Bingo Lingo
Bingo Lingo - Playing Bingo online for the first time can be somewhat confusing if you are not familiar with all the technical terminologies. To make live easier and bring back the fun to the game I have tried to explain all the most common Bingo terms in plain simple English.
90 Ball Bingo - 90 Ball Bingo is played on a strip of six tickets, each of which has a 3 x 9 grid pre-filled with five numbers and four blanks per line. The objective is to be the first to get one line, two lines or all three - a Full House.
75 Ball Bingo - 75 Ball Bingo is played on a ticket consisting of 24 random numbers between 1 and 75 in a 5 x 5 grid with the centre square free. Each game plays for a different pattern which must be matched to win.
Bingo Bonus (BB) - A special prize awarded in certain competitions. Every BB is different and is specified by the terms of the competition or the CM.
Bingo Board - As each ball is called it is highlighted on the bingo board or called numbers board which shows all 90 or 75 numbers arranged in five columns. Each column can be headed with the letters with B-I-N-G-O to assist in chat games.
Card - See Ticket.
Chat Games - Online bingo rooms are famous for their chat games, played right around the clock. From simple trivia contests to big tournaments based on the numbers being called in bingo. Chat games add some extra spice to your bingo experience as well as extra prizes.
Chat Moderator (CM) - The Chat Moderator is your host in the chat room but also your entertainer, your friend and helping hand. The CM is also there to make sure the basic rules of chat etiquette are observed.
Chat Room - A chat room is the heart and soul of an online bingo game. It is here that players meet and make friends (buddies), exchange news and views and join in the Chat Games organized by the CM.
Coverall - Coverall is a term used in 75 ball bingo to describe the pattern which requires all numbers on a ticket to be called. It is also called a blackout. Even in a coverall game, the centre square of the ticket is given free.
Bingo Room - An online bingo site may have a number of bingo rooms, each offering different types of bingo or just different themes based on ticket prices, game speed or even different languages.
House - House is the traditional cry in UK bingo halls when a player wins. In online bingo, House normally refers to the player who is the first to mark off all 15 numbers on a ticket.
Inside Square - Inside Square is one of the most commonly used of the 3,000 patterns in 75 ball bingo. To win the player has to "mark" or daub the eight numbers surrounding the free square in the centre.
Jackpot - Most bingo games will play for a jackpot as well as a prize. The jackpot goes to the first player to achieve the full house or the pattern for that game within a published number of balls.
One Line, Two lines - A 90 ball bingo game has three phases and usually three prizes. In the first phase, the player to first achieve one horizontal line is the one line winner. The game will then continue until a player achieves two lines and finally all three lines or full house.
Minimum Buy-in - Every bingo game has a minimum number of tickets that have to be purchased in order to play. Games will also have a maximum number of tickets and some games are played "Fair and Square" where all players have to buy the same number of tickets.
Nick - Short for Nickname. This is the unique name that a player uses in the chat room.
Pattern - 75 ball bingo features up to 3000 different ticket patterns which are the arrangement of squares on the ticket that the player has to achieve in order to win the game. Some patterns are animated and can be won on any of the "frames".
Prize - The prize is the pot of money played for each bingo game and is usually related to the number of tickets sold in that game. The prize is won by the player or players who first achieve the pattern or, in 90 ball bingo, the one line, two line or full house.
Progressive Jackpot - A small portion of the price of bingo tickets is paid into one or more progressive jackpot funds, which grow over time as players buy tickets. These jackpots are paid out to players who achieve "Bingo" within a predetermined number of balls.
RNG - Online bingo uses an RNG or Random Number Generator to ensure that the balls are called in a totally random order. The RNG has to be independently tested and certified by the bingo hall's licensing authority.
Speed Bingo - In speed bingo the numbers are called every two seconds instead of every four or five seconds. This results in a much faster and more exciting game.
Split Pot - Occasionally two or more players will claim at the same time. If this happens, the pot is split and shared equally between the winning players. This also applies to jackpot wins.
Tickets - To join a bingo game, every player has to purchase one or more tickets. In 90 ball games, each ticket has a 3x9 grid randomly pre-filled with five numbers and four blanks per line. These are normally sold in strips of six containing all 90 numbers. 75 ball tickets or tickets contain 24 random numbers arranged in a 5x5 grid with the centre square free.
