How to Play Bingo Online

Online Bingo is designed to be as similar as it can be to the real game as played in Bingo halls.

The Goal in Online Bingo

The basic aim is, as with any Bingo game, simply to be the first to mark off all the numbers to match a specific ‘Pattern’ of squares on the card.
 

The Patterns on Bingo Cards

The Pattern varies between games. It may be for example: the whole card (known as a coverall or blackout), any whole line, all four corners, or some more complex arrangement. Some games even include moving, rotating or crazy patterns which change after each ball is drawn.
 

Online Multi-Player Bingo

The online multi-player sites mainly play according to the US game, which has 75 balls, and cards with 24 numbers. However, an increasing number of sites are now offering the 90 ball version where cards have 15 numbers. The basic principles of the game remain the same whichever version you play.

How the games work….

Here’s a quick outline of the US version of bingo. The 90 ball game is pretty much the same but with more balls and fewer numbers on your card.

• There are 75 bingo balls, numbered 1-75, held in a bin.
• Each player can choose to play with 1 or more Bingo Cards.
• The cards show a 5×5 grid of numbers randomly selected from the 75 - apart from the middle square, which is ‘free’. A number can only appear once on any given card.
• Each column on the card has 5 numbers from within a set range:

            The first column has numbers 1-15
            The second column has numbers 16-30
            The third column has numbers 31-45
            The fourth column has numbers 46-60
            The fifth column has numbers 61-75

• To help you identify quickly which column to look in when a number is called, the games either label each of the 5 columns with a letter of the word BINGO, or have different colours for each column and matching colours for the corresponding balls. The numbers are then announced with their letter or colour, as in ‘B15…I21…G50′ or ‘Blue 15…Red 21…Green 50′
• The number of cards you are allowed to purchase varies between the Bingo sites. Most have a set maximum, but some allow unlimited purchases. Some specify you have to purchase in sets of 3. Check the site for details.

The best way to learn how to play bingo is to try out some games. Play for free at our recommended bingo sites…and you’ll soon be a bingo expert.