The game bingo has become extremely popular all over the world. Many people play it as a matter of habit and to pass time when needed. Societies build friendships over bingo and many organizations even have regular bingo nights for its members. But for those who have never played bingo in their childhood, it can be a confusing game. However, once you read all the rules and practice them once or twice, mastering bingo will not be a difficult challenge! In fact, it is this simple and entertaining nature of bingo that has made it a wide success.
The game starts with one card. Most versions will have 15 numbers that must be crossed off in various combinations to win the game. The biggest prize in the game is getting a “Full House” when all the 15 numbers have been crossed out. The numbers are typically from 1 to 75 but can go on till 90 in different versions of the game. Bingo usually starts out with people collecting their bingo cards and ticking off numbers as they are called out. The numbers are called out by a “Caller” who selects numbers or tiles randomly from a bowl and call them out for everybody to hear. This has now become a profession by itself, in hosting Bingo Nights on national television. There exist different combinations which are counted as winning combinations. These have been given different names by different communities. Depending on the type of combination, they are assigned different stakes in the game and people win money accordingly.
The total money collected from sale of cards or bets placed is called the “Pot”. Players can play with a single card or many cards at once. They must call out Bingo when they have made a combination or have a full house. Whoever wins the game, receives the pot. This is often divided up if a number of players claim bingo at the same time. Players who do not say Bingo are usually disqualified from winning the game. The winnings from bingo can range from a few dollars to many thousands of dollars and prizes depending on the number of people playing the game.
The basic rules of bingo remain mostly the same all over the world. However, when playing bingo online or in specialized clubs, these rules are subject to change. Most online bingo sites have their own set of distinctive rules as so many church groups and community bingo groups. Off late, there have been bingo conferences and professional competitions as well, which have developed different styles of bingo, much like in poker. Complete rulebooks are available for tournaments like these and are often counted as a professional league for the serious players.
However, the most basic and rudimentary of rules and combinations are used when playing National Bingo because of the number of people involved. Since many types of rules exist within the single game, it is best to look them up before starting a game.
This article was written by Ridhi Rajpal.