What is word bingo game

While bingo became popular in the United States early in the twentieth century, the roots of the game stretch back to the year 1530. That’s when a state-run lottery called «Lo Gioco del Lotto d’Italia» started in Italy. (Interestingly, even to this day you can still play that lotto every Saturday.) The French picked up lotto in the late 1700s. One version used a playing card with nine columns and three rows, with four free spaces per row.

The caller reached into a bag and picked out wooden chips marked 1 through 90 (1 to 10 for the first column, 11 to 20 for the second, and so forth). The first player to cover one whole row was the winner. These lottery-type bingo games soon became a craze throughout Europe.

Bingo as we know it today was popularized by Edwin S. Lowe, a struggling but enterprising toy salesman from New York. Lowe observed a game called «Beano» at a country carnival in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was called Beano because players used dried beans to mark their cards as the numbers came up. When a player completed a line of numbers, he or she would stop the game by yelling «Beano!,» and that player would win a small prize.

Lowe saw that players were captivated by the game. Lowe himself was so spellbound by this new game that he brought it back home and introduced it to his friends. During one game, a lady got so excited by her win that she blurted out «Bingo!» instead of the accepted cry.

And just like that, bingo was born. «Lowe’s Bingo» became a sweeping success, and by the mid-1930s, bingo games were popping up all over the country, in part because churches and social clubs quickly realized the fund-raising potential.

Today, 48 states (and more than 100 Native American reservations) offer legal bingo on some scale. Games range from small enough to fit in a church basement to big enough to pack a 1,800-seat hall. In this article, we’ll discuss the basic equipment and rules used in bingo, and give you tips on how to improve your strategy. If you are looking for more places with new players, we’ll show you where to look. If you aren’t sure who your challengers will be or what kind of prizes can be at stake, check the overview below.

Bingo players come from all walks of life. There is no stereotypical bingo player. Most like to socialize, which is why they go to bingo, and they may also enjoy other competitive group activities, such as bowling, that combine fun and friends. Most regular players are over the age of 45, surveys show, but bingo is being discovered by young people every day as a new way to socialize. And both men and women enjoy playing the game, whether by themselves or with a spouse or friend. The bottom line? Bingo is fun for everyone.

The usual prize
at bingo is cash, from $50 or $100 for a simple bingo at a small hall all the
way up to $1 million or more in special high-stakes games on Native American
reservations or in casinos. But the prize can also be a car, a trip, or even
novelty prizes (in New York, one restaurant gives away margaritas to the lucky
winners).

The size of the typical
jackpot is based on how much money is coming in. Most halls are required to
payout at least 50 to 60 percent of the money they take in. Likewise, the total
money they can give out per game or session is often limited by state or local
rules. In Georgia, for instance, halls can’t give out more than $1,100 on
a single night, though many states are more generous than that. Louisiana, for
example, allows $4,500 per session.

A progressive jackpot
is a prize that keeps growing from game to game until somebody wins it. The
house kicks off a progressive game by «seeding the pot» with an attractive amount
of money — say $500 — instead of simply setting the jackpot as a percentage
of card sales. To win the progressive, a player must have an extraordinary win,
such as a blackout (covering every space on a bingo card) in only 49 balls.
If no one wins, the house chips in extra money to sweeten the pot even more.
The jackpot may get bumped up by $100 per game over a number of sessions or
weeks.

Sometimes a progressive
jackpot gets so big that the bingo hall by law has to cap it, and the prize
stays at the same level until somebody wins. In some states, such as Michigan,
there is no limit to how much money a player can win in progressive bingo.

The popularity of big
prizes has allowed bingo to expand into more lucrative games. The
most exciting new phenomenon in the bingo world is the spread of high-stakes
games. There are literally dozens of halls scrambling to set up games that promise
to pay $50,000, $100,000, or even $1 million to some lucky winner. The jackpots
are so high that some hall owners take out insurance policies so they won’t
go broke!

Some of the super-jackpots
are set up to be «step games,» where the game pays different amounts depending
on how quickly the winner gets a blackout. For example, a blackout in 49 numbers
might pay $50,000, while a blackout in only 45 numbers would earn $100,000.
Because it’s very hard to get a blackout in so few calls, it may be weeks
or even months before anybody wins it.

The super-jackpots are
usually winnable during certain sessions. For example, the Thunderbird Entertainment
Center in Norman, Oklahoma, has a $100,000 payout game offered six sessions
a week — five nights and one afternoon. In order to win this or other super-jackpots,
players usually have to get a special pattern within a certain number of calls,
and then they may have to play another game of chance, like spinning a wheel
or picking an envelope off a prize board.

As you can imagine, the
odds of winning are pretty slim, so it may be weeks, months, or years before
somebody gets that top prize. Then again, somebody could win it on the first
game of the first session on the first day it’s offered.

Players who hit
a big bingo in a super-jackpot don’t just walk away with a fat check. First,
the bingo balls are collected and sent to an independent testing lab to make
sure there has been no tampering, and the insurance company reviews a security
videotape. The check is usually cut about 48 hours after the win. If the jackpot
is less than $100,000, it may be paid out in a single lump sum, but larger jackpots
are usually paid out in the form of yearly payments.

Satellite
bingo is another way bingo halls can offer larger jackpots. This is a linked
bingo game played simultaneously at bingo halls in a certain area. An outside
company links the bingo halls by satellite (hence the name of the game!). The
prizes in satellite bingo games are often much larger than what individual halls
could offer. Satellite bingo is only found in certain states, such as Washington,
where the top prize in evening games is $50,000.

If you are interested in going home with some of those sweet winnings, it’s
important that you understand the basics of the game. In the next section we’ll
look at the game equipment and how it’s used.

Knowing
the basics is the key to unlocking the excitement of bingo. If you’ve played
before, you may think you already know everything … but how much are you missing?
The information below will reintroduce you to the bingo equipment and how it’s
used.

Bingo is basically a
game of chance. Players use cards that feature five columns of five squares
each, with every square containing a number (except the middle square, which
is designated a «FREE» space). The object is to listen for the numbers that
appear on the cards to be called. When one is called, the player marks the square.
The first person to complete a predetermined pattern of marked numbers is the
winner.

The columns are labeled
B, I, N, G, and O. Letters always contain a certain range of numbers, as shown
below.

Column Letter	Numbers
B	1 to 15
I	16 to 30
N	31 to 45
G	46 to 60
O	61 to 75

The CardsBingo players buy cardboard cards or disposable sheets printed with one or more card faces. The type of game cards used varies widely depending on the hall. Some halls still use traditional cardboard «hard cards,» or «all-night boards,» that can be marked with chips, tokens, or pennies. But most halls today use disposable strips or sheets of paper cards containing a set number of faces, such as six (known as a 6-on) or three (a 3-on).

The process of purchasing cards is called the «buy-in,» or, in other words, you pay money up front to buy cards to be used during a specific session. Sometimes the buy-in is for single-face, stand-alone cards, but, more often, the buy-in is for tear-off, disposable sheets of paper containing a number of card faces. Expect to spend anywhere from $1 to $20 for a minimum buy-in.

Some of the more popular calls are:
Legs Eleven for B-11
Sweet Sixteen for I-16
Two Little Ducks (Quack, Quack) for I-22
Any Way You Can Get It for O-69

The CallerA person known as the «caller» picks the numbers from a basket or blower and announces them to the players. It’s also the caller’s responsibility to announce the pattern of the game before calling the first ball. There are literally dozens of patterns from which to choose, and the pattern call changes from game to game. The two most common patterns are straight-line bingo and coverall, or blackout.

Straight-line bingo: In the simplest version, a player gets «bingo» with a five-number straight line stretching from one end of the card to the other. The line can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. The straight line may include the free space, in which case the player would only need to have four numbers called.

Coverall: Also called blackout, coverall is a typical jackpot game. The goal is to cover every number on the card within a certain number of calls. In a 49-number coverall, a coverall must occur within 49 calls, or else the game is over and nobody wins.

The NumbersThe caller selects each ball at random, sometimes from an electrically operated blower machine similar to what’s used to call state lotteries, or else from an old-time mechanical or manually operated cage. The blower may have a trap that automatically catches one or more balls at a time while the machine is running. A rush of air blows balls into a chute, then the bingo caller selects the first one and announces the letter/number combination to all of the players.

There are 75 balls in the machine, and each one is printed with a letter from the word «bingo» and a number from 1 to 75. All of the balls are essentially the same size, shape, weight, and balance, so that during the bingo game, each ball has an equal chance of being pulled.

Once a number is called, the ball may be displayed on a closed-circuit television system with monitors around the room. Then, the corresponding light on the big overhead scoreboard is activated. The scoreboard, which may also display a lighted diagram of the pattern in play, is there so players can keep track of numbers already called. Some halls still have an old, nonelectric tote board that serves the same purpose.

After the numbers are announced and put on the scoreboard, you need to know how to mark your cards.

The DaubersAs each number is called, players scan their cards, and if they have the number, they mark it with a token or a dauber (a special penlike ink stamper). The easiest way to mark a disposable paper card is to use a dauber. Daubers have become an
essential tool of the modern bingo player. To use the dauber, players simply remove the cap and press the wide, foam-rubber tip firmly on the square containing the called number, producing a large, round color smudge. The advantages of the dauber are that it’s quick, permanent (nobody bumping the table is going to send your chips flying), and easy to see, so you can ignore marked boxes and concentrate on the rest of the card.

Dauber trends: For dauber ink, it’s purple — that’s according to BK Entertainment, a bingo supply company that sells more than 40 billion bingo cards a year. Daubers typically contain 21/2 to 4 ounces of ink, which is offered in a variety of colors, including blue, red, green, magenta, teal, and, of course, purple. That’s enough colors for a six-pack, which some players in fact do keep with them — one for each game in a session. The trend is now toward bolder, richer colors, such as bright orange. New fast-dry inks are available to keep players from messing up their hands and shirtsleeves. Wondering what to get your favorite bingo aficionado? Dauber four-packs make a thoughtful present!

When you have your equipment in place, you are almost ready to play. In the next section, we’ll look at the basic rules and etiquette to prepare you for almost any bingo game.

What happens when somebody gets the bingo card pattern? The customary way to announce that you’ve won is simply to yell «Bingo!» loud enough for the caller to hear. Once bingo is called, an assistant (sometimes called a floor walker) will come to the table right away to verify the bingo.

The floor walker will call out the winning numbers for the caller to verify or, in fancier setups, will simply call out an identification number on the card, which the caller punches into a computer that automatically verifies or rejects the bingo. Depending on where you play, the winning bingo card may be posted for the remainder of the night so other players can inspect it. Disputes are not that common — either you bingo or you don’t — but when discrepancies pop up, the bingo manager usually has the final say.

If two people call bingo on the same number, the jackpot is split evenly between them. Likewise, if three people call it, the house divides the pot three ways.

Common Rules

Since no two bingo halls operate exactly the same way, it’s a good idea to read the posted rules thoroughly before the session begins. Be sure to look for special handouts; any extra printed rules for the night supersede what is posted.

Whatever you do, don’t try to alter a bingo card! It’s not worth it, and no experienced bingo manager or caller will fall for it. Many, if not most, halls will be happy to make an example of anyone caught cheating, prosecuting to the full extent of the law. Play it safe by following the rules and being honest. Below are some common rules you may encounter:

• In most halls, players must be 18 years of age or older.

• Some halls prohibit alcoholic beverages, while others will sell beer along with soft drinks. Outside food and drinks are usually frowned upon, since most establishments want you to buy their hot dogs, chips, and soda.

• During special high-stakes games, management may prohibit players from entering and leaving the hall.

• Reserving specific cards may not be allowed.

• Typically, people are not allowed to sit and watch while friends or relatives play; each seated person may be required to have their own buy-in. Some halls may require seated players to have an attendance ticket in plain view while they play.

• If a player has bingo, it’s up to him or her to stop play before the next number is called by announcing «bingo!» loud enough for the caller to hear. It’s important to know that bingo must be claimed on the most-recent number called. If the caller has already started announcing the next ball, it’s too late to call bingo. Likewise, as soon as the caller closes the game and drops the balls for the next game, any missed bingos become invalid.

The number of different patterns that can be called in a bingo game is practically
limitless. Most callers know dozens of them. Some patterns are traditional,
while others have been introduced more recently. Many are known to players everywhere,
and a few are the inventions of creative and passionate bingo players. Experienced
bingo players will realize that the same pattern may go by several different
names, so that one person’s «kite» is another person’s «magic wand.»
In this article, we’ll discuss how being familiar with card patterns can
give you an edge over other players. We’ll even share how choosing nonduplicate
cards, using the same cards, and other tips can improve your odds for winning
the jackpot. And some luck won’t hurt either.

The types of patterns that will be played during a session are usually set ahead
of time. Single games are not limited to a single pattern (for example, the
caller may call a picture frame on the way to a blackout). It’s possible
that a player can win two jackpots in the same game by completing both the first
and second patterns; or, it’s possible the game may feature two different
winners if one player gets the picture frame but a second player gets the blackout.
Patterns are not limited to one card, either. For example, giant bingo is a
straight-line bingo that extends from one card face to another.

Many of the patterns listed below can be designated «crazy,» as in crazy snake. That simply means the snake pattern can be pointing any direction on the card. Thus, a T pattern can only be won straight up and down (just the way a capital T is written), but a crazy T can be won on its side or even upside down. Likewise, any pattern designated «the hard way» simply means the free space cannot be used in the winning pattern.

To keep the game interesting, most halls will change the patterns frequently. Some of the patterns can get pretty creative; the biggest problem with this is that trying to find a complex pattern on a dozen cards at once is an acquired skill. If the pattern is complicated, don’t worry — it’s likely to be printed in a program or displayed on a lighted electronic board overhead, and it certainly will be explained by the caller prior to the game. But that still doesn’t make it any easier for an inexperienced player to pick out the pattern when there are blotches all over their card. It’s very important that you pay close attention to your cards in complicated games, or else you may reach bingo and not even realize it until it’s too late. This happens all the time!

One way to keep things simple is to break down a pattern into its elements. The following are descriptions of popular patterns grouped by similarities. In some cases, you’ll find suggestions for how you might think of the patterns in order to simplify things while scanning your cards. Pay attention to special rules (for example, the two lines in double regular bingo need not run parallel to each other).

Straight Line PatternsIn one-line bingo, also called regular bingo, a player simply needs to cover five numbers in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. In two lines, or double regular bingo, the lines do not necessarily need to run the same direction. The same is true for triple regular bingo, where it’s possible to win with one horizontal, one vertical, and one diagonal line.

Line Combo Patterns

These patterns can be thought of as special configurations of double and triple bingo. Two horizontal or vertical lines together make up railroad tracks. Asterisk is the two diagonals plus the vertical line down the center; add the horizontal line through the middle for starburst. Bow tie is just four lines: two diagonals, plus a vertical line down each edge.

Letter PatternsTake a look. While this might seem like alphabet soup, it’s just more straight-line combos. Remember, if the letter is designated «crazy,» the pattern can be formed right-side up, upside down, or lying on either side.

Lucky Seven Patterns

Lucky seven is a double bingo consisting of the horizontal line along the top edge of the card plus the diagonal line from top right to bottom left, forming — yes, you guessed it — the number seven.

Coverall, Odd-Even, Speedball PatternsUsually, coverall, also known as blackout, is used for a large, progressive jackpot. Players try to daub off all 24 numbered spaces on a card within a specific number of calls. In a 51-number blackout, for example, a player must cover all 24 spaces in 51 calls. If no one accomplishes this, the game ends and the jackpot rolls over. As mentioned earlier, some jurisdictions prohibit progressive jackpots; in that case, coveralls are played until someone hits bingo, regardless of how many balls are called.

In odd-even, a variation of coverall, the caller instructs players to blot out all even (or odd) numbers, and then calls only odd (or even) numbers until someone wins. The caller will usually use the day of the month, a ball drawn from the blower, or some other method to determine whether the game is set at odd or even.

Speedball is a fast-paced version of coverall in which the caller rapidly calls out numbers one after the other until one player covers all spaces. The caller may even omit the letters to make it more challenging.

Picture Frame PatternsA picture frame
pattern includes every space along the edge of the card. Broken picture frame is every other space along the edge, starting with the corners. An inside frame is a small box inside what would be the larger picture frame area.

Diamond PatternsLittle diamond is a four-square pattern that includes the squares immediately to the top, bottom, left, and right of the free space. The points of the eight-square big diamond touch the center square of each side.

Postage Stamp/Double Postage Stamp PatternsIn a postage stamp pattern, to win you need to cover four squares in a corner. In single postage stamp, players usually need to have the top right corner covered (so the board looks like an envelope that’s ready to mail). Double postage stamp can include any two corners.

Six-Pack/Block of Eight PatternsThese patterns are groupings similar to that of postage stamp. Six-pack is made up of two rows of three squares, just like a six-pack of soda or beer. Make that two rows of four squares each for block of eight. (Block of nine, as one would expect, is three rows of three squares each.)

Kite (Magic Wand)/Arrow PatternsThese are basically more variations on the postage stamp pattern. Kite is a four-square box in one corner (the kite), plus a diagonal line all the way to the opposite corner (the tail of the kite). A «crazy» kite is one in which the tail points to any of the four corners. Arrow looks a little bit like kite, but it consists of a six-square triangle instead of a four-square box.

American Flag/Castle Patterns

American
flag and castle are two horizontal bingo variations. American flag covers the top three lines plus a two-square flagpole at the bottom. The flagpole may be on the left or right. A castle covers the bottom two rows of the bingo card, as well as every other square in the middle row. As you can see, this creates the look of turrets on a castle.

Snake PatternsThe snake pattern consists of a zigzag line of five squares along the top edge of the card, starting with the second square in the B column. Remember, a crazy snake is the same pattern, but it can start in any of the corners.

Now that you are familiar with potential bingo card patterns, let’s look at how players try to increase the mathematical odds of their numbers being called.

Calculating odds in bingo is theoretically very simple — it’s the number of cards you’re playing divided by the total number of cards in play. So if 100 cards are in play, and you have 4 cards, your chances of winning are 4 in 100, or 4 percent. The trick is being able to count how many cards are in play in a game. You can do a head count and multiply that number by what you think is the average number of cards per person, but this can be easier said than done.

However, these odds don’t apply to progressive jackpot games. Remember that in most progressive games, a winner is not guaranteed. So, the odds of winning a progressive jackpot depend more on the difficulty of covering the pattern in the predetermined number of calls. The odds are so steep in some progressive games that it may be weeks or even months before somebody wins.

Which Numbers Come Up Most Often?Everyone wants to know: «What’s the secret to knowing which balls will come up most often?» The answer is simple. No single ball has a greater chance of appearing in a game than any other ball, provided that the balls are manufactured correctly, that no one is tampering with the balls, and that the blower machine is loaded with a complete set of 75 balls.

Think about it. If you flip a coin three times, it may come up heads twice and tails once. For that extremely small slice of time, it’s true that heads is coming up more often. But if you flipped that coin for three hours straight, the laws of probability say that the number of heads and tails counted would be almost identical.

Now, let’s suppose that, in a two-hour bingo session, N-31 comes up four times while N-42 is never called. It would appear that everybody who wants to win should collect cards that contain N-31. Hold your horses! Over the course of a dozen sessions, or two dozen sessions, there’s not going to be much difference at all between the number of times N-31 is called versus the number of times N-42 is called. It’s just a coincidence that one was called more than the other for that short period of time.

So What Can You Do to Win?It can’t hurt to try to tip the mathematical balance in your favor by using the following tips.

Avoid the crowds: Since odds depend on the number of cards in play in a game, a poorly attended game can be a rare treat. There’s less competition for the jackpot, and, legally, bingo halls have to award the prizes they advertise regardless of how many people show up.

Play when bad weather or bad timing keeps crowds away.

Play at off times. If you frequent a hall long enough, you might get a sense for picking the sessions that are quieter than others. Depending on the hall, the quiet times might be midweek, midafternoon, late-night,

or holidays when everyone leaves town or is with their family. The question is, do you really want to go to the 1:00 a.m. bingo just so you’ll have a slightly better chance of winning a jackpot? It’s possible you’ll be surrounded by a bunch of bleary-eyed bingo players who are all hoping the same thing, which means — you guessed it — there goes your edge.

Another possibility to keep in mind is that the attendance for these games may be low because the jackpots aren’t great. It would be a good idea to do a little research before you settle on a game.

Play multiple cards: The conventional wisdom among bingo players is that you should buy as many cards as you can handle at a time, without breaking the bank. This way, you’ll increase your chances to win. Also, as players get better and more experienced, many like to keep the excitement alive and avoid boredom by keeping themselves busy with many cards.

But does playing multiple cards increase your odds of winning? The simple answer is: yes. Say you’re 1 of 100 people playing bingo, and everyone has bought 4 cards each. That’s 400 cards. Looking around, you sense an opportunity: Buy more cards! So you purchase 20 cards, or 5 times as many cards as anyone else.

Now there are 420 cards in play. In any given game, you have 20 chances out of 420 to win, or about a 4.8 percent chance. The other players each have only 4 chances out of 420 to win, just under 1 percent.

While the math works in your favor in terms of chances, you must be aware that playing multiple cards also gives you the opportunity to lose more money. Remember, you are paying a lot more for a buy-in than the other players.

The fact is, every single card in play in every single game has an equal chance of hitting bingo. There’s nothing wrong with playing four or even eight cards, depending on how much money you are willing to risk. A good rule of thumb is to check out how many cards everybody else is playing, and shoot for the average. Then, if adding a few cards makes the game more enjoyable for you, by all means, increase your buy-in for the next game or session. But in the end, don’t play more cards than you can comfortably track at one time.

Choose nonduplicate cards: Since no bingo card features any number more than once, every single card has the same odds of winning a game. Some players, however, try to maximize their chances of winning by choosing cards that don’t duplicate the numbers they already have on other cards. In choosing cards with different numbers, they are hoping at least one of their cards will feature the number called.

Hold your cards over: Some halls let players retain the same cards from session to session. Is this to your benefit? Well, some players think it may be. They think that playing the same cards over and over will increase their chances of winning. This may be because they have won before with that particular set of cards, or it may be just the opposite: They haven’t won yet with that set, and they feel they are «due.»

Even if you’ve won quite a bit with a specific set of cards, you should also consider how many times you haven’t won while playing that set. If you play more, it’s likely you’ll rack up more wins — but you’ll also probably lose more, and you may be less likely to acknowledge the losses.

Another possible benefit to holding your cards over is that you may become familiar with them, giving you a slight edge when it comes to looking for the numbers.

Stay alert: You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating: Pay attention! If you don’t hear the numbers that are called, or if you forget what pattern you are trying to cover, you can’t possibly win.

Keep a positive attitude: Good things seem to happen to people who don’t dwell on the bad. No one knows why. Some people even believe they can will events into happening if they just imagine it often enough. So try having a positive attitude. Why not? The worst that can happen is that you’ll enjoy the bingo game more!

Got a lucky bingo rabbit’s foot? In the next section, let’s examine some «alternative» ways that bingo players use to increase their odds.

Some people just seem to have all the luck. Every bingo player knows somebody who seems to win all the time, no matter how often they sit down at the tables or how many cards they play. There’s no explaining «dumb luck» — something no odds-computing formulas in the world can figure. But even people who have given up trying to understand Lady Luck still court her. Below are some alternative ways that some players usse to improve their odds.

Lucky charms. Statistics show that three out of four people carry good-luck charms, whether they admit it or not. Most students say they perform better on tests when they wear lucky socks, special jewelry, or some other lucky charm. In bingo, judging from the clutter on the tables, one unwritten rule of lucky charms is that they must be prominently displayed during the game. There’s no telling what some people deem lucky: troll dolls, four-leaf-clover key chains, dice, gemstones, rabbit’s feet, small beanbag animals — you name it, you’ll find it on the bingo tables.

Lucky seats. If you’re a first-timer at a particular bingo hall, be warned. Once you’ve chosen a seat and settled in, it’s quite possible you may be tapped on the shoulder by an agitated player who’s been sitting in that seat every Wednesday night for the past five years. It’s a good idea to gracefully give up the chair and try to find your own lucky seat. Obviously, whether a seat is lucky for you or for someone else can’t be proved, but it does stand to reason that when a player feels comfortable in their seat, they will be able to concentrate and enjoy the game better than if they’re squirming around, worrying about bad karma.

Lucky bucks. Is money lucky? Some people carefully place lucky coins in a pattern across the top of their cards. Others would never consider leaving any money on the table, afraid it will curse them with bad luck.

Lucky numbers. Your lucky number may be another bingo player’s curse. Who knows? While one player might thank thei
r lucky stars when they get a card showing, say, G-47, another may want to trade it in.

Who Has the Winning Edge?If you go to bingo to gamble, you’re in the wrong place. The bingo hall maintains a much larger edge over the player than virtually any casino or racetrack. A bingo hall that returns 60 percent of buy-ins as jackpots keeps 40 percent for itself. This fixed mathematical edge over the player guarantees the house will always make a profit.

Keep in mind that the worst bet in a gambling casino is a certain kind of bet at the craps table, which carries a house edge near 17 percent. In comparison, bingo carries a house edge of 40 percent — if 60 percent of buy-ins are returned — or, more than double the house edge in that bad craps bet!

Remember that when it comes down to it, bingo is a game of chance. If you want to increase your chances to win, look for the big paybacks, find poorly attended games with nice guarantees, choose nonduplicate cards, pull out your lucky charms, and, above all, pay attention and have fun! The social atmosphere and thrill of being one number from a bingo are what bring most people to the halls in the first place, so keep enjoying it.

The odds are, if you follow some of the guidelines in this article, you’ll enjoy the game of bingo and, hopefully, some type of winnings.

Attention, bingo enthusiasts! There are dozens of bingo and bingo-related games on the Internet, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What you’ll need is a reasonably updated computer with a modem (a device used to connect your computer to the Internet), Internet access, and a Web-browsing software program. In this article, we’ll discuss general rules on how to play online bingo, and some tips to help you keep up with other players and safely collect your winnings. We’ll even familiarize you with online terms so you can communicate quickly with other players.Online bingo games are a lot like games at real bingo halls, but they come without the smoke and the noise. The main bingo card is a pop-up window that contains information such as:

• your card faces (usually three)

• the current number and a tote board of previously called numbers

• a list of current players

• a «chat room» where players can type a few quick words to each other between games. To chat during the game, players type into the chat box under their cards and press the ‘Enter’ key on the keyboard.

But, there’s more to online bingo than the card. Most Web sites that host bingo games include a bunch of fun stuff online, including bingo news, pictures and comments from past winners, news about upcoming special tournaments and events, and a list of prizes or places where you can redeem gift certificates you win online.

Some Fees Required

While many of the online games themselves are free, most do come at some price. You’ll have to wade through ads plastered next to the game cards or in pop-up windows. Plus, you’ll need to pay the monthly fee for Internet access. Die-hard online enthusiasts might even choose to invest in a second phone line so they don’t tie up the only line.

Some for-pay online games (which require a virtual buy-in using a credit card or check) promise to award big prizes.

How to Play

Getting started: At Bingo.com, players compete for prizes in free games. Before you play any game at Bingo.com, however, you have to sign up for a user name. Be sure to supply a valid e-mail address, or you won’t be able to claim prizes. Most of the games are straight-line bingo or coverall. Each player gets three cards per game, which appear in a special pop-up window with the bingo tote board and a chat area (and a lot of advertisements). The pattern players have to match appears in the upper right corner of the bingo window. The Bingo.com computer calls numbers at random. As numbers are called, players «daub» their cards with a click of the mouse. When a player’s card matches the pattern, he or she hits the «Bingo» button.

Prizes: While there are some cash prizes at Bingo.com (for example, on Mondays all winners are automatically entered in a drawing for $50 in cash), don’t expect the stakes to be too high for most online games. At Bingo.com, most games are worth a set amount of «bingo bucks.» A straight-line bingo might be worth 20 bingo bucks. If more than one player wins, they split the bucks. Every 1,000 bingo bucks can be redeemed for a $10 gift certificate.

The winnings for progressive blackout are a lot higher, and can easily top 1,500 bingo bucks, but the odds are no different than they are in the real bingo hall. People can play for days and never even come close to hitting the blackout.

Socializing:

If you spend lon
g enough on Internet bingo games, you will start to recognize the user names of certain regulars. Some games are downright chatty, while others are uncomfortably silent (or peacefully quiet, depending on your perspective). Socializing is not mandatory. You may choose to just sit at your computer and play. If you don’t like a particular person’s chatter — you may find them to be rude or annoying, perhaps — you can just click on their name and hit the «Ignore» button, and they’re history.

Also, you can click on the «Private Chat» button to send a confidential message to another player. You may not find that you have a whole lot of time to socialize, however, because the online «caller» (basically just a little box where the current number appears) may churn out several numbers seemingly as fast as you click the mouse. After just a few games, though, it becomes easier to keep up with the caller, and you may find yourself with extra time to surf other bingo games at Web sites like Uproar.com and BingoMania.

Potential pitfalls: Sometimes online bingo doesn’t go as smoothly as it would at the local bingo hall. The card face may not fit on the screen. The game could get terribly slow, depending on your connection speed, the quality of the Internet service provider, the amount of traffic on the Internet, or problems with the Web site itself. A player may get disconnected from a game because of heavy Internet traffic, or because the Web site itself is so busy that it can’t handle all the requests. A heavy dose of patience may be required.

Online bingo players also should be careful of other potential pitfalls, like false bingo sites. In the next section we’ll discuss tips on how you can play it safe and still enjoy your bingo experience.

Just because you have a computer and a working knowledge of bingo, that doesn’t automatically make you an expert at online bingo. The following tips will point you toward a successful online bingo experience.

Safety Guidelines

Many people are afraid that the Internet is full of hackers who will corrupt their computer or steal their credit card number. But playing bingo on the Web shouldn’t be a security risk, as long as you observe some simple rules. 

Make sure the site is legit. Some gambling sites are perpetrated by shady characters who, in different circumstances, might try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. Other sites are just so disorganized that it’s nearly impossible to sort through all the passwords, registration numbers, and Web pages, and if you win a prize, you might not see it for months (if at all) due to disorganized Web masters.

Unfortunately, there’s no «Better Business Bureau» that specializes in online bingo, particularly with regard to the sites that want your credit card number to play. There should be no problem at all with the «free» sites offered by the big boys of the Web (Uproar, Excite, Gamesville, Bingo.com). If you have doubts about a for-pay site, see if the proprietors address issues of security and privacy (some post «Privacy Policy» statements or descriptions of the security measures they use).

Visit bingo message boards online to see if anyone has reported getting ripped off; the

Bingo Bugle Web site offers a feedback column where people can report problems with online bingo games. One site, Bingo!@WinnerOnline, reviews several popular pay-bingo sites.

Don’t give out your password. Pick a unique password to protect your account — preferably one that would be difficult for others to guess. If you forget it, don’t worry — most sites will give you a hint or the option of receiving the password at a private e-mail address.

Beware of Web sites that promise big money. And certainly don’t give out your credit card number! Veteran Internet bingo players can tell horror stories about prizes that never arrived and online accounts that weren’t credited on time, if ever.

Look for free games. Try sticking to well-trafficked Web sites that promise fun first and prizes for little or no investment on your part. That way, if they aren’t up to snuff, you can simply move on, a little wiser and no poorer.Online Bingo LingoWhen you find a game of bingo to play on the Internet, you may be confused by the alphabet soup that spills out of the chat area while the game is taking place. In order to keep up with the breakneck pace of the virtual bingo caller and, more important, in order to socialize, computer bingo players use shorthand for a variety of common expressions. Below is a sampling of the most common abbreviations you’ll see online:

• 73 (or any other number). If a player just needs O-73 to win, he or she may simply type «73» in the chat area, either to let everybody know or hoping for luck.

• pls. «Please!» If somebody is close to getting a bingo on a big jackpot, they may type this. If the number they need is I-17, they may write «17 pls.»

• gl. «Good luck!»

• wtg. «Way to go!» When somebody wins an online bingo, you may see an outpouring of wtg’s from the other players.

• gj. «Good job!» An alternative to «wtg.»

• tyvm. «Thank you very much.» This is shorthand to show gratitude for the well-wishes of other players.

• gg. «Good game.» This usually comes from a player who’s being a good sport.

• brb. «Be right back.» Players use «brb» when they get up for a cup of coffee, need to answer the phone, etc.

• lol. «Laughing out loud.» Since nobody can see you laugh online, players will type this to show they appreciated a joke.

• rotfl. «Rolling on the floor, laughing.» The joke must have been really funny.

After
becoming familiar with the online vocabulary and safety tips, you are ready
for a game of online bingo. So where can you find a bingo game? Check the last
page for a directory of bingo Web sites.

The
Internet is not only a great place to play bingo for fun or prizes — it’s
also a great place to learn more about the game, buy paraphernalia and good-luck
trinkets, and, of course, meet and chat with other bingo fans. Below, you will
find some links to get you started in your online bingo trek.

Bingo.com (www.bingo.com)
offers a variety of «live» bingo games that can be played in real-time with
other Web surfers. Also offers «Planet Bingo Buck» sweepstakes, bingo marathons,
and special tournaments for happy hour, lunch hour, and more, depending on the
day of the week. Bingo!
@ WinnerOnline (www.winneronline.com/bingo/bingo.htm) 
is an indispensable guide to everything you need to start playing bingo online.
They post their own reviews as well as user reviews of dozens of sites, including
free games and pay games. Find out the rules of online bingo, where you can
find the biggest jackpots, and what free bingo game rates as the favorite of
online players. If you have questions about online bingo, check out the message
boards, where you can talk with other players.

Bingo Buddies (www.bingobuddies.com)
is the home page for a fun bingo program you download to your computer. The
object is to play against three computer «Bingo Buddies» and win virtual cash
in different venues, starting with the Bingo Buddies Room. Through Bingo Buddies,
it’s possible to learn some of the basics of money management
and odds. For example, while the Buddies play only one card each, you can play
up to three cards, if you can afford it, giving you more chances to win. Once
your bankroll gets fat enough, you can move on to Church Bingo and compete with
up to 60 other players, then Cruise Ship Bingo, and, finally, Las Vegas Bingo.

Bingo Bugle (www.bingobugle.com) 
is the online companion to the free monthly Bingo Bugle newspaper published
in many areas of the United States and Canada. This site offers lots of fun
links to click through, including Bingo News, Astrology (to figure out your
lucky days, of course), the Aunt Bingo advice column, and even «Dream Lady,»
a column written by a dream interpreter. The Bingo Finder, which lists bingos
all over North America, is an exceptionally handy feature.

BingoSeek.com (www.bingoseek.com)
is a bingo search engine that provides some special features, including a Bingo
Forum for discussions, and bingo stories and poetry. It also offers a wealth
of casino information, and it allows users to submit a link to their own bingo-related
sites.

Bingo! The Documentary (www.strangelife.com/bingodoc/bingoframe.html).
This 90-minute, real-life, unrehearsed movie is about the hope, loyalty, and
obsession that bingo inspires in people. The cast of off-the-wall characters,
real bingo fans from Seattle, New York, Boston, Texas, England, Ireland, Scotland,
and the Caribbean, inspired The Simpsons creator Matt Groening to call it «a
surprisingly funny and touching documentary.» Contains mature language. The
collector’s edition of the movie includes Bingo City, a short adventure
comedy about two grandmothers who escape a New York City retirement home and
hitchhike to Texas with dreams of hitting the high-stakes bingo jackpot.

CyberBingo (www.cyberbingo.net),
established in 1996, claims to be «the Internet’s largest online bingo hall.»
They have more than 300 daily bingo games and offer $10,000 and $15,000 jackpots
every eight minutes, plus various other jackpots. You earn points with every
bingo card you buy that can be used for chances to win cash or prizes in «Second
Chance» bingo games.

Lycos Gamesville (www.gamesville.com)
is a popular free site that features games such as three-eyed bingo (match the
pattern on all three cards) and easy win coverall (a blackout-style game).

What Bingo? (www.whatbingo.com)
is a search engine for bingo information. The site includes updated bingo news
from Yahoo! and 15 searchable categories of links, including Bingo Directories,
Bingo Online, and Bingo Cruises. For each bingo link, Web surfers can click
on a button and «Rate it!» from 1 to 10. The site also offers a lot of casino
information, and it allows users to submit a link to their own bingo-related
sites.

The general rules, safety
guidelines, and various Web sites mentioned in this article should provide you
with hours of free and challenging online bingo fun.

Do Electronic Players Have An Edge?
Electronic bingo is controversial. For years, traditional bingo players have enjoyed the ritual of daubing the paper card. They live for the challenge of matching wits with fellow players while keeping pace with the caller. Some think relying on a machine takes the skill out of bingo, reducing it to a contest of who can spend the most money to buy cards.

So who really wins here? Does an electronic bingo player with 66 cards have a greater chance of winning? Having more cards gives you a slight edge, but not that much.

A player with 200 cards will have an advantage over players with only a dozen cards, but, when 20 other people in the hall also have 200 cards, the advantage is no longer significant. (Besides, players who regularly play 200 cards at once would also have to regularly pay for 200 cards at once, which could have a disastrous effect on the wallet.)

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