How to Play Bingo

At a Glance: 

• Play either 75- or 90-ball bingo 

• Play one scorecard (or more) of 25 squares, with random numbers 

• Each time a number is announced, daub it on your scorecard/s 

• The winner is the player who reaches either 5 consecutive numbers daubed, or the entire scorecard 

• The winner shouts ‘Bingo’ and has their scorecard checked 

Loved by millions of players worldwide, bingo is a centuries-old pastime: combining a certain number of bingo balls with numbers on them, a scorecard, some chance – and a whole lot of fun! 

Even better – while bingo is sometimes enjoyed offline, it’s nowadays way more popular online! You can easily play bingo virtually, remotely or at home! 

How does the game of Bingo work? 

Bingo is really easy to play – even online bingo! 

First, you need to decide which game you’ll play – 75-ball bingo or 90-ball bingo, with 75-ball bingo usually being a quicker game, as there are fewer balls. 

The speed of the game is also up to how many players are playing (which, if you’re playing bingo online, could be hundreds of players!) as well as the number of scorecards you have. Your scorecards should have 25 squares, with random numbers in each square. 

To increase your chances of success, check out our guide on how to win at Bingo for expert tips and strategies. 

How to Setup Your Bingo Game/Online Bingo Game? 

You’ll need at least 1 scorecard for each player, but you can also have more than one per player. Each scorecard will have 25 numbered squares, with a different, random set of numbers per scorecard. 

1. Your cards can either have BINGO labeled at the top, or you could just have the numbers. When a caller calls out the numbers, they might say the letter of the column, followed by the number. In that case, you know to find that number in the column of the letter they called out. Other bingo games might just call out the number itself. 

1. An easy way to quickly find the number on your card is to remember that the first column will host numbers 1-20; the second column, numbers 21-40; the third column, numbers 41-60, the fourth column, numbers 61-80 and the fifth column, 80-90 (in games of 90-ball bingo). 

1. One player, if you’re playing at home, or remotely, will be nominated as the bingo caller, or if you’re playing virtual bingo, this will be the computer. The caller reads out the numbers telling you which squares to check off (this is known as ‘daubing’) on your scorecards. 

1. Remember – if you’re playing across a few scorecards, you’ll need to daub your squares across each of these, and sometimes, numbers can come up across several scorecards at once! It also means you might get a bingo on more than one scorecard at once, so make sure to keep your eyes closely peeled! 

What’s the trick to winning bingo? 

Before we get into the ‘trick’ of how to win bingo, we should really talk about how the game of bingo is won. 

The idea is, you can either win when you’re the first one to cover 5 squares in a row (either horizontally, vertically or diagonally – but they all must be touching squares!), or if you cover all of the squares on your card. 

To win either of these, you need to listen to the bingo caller calling out the numbers, and every time you hear a number, check your card/s and cross out the square (‘daubing it’) if it has the number that’s just been called. Keep going until you have either a line or the entire card! 

Having said that, there are some ways you can increase your chances of winning the bingo game – even when you’re playing remotely or at home! 

Having more bingo cards gives you more possibilities to win, although keeping track of several cards at once does take a bit more focus! 

You could also play bingo games with fewer balls – a 75-ball game will go quicker than a 90-ball game, as there are fewer balls to come up and be called! 

Having said that, because playing virtual bingo is computer-generated, there’s less wait time between balls being called, so it doesn’t really make much of a difference to the speed of the game – if anything, those online games can move along quite quickly! 

A few things you should know: 

• If you’re lucky enough to win – either the 5-square row, or the whole bingo card – you need to shout ‘bingo’. The caller (or app, program or otherwise, if you’re playing online or remotely) will stop the game and then double-check if you’ve really won. If you have, a new game will then start. 

• If two or more players shout ‘bingo’ and win at the same time, all of them win! Bear in mind, you can’t cheat at this and say you’ve won when you haven’t really – the caller/computer/program will verify if you’ve won or not, using your bingo numbers! 

Familiarizing yourself with various bingo game patterns can enhance your gameplay, as different games may require unique winning combinations beyond the traditional straight line. 

How do you play bingo at home? 

Bingo is really easy to play at home, and you have three main ways to do it: 

1. Offline – make your own bingo cards and setup a game among family or friends, with physical bingo cards and bingo balls 

1. Online, with a bingo app, with virtual bingo cards and an automated bingo caller 

1. Remotely, via a video chat platform, where each player makes their own bingo card (or uses a virtual one) 

Offline bingo 

This is a great way to enjoy a game with family or friends, and it’s so easy to set up! 

You’ll need bingo cards – which you can make yourself, bingo balls (which you’ll probably need to buy) and someone who is happy to be the caller. 

For anyone planning a fun offline bingo game, try our free unlimited bingo card generator – this is an excellent resource to create cards that suit your theme. 

Online bingo 

Probably the easiest and quickest way to play, using a bingo app (such as Bingo Blitz) will take all of the hard work away from you. You’ll have a virtual set of bingo cards, virtual bingo balls and an automated caller too! You’ll also be able to effortlessly switch between different types of bingo games, and even have some cool extra features (freebies, bonuses, powerups and challenges) to make your online bingo game a little more exciting than standard, offline bingo! 

Remote bingo 

If you’re looking to play offline with friends, joining a video chat session, where each of you have made your own bingo card, is a really great way to lay! 

Either one of you could be nominated as the caller, and have physical bingo balls to use, or the caller could use an online program to randomly generate the bingo balls to be called. 

The Bottom Line: how to Play Bingo 

When it comes to playing bingo, you have so many choices, no matter the circumstances. 

For those of us on lockdown, or even if we’re self-isolating out of personal choice, playing a remote version of bingo (virtual-style) is a great way to enjoy a game of bingo, without having to go out of your way or break any laws. It’s also a super easy way to engage with friends, family and loved ones during the pandemic. 

However, the easiest of all types of bingo to play has to be the online version, such as with a free bingo app. Because most of the action – the caller, the bingo balls chosen and more – is all automated, you can simply sit back and enjoy the game!