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