Classic Bingo Rules

Bingo balls

Believe it or not, but Bingo has now joined the company of other games and now became available online. Right now it is already one of the most popular online games (and it is still gaining it’s popularity), being closer to all the houses than ever – in a click of a computer mouse. All you need to do right now is to learn the Bingo game rules, log-on and start playing.

The online Bingo game rules do not differ much from its land-based bingo halls, however, there still are some differences in classic Bingo rules that should be considered before joining in. Let’s look through basic bingo rules and discover the nuances.

Classic Bingo Rules

Bingo is a very simple game to play and can be a lot of fun and even profitable, although it is considered as a game of chance.

The object of the game according to the Bingo rules is to be the first player to complete the game PATTERN and to yell “Bingo” before the next ball comes out to get your prize. The game patterns are BINGO CARDS, marked with special matrices that contain set of numbers, each card being unique. All the cards are purchased prior to the game, and most of the time players are allowed to buy up to 30 or even more cards. There are two possible variations of the matrices on the Bingo cards, however most of the time, the trafitional American variant of Bingo rules is used, where the card is crossed into 25 squares (5x5) with randomly selected 24 numbers (the square in the middle is empty, it is called a FREE SPACE). The columns of the card correspond to five letters of the game (B-I-N-G-O). The numbers (1-75) in each column range respectively

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

Before the game starts, the organiser announces the pattern to be considered a winning one and the caller selects the numbers one by one randomly form a special container. According to the classic bingo game rules all players usually have some time to search the named number on their cards and, if present, to mark it either with a special marker pen or with a chip. So, in order to play Bingo all you need is a good hearing, ability to search for numbers quickly, and voice loud enough to cry “Bingo”!

The CALLER continues to pick out the numbers from the container and the players keep on marking them on their cards to form the required pattern, which can be of various designs. The game stops as soon as one (or maybe more as it isn't restricted by the bingo rules) players shout “Bingo!”, the bingo personnel verifies the card for wining and if the claimed player is truly a winner, the game stops and the money or other prizes are given out.

Online Bingo Rules

The online Bingo rules do not differ much from the original game, however this variant offers such options that would be considered as a great bonus in a land-based game. The online Bingo rules offer a chance to play this unique game without even leaving your home.

According to Bingo game rules for playing online, the numbers are not drawn from a special container, instead they are called by the random number generator, and this machine is also used for shuffling the poker cards and in other online games.

Another difference in bingo rules, which is a big plus, is that the online player has an opportunity to use the 'auto-daub' feature, that automatically daubes /checks the player card after each number is called. This decreases the chance of you missing the number. Also, during the game player may see the closest to BINGO card by choosing the "Best Card Sorting" and "Best Card Highlighting" features.

And there is one more feature that difers the online Bingo rules from a land-based one – the ability to chat online with your gaming neighbours. Whereas in real casino Bingo game rules, chatting is prohibited, the online owners even encourage it.

With continuosly growing number of players signing up, the online casinos offer bigger prizes and even several progressive jackpots.

75-Ball vs 90-Ball Game

Generally for all the players there are two typer of the Bingo game rules available. The first Bingo rules variation, considered as a traditional game is a US Bingo game rules variant, as described above (75 balls, cards 5x5 with one empty square in the middle) is played in most of the casinos in the US and online. Another popular Bingo rules variant is the UK and Australian Bingo game rules, also known as the HOUSIE. The housie Bingo rules use 90ball with 9x3 card. The card has three rows and 9 columns. (1st column 1-10, 2nd- 11-20, 3rd – 21-30, 4th- 31-40, 5th – 41-50, 6th- 51-60, …9th – 81-90), where the whole card has 15 numbers put in and 12 empty.

Typical 75-ball US Bingo card

No matter which game you play, the object of the Bingo game rules remains the same - to mark the numbers on your card to get the necessary pattern.

The strategy of the 90-ball Bingo game rules is quite easier than that of the 75-ball game. The UK Bingo (Housey Housey or Housie in Australia and New Zealand) is played usually in three stages- a singles line (total horizontal line, all five numbers marked), two lines and the Full house (all 15 numbers marked) which corresponds to a US Cover-all Bingo game rules that is also the highest possible game.