Bingo Rules

Bingo Strategies

Like many of the bingo games profiled on our site, is, at its core, a game of chance. To sum it up as simply as possible, randomly selected numbers are drawn and called out and attentive players then match those numbers to those which appear on 5x5 matrices which are printed on unique cards which the players have purchased.

The first player to form a specified pattern on their card from the numbers which have been called, calls out "Bingo!" and wins! In the beginning of the game, each bingo player - there can be hundreds - is provided a card marked with a grid containing numbers. Each card is unique and, thus, each player's card and numbers are different. Bingo cards are usually purchased and the numbers on them are in a 5x5 grid corresponding to the five letters of B-I-N-GO.

A typical bingo card then consists of 24 numbered spaces and one free space that can be marked right away. The numbers in column "B" are between 1 and 15; column"I", 16-30; column "N", 31-45; column "G" 46-60; and column "O", 61-75. The organizer(s) announce the pattern to be formed on the card at the start of the game and the "caller" then begins selecting numbers randomly (usually from a container of some sort - once selected, the number is put aside not to be used again). Players listen for the numbers called, searches his/her card for the called number, and if it's present, he/she marks it on the card. Basically, the only element of skill involved is the ability to search and mark one's card quickly enough to be ready for the next number and/or be the first to call out "Bingo!"

The caller continues to randomly pick and call numbers until a player forms the specified pattern and shouts out. Agreed upon patterns can vary a great deal but some of the most popular are: one line/two lines (one or two lines on the grid completely marked with selected numbers) or Full House/Full Card/Blackout/Cover-all (attained when ALL the numbers on a card are covered). Organizers can become quite creative with the patterns required for different games - often requiring patterns in the shape of a letter, or particular design. Most of the time players have the option of playing several cards at once and the prizes awarded to winners can vary from large jackpots to material objects.

Bingo Probabilities

Poker Strategies

Every player wants to know what their chances of getting a bingo games result on a single card, multiple cards, with more or less players, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, the answer differs according to these factors and the type of game being played.

To give you a general idea of the type of odds you’re up against, however, consider the following example: If there are 900 cards being played in a single game, and you’re playing 9 of them, you’re odds of ‘winning’ are about 1%.

What we supplied below is a brief but informative breakdown of the probability of getting a bingo result on one individual card with each successive call-out. So, this isn’t your probability of ‘winning’, just the likelihood that an individual card will catch a bingo after each successive call. For example, after 30 calls, there’s a 14% chance a single player will have single-line bingo, and 2% chance of hitting four corners.

Play Your Cards Right

Bingo Strategies

Play bingo to win money, is a game of chance; so, ultimately, winning depends on luck more than anything else. Yet, it'd be wrong and foolish to say that there aren't ways to improve one's chances of winning through smart decisions.

What we've compiled below are some basic and common bingo strategies that could go a long way towards improving your bingo success rate and your overall enjoyment of the game. More experienced players are probably already familiar with most of these concepts and suggestions, but a refresher never hurt anyone and beginners should find the information quite useful. Some tips are more obvious and/or useful than others, but they're worth repeating here nonetheless.

Popular Strategies
Use the 'Auto-Daub' Function. We know it takes away the only 'skill' involved in the game in the first place, but consistent use of the 'auto-daub' feature, if available, is perhaps the most strategic decision you can make. Yes, it removes some of the excitement and mental aspect of the game, but it also eliminates the possibility for errors!

Play More than 1 card
Yes, it costs more, but playing several cards is perhaps the most sure-fire way of improving your odds of being able to yell out 'Bingo' and collect some of those prizes.

Choosing how many cards depends on
1) the number of players involved
2) the cost of each card,
3) the prize money at stake.

Experts suggest four cards as the optimal number, but this can vary depending on the number of opponents you're facing and the total prize money for which you are competing. When playing with more than 1 card, pick cards which differ as much as possible. According to this 'strategy', if you're playing with more than one card, it's best to make sure that each card has different numbers which aren't duplicated on other cards bingo. The theory here is that if a number that you have on more than one card doesn't come up, you've compromised the value of more than one card. In other words, spreading out the numbers spreads out the risk and keeps you in the game longer!

When playing with more than 1 card, pick cards which are as similar as possible The opposite of the more conservative 'spread the numbers/risk' strategy above, this strategy is also known as the numbers concentration method. The idea here is that if you select cards with as many duplicate numbers as possible - which is easily done online - you can double or triple up each time you hit a number! Essentially, you're maximizing the benefit of each lucky strike.

Choose games with Fewer Players
While a game with fewer players means smaller prizes, it also means that you have a better chance of victory than at larger games with more players. We know it sounds obvious, but seriously, you'll improve your chances of winning if you follow this guideline. To achieve this, try signing-on to sites during 'down' hours when less players are logged in and playing.

Go After the Big Prizes
We know this flies in the face of our other strategy tip (“Choose games with Fewer Players”) but each suggestion has its merits. By going after the big jackpots and prizes, yeah, you're probably then choosing to play games with more players (=less chance of winning). However, you're also making sure that when you do win, it's a BIG win! So big, perhaps, that it covers your losses from several previous exits.

Chat Room Games
To supplement your winnings or make up some of your losses, try playing in any number of the chat room games online. Often, these games, which play while the normal game is running, can feature some nice bonus dollars and can be a lot of fun.

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