are instructed to greet friends and strangers with warmth, respect and hospitality. We should not talk loud in public and avoid disturbing others with loud music or noise. We should arrive on time etc. Since etiquette is dependent on culture, we may be shocked in another.

Because modern culture is evolving, new forms of etiquette are constantly developing when needed. We have all been irritated when the fellow sitting next to you in the theatre answers his cellular and loudly continues with his long conversation oblivious to those around him. Or the never ending spam messages overflowing our email inbox… this is also a lack of consideration. The new electronic methods of communication have brought on a need for etiquette. These new rules are sometimes called Netiquette which are the set of formal and informal rules of behavior that have evolved in cyberspace, such as chat, blogs, e-mail, etc.

Bingo Chat Etiquette

Bingo Chat Etiquette is almost identical to Chat Etiquette. The following rules should be followed while participating in a chat room.

When choosing a nickname it is important that it not be offensive. It should not be ethnic or racial, includes foul language or words with sexual connotations.

You should not type in all CAPS as it is considered to be shouting. If you want to call special attention to a word, use an (*) in front of it. All caps are sometimes reserved for use by the Chat Master.

Be respectful to other players and the Chat Master. Try not to force your own views on others and remember that everyone it there for a pleasant experience. Be friendly and welcome newcomers with warmth and respect.

Never impersonate others, gossip about others, solicit money or advertise in chat rooms.

Congratulate other players when they win and be joyful of their success.

Always remember that the players are from different walks of life and therefore care must be taken not to offend anyone.

Chat helpers

Emotion icons

Because while chatting you cannot read body english or hear voice tones, Emotion Icons were invented to communicate these unseen signals. Some of these icons are:

— Smile
– Wink
– Unhappy

Actions

Sometimes there is no Emotion Icon to represent an action or emotion, Actions were invented to come to the rescue. These actions should be shown between (*). Shown below are some of these actions.

*lol* – Laughing out loud
*k* – Kiss
*vwg* – Very wicked grin

Acronyms

An acronym is a word from from the initial letter of a name such as BLNT (Better Luck Next Time). It is a method used in chat to cut down on typing. Some examples are shown below:

asap – As soon as possible
gle – Good luck everyone
tyvm – Thank you very much

You are now ready to start chatting so get ready to make lots of new friends and GL

Bingo Chat Acronyms

		Bingo specific acronyms
	Acronym	Definition
	sac	Sorry all close
	1tg	One number left to go
	2tg	Two numbers left to go
Top	3tg	Three numbers left to go
		Common chat acronyms
	Acronym	Definition
A	acm	Assistant Chat Manager
	afaik	As far as I know
	afk	Away from keyboard
	aka	Also known as
	aol	America On Line
	asap	As soon as possible
Top	atm	At the moment
B	b4	Before
	bak	Back at keyboard
	bbl	Be back later
	bbs	Be back soon
	bcnu	Be seeing you
	bf	Boyfriend
	bfn	By for now
	blnt	Better luck next time
	brb	Be right back
Top	btw	By the way
C	ca	Coverall
	cfv	Call for votes
	ch	Chat Host
	cm	Chat Manager
	cu	See you
	cul	See you later
	cul8r	See you later
Top	cy	See ya
D	dyjhiw	Don’t you just hate it when…
F	f2f	Face to face
	faq	Frequently asked questions
	fwiw	For what it’s worth
	fya	For your amusement
Top	fyi	For your information
G	ga	Go ahead
	gf	Girlfriend
	gg	Good going (good game)
	gl	Good luck
	gl2y	Good luck to you
	gla	Good luck all
	gle	Good luck everyone
	gm	Good morning
	gmta	Great minds think alike
	gn	Good night
	gr8	Great
Top	gtsy	Glad to see you
H	hb	Hurry back
	hhoj	Ha ha only joking
	hhok	Ha ha only kidding
	hhos	Ha ha only serious
Top	hiwth	Hate it when that happens
I	iae	In any event
	ic	I see
	idk	I don’t know
	imho	In my humble opinion
	imo	In my opinion
	iow	In other words
	irl	In real life
Top	iykwim	If you know what I mean
J	jase	Just another system error
	jk	Just kidding
L	l8r	Later
N	np	No problem
	nrn	No reply necessary
O	oic	Oh I see
	ot	Off topic
	otoh	On the other hand
P	pd	Public domain
	pmji	Pardon me, jumping in
	poof	I have left the chat
Top	ppl	People
Q	qt	Cute
R	r	Are
	rehi	Hello again
	rfd	Request for discussion
	roomie	A chat room member
	rsn	Real soon now
Top	rtm	Read the manual
S	sd	Sweet dreams
	sitd	Still in the dark
	sos	Same old stuff
	sry	Sorry
	ss	So sorry
	ssdd	Same stuff different day
	stu	Same to you
	sys	See you soon
	sw	Shareware
Top	syl	See you later
T	tanstaafl	There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
	tc	Take care
	tgif	Thank God it’s Friday
	tia	Thanks in advance
	tc	Take care
	tt	Ta-ta
	ttfn	Ta-ta for now
	tnx	Thanks
	tnx 1.0e6	Thanks a million
	ttfn	Ta-ta for now
	ttyl	Talk to you later
	ty	Thank you
	tyu2	Thank you & you too
	tysm	Thank you so much
Top	tyvm	Thank you very much
U	u	You
W	wb	Welcome back
	wrt	With regard to
	wtg	Way to go!
	wth	What the heck
Top	wysiwyg	What you see is what you get
Y	yw	You’re welcome
	yvw	You’re very welcome
Top
		Actions — (should be shown between “*“)
	Acronym	Definition
Top	*eg*	Evil grin
	*g*	Giggle or grin
	*gbh*	Great big hug
	*gbh&k*	Great big hug and kiss
	*gr&d*	Grinning, running & ducking
	*h*	Hug
	*hb*	Hug back
	*k*	Kiss
	*kb*	Kiss back
	*l*	Laugh
	*li*	Laughing inside
	*lis*	Laughing in silence
	*lol*	Laugh out loud
	*rofl*	Roll on floor laughing
	*s* or	Smile
	*sb*	Smile back
	*tic*	Tongue in cheek
	*veg*	Very evil grin
	*ves*	Very evil smile
	*vwg*	Very wicked grin
	*vws*	Very wicked smile
	*w* or	Wink
Top	*wg*	Wicked grin

Online Bingo strategies

Much has been written regarding bingo strategies and how to increase the odds of winning at bingo. To get an idea of the scope of information available just go to any internet search engine, type into the search box bingo strategies and press the [Search] button. You will find dozens and dozens of pages with advice generally with the same information. Many are excerpts taken from the book How To Win At Bingo, by Joseph E. Granville and the English statistician, L. H. C. Tippett. Much of what they say is fascinating reading about number theory but may be of little practical use while playing bingo.

Does it make a difference which bingo card is chosen?

The important question many bingo player have about card numbers are:

• Are there good cards or bad bingo cards?
• Are there good or bad bingo numbers?
• Is there such a thing as good or bad number symmetry on the card?

If the above three questions can be proven to be false, then it can be said that it makes no difference at all what card you choose, what numbers are on the card and what positions the numbers are on the card.

Random numbers are a listing of numbers which is non repetitive and satisfies no algorithm. A bingo card has numbers from 1 to 75 so our random numbers are within that range. The 75 bingo balls ejected from the machine should have the following tendency toward the following patterns:

1. There should tend to be an equal number of number ending in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0
2. Odd and even numbers must tend to balance
3. High and low numbers must tend to balance

These are the three accepted tests for randomness. Unless the distribution fulfills these criteria, then a bias exists and thus, the distribution is not random.

The author of How To Win At Bingo suggests that when you choose your bingo cards, look for cards with no bizarre sequence of numbers. Look for cards with a random distribution of numbers. The following illustrations shows two columns of numbers under the “B” of a bingo card. The first one would be considered bad symmetry and the second excellent symmetry.

Card (A) Bad symmetry?	Card (B) Good symmetry?
B 3 2 5 7 6	B 8 4 1 15 12

The numbers permitted under the “B” column on a bingo card are 1 to 15. If you examine the first column you will notice that the numbers are squashed down at the smaller end of the numbers scale.

Card (A), Bad symmetry

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

The numbers under the second column reflect “good symmetry” and are well distributed over the entire range of numbers.

Card (B), Good symmetry

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Let us call the cards with a “B” at the top and 5 numbers a complete bingo card. Now play a game of bingo, five in a row wins. Let us assume that card “B” the card with “good symmetry” wins the game.

We know that when random numbers are called, they will tend to be well distributed over the entire range of numbers. Common sense tells us that selecting numbers that follow this trend sounds reasonable but… in reality card “A” has the same winning chance as card “B”. Proof if this is offered by Mr. Jim Loy at his web site at http://www.jimloy.com/ more specifically under the category Gambling is his How To Win At Bingo? web page.

Now we are going to disguise all the numbers on card “A” and “B” by topping each number with masking tape and substituting a new number.

Card (A)
3 to 8
2 to 4
5 to 1
7 to 15
6 to 12

Card (B)
8 to 3
4 to 2
1 to 5
15 to 7
12 to 6

The same table must be used to disguise the numbered balls in the machine.

We now have disguised cards that look like this:

Card (A)	Card (B)
B 8 4 1 15 12	B 3 2 5 7 6

If you have not as yet noticed, you can see that the disguised card “A” looks just like the original card “B” and the disguised card “B” looks just like the original card “A”. Under the masking tape are the valid original numbers and the fake numbers are marked on the tape.

If the game had been run with the disguised numbers card “A” with bad symmetry would have won the game. This is valid proof that it makes no difference which cards you choose and card symmetry has no influence at all on the outcome of a game. If you need more proof, visit Mr. Jim Loy’s Bingo page.

Will playing more cards increase your chance of winning?

Playing more cards will increase your chance of winning. If you are able to see the number of persons that are playing bingo you should play more cards if the number of players is low. Your winning percentage will be higher. You can always play more cards and win more but each game costs you more to play with more cards and offsets any winning. If you are playing a huge jackpot which attracts many players and your winning odds are low, you should play few cards. Your money will also go further.

What the bingo player should know about the Gambler’s Fallacy

The gambler’s fallacy can be described as the following misconceptions:

• A random event is more likely to occur because it has not happened for a period of time
• A random event is less likely to occur because it has not happened for a period of time
• A random event is more likely to occur because it recently happened
• A random event is less likely to occur because it recently happened

Past events have no influence over future events. Flipping a coin is a good example because a coin has no memory. If a coin is flipped once, we know that the chances of it coming up heads is 50% and tails 50%. Every time you flip a coin it is an isolated event and your chances are 50-50. The gamblers fallacy is thinking a series of events are connected. He may think 5 heads in a row is a single event that has influence on the next flip.

If you were given two quarters, and you were told that the first quarter has never been flipped, and the second quarter has been flipped 5 times and came up five times heads. Do you really believe that one of the coins chances are not 50-50?

The gamblers fallacy can be applied to bingo. The bingo universe is 75 numbers and they all have an equal chance of being called. If you notice patterns or special numbers showing up, this does not violate the concept of randomness. The more you play the closer will be the equal distribution of numbers.

Lady Luck

For many, luck is the chance happening of fortunate or adverse events. It is an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that leads to a favorable or unfavorable outcome. A religious person may believe that the will of a supreme being rather than luck is the primary influence in future events. In the past, some religions practiced human sacrifice to please the gods an improve their luck. Many cultures have strong beliefs in lucky or unlucky numbers. Many bingo players today have rituals that they practice before playing bingo, have lucky objects, lucky clothes, lucky dobers etc.

The Law of Attraction

Many modern proponents say that the Law of Attraction has roots in Quantum Physics. According to proponents of this law, thoughts have an energy that attracts like energy. In order to control this energy, proponents state that people must practice four things:

1. Know what you want.
2. Ask the universe for it.
3. Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way.
4. Be open to receiving it.

Thinking of what one does not have, they say, manifests itself in not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids “negative” thoughts, the Universe will manifest a person’s desires. People who believe in this new age principal believe that its important to focus one´s mental energy on a positive outcome and often use affirmations and even ritual to reinforce positive beliefs and cleanse out negative beliefs that may adversely affect their chances of winning.

The History of Bingo

Bingo history 101

It all started in Italy

The origins of Bingo in all countries where bingo is enjoyed today can be traced to a game called Lotto first played by Italians in the 1530’s. This game is still played every Saturday in Italy and is called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. Modern bingo is a direct descendant of Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia.

Bingo in the United States

When the game finally reached the new world in 1929 during the Great Depression, The game was first played at a carnival in Atlanta, Georgia and it was called Beano. Why Beano?… Because dried pinto or lima beans were used to mark the numbers on the card. The name was corrupted into Bean-go and finally its present form Bingo. The man credited with popularizing the game in the United States was Edwin S. Lowe. While Mr. Lowe talked with a carnival pitchman running the game near Jacksonville Georgia, the pitchman told Lowe that he found the game the previous year in Germany. He said that he made some changes in the rules and changed the name to Beano. The game was such a crowd pleaser that he returned to the United States and continued to run the game on the carnival circuit.

Lowe was so impressed that he decided to promote and market the game. So that the game could be played with a large number of people, he hired a Columbia University math professor, Carl Leffler, to increased the number of combinations in the bingo cards from 24 to 6,000. This was done to make it more difficult for anyone but a single player to win. With great sacrifice, Leffler finished the job but it is rumored that he went insane.

A Catholic priest from Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania was quick to see the potential of using bingo to raise funds for the church. It is estimated that by 1934, 10,000 bingo games were played weekly. Today ninety million dollars are spend playing bingo each week in North America.

Bingo in the United Kingdom

Bingo is fairly new in the UK and was not well known until 1960, when the Gaming Act was passed permitting bingo in members only establishments. Bingo in the UK was a commercial operation and developed quite distinctly from the bingo played across the Atlantic.

British bingo halls were more plush than the America counterparts. Theatrical methods and devices for producing random numbers were used. Because these methods were easy to rig, the widespread adoption of electronic random number generators were used during the next decade. In 1968 new gaming laws were passed which further raised the popularity of the game.

Bingo in France

From Italy Lotto was introduced to France in the 1770’s and is called Le Lotto and was loved by the French intelligentsia. The French game differed from bingo as we know it as chips instead of balls were used to cover rows instead of patterns used today.

Bingo in Germany

The Germans found a practical use for the game and used it in the 1800’s as a teaching tool to help students learn history, spelling and math skills. There were games such as Historical Lotto, Spelling Lotto and Animal Lotto. It was considered an educational tool until 1929 when it was then looked upon as a form of adult diversion.

Today bingo is enjoyed all around the world and it makes no difference if it is played in bingo halls, fire station garages, church basements or online because all bingo players have something in common… They all enjoy the friendly social quality that the game offers, in fact that may even be more important than winning.
Bingo´s Global Explosion

Bingo first started appearing on the web in the mid nineties and was immediate hit, allowing people to play from the comfort of their home whenever they want. There are now hundreds of online Bingo halls enabling people of all tastes and interests to enjoy the game any time, in any major language.

Online Bingo poised for growth

For some people, Bingo brings up images of elderly ladies in smoke-filled halls, but the face is Bingo is rapidly changing. According to many online gambling executives it’s the next big growth area.

Consider the numbers. The U.K. is the world’s most developed online bingo market with £600 million (USD $1.2 billion) per annum in the sale of Bingo cards, the vast majority of which is now done online. In Spain, the second most competitive market, the number of Web sites grew to 40 from six in the past year. The only thing growing as quickly as Bingo, are the size of the jackpots being offered. The U.K.’s Gambling Commission estimates there are about 500,000 British online bingo players each month.

Online bingo isn’t new — the first game appeared in 1995 in the U.S. — but its growth has been accelerated by the spread of broadband Internet access. Bingo players tend to be female, aged 25 to 50 and educated to high school level, according to data released by Cashcade Ltd., owner of Foxy Bingo and Think Bingo, two of the largest privately owned U.K. Web sites.

European Expansion

Al Haig-Thomas, chief executive of Virtue Fusion, a software supplier to U.K. bingo brands including Rank Group Plc’s Mecca, William Hill Plc, British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc’s Skybet and Ladbrokes Plc, says the opportunities for growth are in Europe during the next one to three years and in South America and Asia during the next five to eight years.

“We have several clients planning launches in Spain in the next three months and also new sites in Denmark, Sweden and Ireland,” Haig-Thomas said in an interview. “All are undeveloped markets that have a history and culture of bingo halls, so you would expect them to follow the U.K. market in terms of growth.”

Bingo is big business in the U.S., but the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 slashed the number of online sites operating there. Americans still play bingo extensively, mainly as a fundraising exercise for churches and community associations. Many casinos have bingo halls to bring in regular attendees from the local market.

Bingo Television

In the U.K., the main commercial broadcaster, ITV Plc, recently started a daily bingo show, Bingo Night Live, which achieved respectable audience ratings for its midnight time slot. The game is linked to ITV’s online site, itvbingo.com, which was developed with PartyGaming Plc.

In Sweden, a weekly bingo show is one of the most-watched programs. Several speakers at last week’s Bingo Summit said the future is in televised bingo shows linked to a Web site.

Warwick Bartlett, chairman of U.K.-based Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, says online bingo is still relatively immature compared with Internet casinos and sports betting.

“We estimate that by 2012 online bingo will account for 25 percent of the worldwide betting market and deliver profits in excess of $2 billion,” Bartlett said at last week’s conference.

“As broadband penetration increases, people become more conscious about the cost of driving to real-world bingo halls,” Bartlett said. When “they find that they can’t smoke when they get there, playing online bingo from home becomes more and more attractive. From a customer point of view it is a great gambling proposition at a very low cost,” he said.

Lost in Translation?

Of course, there are risks. Many of the territories discussed as having huge potential growth are of dubious legality; executives of online gambling companies have been arrested in Turkey and France in the past 12 months while several European governments are fighting legal actions to keep online gambling companies from targeting their citizens.

There is also the danger that bingo doesn’t translate well into new territories that have no history of bingo halls. Do Polish or Ukrainian gamblers want to play bingo, a game with no cultural roots in those countries?

Finally, in both the U.S. and U.K. there is plenty of evidence that bricks and mortar operators of casinos, betting shops and bingo halls are suffering from recession, even though gambling historically has suffered little during an economic slump.

Fraser at Which Bingo says there are signs of a slowdown in the U.K. online bingo market. “It appears the market is growing at about 3 percent month on month, versus about 10 percent about a year ago,” he said in an interview. “So there is some sign that the economy is having an effect on online bingo. But I would prefer to say that while it may not be recession-proof, those sort of growth numbers suggest it seems to be recession- resistant.”

Common Bingo patterns

Patterns play a critical role in most Bingo games; at both halls and online casinos. Even if you do not win a “Full Card” most casinos give prizes or bonuses for winning a pattern. There are lots of possible bingo game patterns that can be played. There are bingo cards that have the pattern already marked/highlighted, and have three basic designations:

• Static or standard bingo patterns. These bingo patterns cannot be moved or shifted on the Bingo card and are won only when every square of the pattern that is marked/highlighted on the card is covered.
• Crazy bingo patterns. These bingo cards allow the pattern to be rotated in 90 degree increments for a winning bingo pattern match (by 90�, 180� or 270�).
• Wild bingo patterns. These bingo cards have scattered patterns. The bingo pattern stays in the same place (static) but can be located anywhere on the card.

Letter C Letter O Letter Y . Postage stamp Any corner Four corners . Six-pack Anywhere Inside picture frame Mini full house Railroad tracks

Letter E Letter T Straight line across Any line Double stamps Any corners Four corners and stamp. Any corner Nine-pack Anywhere Outside picture frame Picnic table

Letter F Letter U Straight line down Any line Triple stamps Any corners Inside Four corners Inside diamond . Open house Any square Kite Any direction

Letter N Letter X Diagonal Any direction Clover leaf 4 postage stamps Plus sign . Outside diamond . Full house Coverall, Blackout Letter L Any

Read more at Il Dado

How to play Bingo

Bingo is one of the worlds favorite games, and is now one of the fastest growing. Originally played in halls, Bingo is experiencing a renaissance online as the web gives players new ways to play and chat with their friends. Bingo rules and payouts and play variations vary from place to place. Bingo brochures detailing particular games, rules and payouts are usually available at each respective location.

Basically, players buy cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid corresponding to the five letters in the word B-I-N-G-O. Numbers such as B-2 or 0-68 are then drawn at random (out of a possible 75 in American Bingo, and 90 in British and Australian Bingo) until one player completes a ‘Bingo‘ pattern, such as a line with five numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize. There are many possible patterns to play for.

A bingo Card contains 24 numbered spaces and one free space (blank), with which you play BINGO. The numbers are assigned at random on each card and are arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows (5 x 5 = 25 in total including the blank square).

The numbers in the B column are between 1 and 15, in the I column between 16 and 30, in the N column (containing four numbers and the free space) between 31 and 45, in the G column between 46 and 60, and in the O column between 61 and 75.
Bingo in the United Kingdom and Australia

In the U.K. Bingo is played mainly in large halls with cash prizes, the larger commercial concerns are linked up with other halls during one particular game in the evening and large cash sums can be won on these.

It is also played in nearly every seaside town in the U.K. on screens in front of the player who pulls a slide across to cover the number called, but, presumably because of our gambling laws, there are no cash prizes, just various items like cuddly toys.

The other times Bingo is played, again for prizes, not cash, is in a myriad of local halls or schools around the country, usually as a fund raiser for various concerns like an old people�s Day Centre. Here the prizes are donated by shopkeepers and businesses in the town and surrounding area and the atmosphere at these Bingo games is usually very relaxed and a fun evening out where everyone is welcome, even children.

The prizes vary for these games but on average a prize for any one line is worth about $1.00 – $2.50 (depending on who is organising the bingo evening), any 2 lines would be worth about $2 – $5 and a full house (all the numbers on a card) worth $5 – $10. They could be boxes of chocolates, bottles of wine, a grocery hamper, a voucher from a local butcher for meat or a cream tea for two at a local tea-shop or even 2 free passes to a swimming pool. Anything really.

U.K. (and Australian) bingo cards have three lines and nine columns (see picture above) and usually come in “Books”; single or multiple. A single book would contain ten 10 pages (10 cards) each of a different colour: Gold, Lime, Violet, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Orange, Blue, Red and White.

A multiple book has 6 single books. Each page in a multiple book has 6 cards of the same colour. The 6 cards on a page are joined with perforated edges and can be pulled apart. Experienced players will play all 6 books and inexperienced players or young children may only play 1 book, or even a single card.

As well as books, there are also single sheets of bingo cards sold with the 6 sections on (six cards) and these are called “Flyers”. Again you can buy just one section or 6 to suit your pocket or your experience. The flyers cost more per game than on the books but the prizes are usually worth a bit more.

In the large towns and cities Bingo is fairly “big business” and people play in deadly earnest, hoping to win that elusive jackpot. In small towns and villages its much more of a social occasion with amateur callers and a lot lighter atmosphere.

Australia uses the same bingo cards as in the U.K. In Sydney and Melbourne the callers are incredibly fast. In Perth they call a lot slower.

Number calling

The numbers are announced quickly by the Caller, so you must pay careful attention to the numbers that are called and mark them quickly and accurately on your card(s).

The caller keeps calling numbers until one or more players claim BINGO. Then the game stops and the numbers are verified. If there is a winner, the prize is awarded and a new bingo game begins with new cards. If there is more than one winner, the prize is split among all the winners.

In Las Vegas many variations including Letter X, Six Pack and Coverall Bingo are offered. Additionally, some places offer special progressive payouts as high as $10,000.

Online Bingo

When playing online, your bingo cards are randomly selected for you. Most online games give you 3 or 4 cards. Other games let you take more.

Every online bingo game has a caller or a display board for the bingo numbers. The game pattern is also displayed. Some games automatically mark the numbers on your card for you.

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