Bingo Jargon

Your Guide to Bingo Jargon:

• Auto-Bingo - game function where the software automatically calls ‘Bingo!’ for you if you win
• Auto-daub/auto-dab/auto-play - game function where the software automatically marks your cards as the balls are drawn
• Auto-purchase - game function where the software automatically purchases cards for you when a new game starts
• ‘Best order’ function - game function where your cards are re-ordered after each call so that the ones nearest to Bingo are at the top
• Bingo Balls - the balls with numbers that are called out
• Bingo Cards - the cards with your numbers printed on it
• Bingo Patterns - see ‘patterns’
• Bingo Specials - see ’specials’
• Bingo Touraments - see ‘tournaments’
• Blackout - a game where you must mark off all the numbers on your card to win (aka coverall)
• Caller - the voice calling out the numbers as they are drawn
• Card - your Bingo card!
• Catch-up - game function which when clicked instantly marks your cards for all the numbers that have been called so far.
• Chat games/chat specials - novelty games, often free, which are organised for Bingo players who are currently in the chat room
• Chat room/chat window - the area on your screen where you can enter messages and read other peoples’ chat
• Chat Room Moderator / Chat Moderator - staff from the Bingo site who oversee and organise the chat room and chat games
• Chat shortcuts - buttons you can click to enter common chat messages
• Coverall - a game where you must mark off all the numbers on your card to win (aka Blackout)
• Dauber/dabber - the pen you use (or rather the virtual pen in this case!) to mark off your numbers
• Emoticons - buttons you can click to show emotions in chat messages eg smiley faces
• Free space - the centre square on the Bingo card, which has no number to mark off
• Game board - grid of numbers with those that have already been drawn out highlighted in some way
• Patterns - the arrangement of squares you need to mark off on your card to win the current game
• Pre-purchase - game function where you can order game cards in advance
• Progressive - Jackpot that increases after each game until it is won
• ‘Small cards’ function - game function that lets you ‘zoom out’ and view lots of cards at the same time
• Specials - novelty games with special rules, prizes etc. Often played only for people in the chat room
• Tournaments - series of Bingo games where the player winning most games by the end of the tournament wins a prize