Bingo is a very popular game and it isn´t difficult to learn. In fact, children often play bingo. If you haven´t learned the rules, though, it can be difficult to catch on. If you go to a bingo hall, you may find that the game goes very quickly and you can´t figure out what you´re doing at all.
Before you start playing bingo, you’ll need a few things. The first thing you’ll need is a bingo board. New players should play a maximum of four boards at a time. The next thing you’ll need is a bingo marker. You can use a regular marker, but a bingo marker is better suited towards bingo play. It is wider, and marks a whole space quickly. As a result, it is better to use a special bingo marker.
When you get a bingo board, take a look at it. You should see five rows and five columns. At the top of each column, there is a letter. The letters spell out the word B-I-N-G-O. Each column contains five numbers, and those numbers are all within a specific range. The range for the numbers under B, is 1-15. For I, the range is 16-30. For N, the range is 31-45. For G, the range is 46-60. For O, the range is 60-75. You may notice that under the N, there are five squares, but only four are occupied by numbers. The center square of the board generally contains either a star or the word “FREE,†and it is a free square.
At the front of the bingo hall, there is a machine for choosing bingo numbers. Sometimes, a simple wire bin is used. It is hand cranked, and the caller chooses numbers one at a time. Generally, however, a more modern machine is used. Often a number machine with a fan and blower is used. These machines strongly resemble the machines used by the state lottery on television. Balls are bounced around inside a chamber and pop up at certain intervals. The caller then reads the number from the ball. The numbers are read with the letter of the column that the number appears in to help you find the number quickly. For example, a dealer would call B-12 or I-24.
When a number is called, you should mark it immediately with your marker on every card that has that number. The center square, called the free square, is automatically considered marked. Standard bingo requires you to get five numbers in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. If you are playing standard bingo, when you have marked five squares in a row, you shout “Bingo†and you win the prize.
There are two other kinds of bingo that are commonly played. One is called pattern bingo. In pattern bingo, there is a specific pattern that needs to be filled. At most bingo halls, they will have a board showing the way that the pattern looks, but some patterns should be obvious. For example, four corners means that only the four corners of the board need to be filled. Big X means that both diagonals are filled. The other form of bingo that is commonly played is called blackout. In blackout, you have to fill every square on the board to win.
