Bingo Glossary
Blackouts and Buy-ins. Things you'll hear in Bingo.
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75-ball Bingo
A form of bingo using 75 numbered balls arranged on square bingo cards in five columns of five rows each with a blank square in the middle.
90-ball Bingo
Similar to 75- ball bingo, only with 90 numbered balls instead and a different card layout: three rows and nine columns with 15 numbers playable on each ticket.
A
Admission
Bingo sites, like bingo halls, usually require a minimum purchase of cards - possibly between three and six - to be eligible to participate in the game.
B
Bingo Card
The card used in bingo, arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows, creating a total of 24 numbered spaces and one blank space. The numbers on the bingo card are random. The five columns, like the five letters that form the word bingo, are in the following order: the numbers in the B column are between 1 and 15, in the I column between 16 and 30, in the N column between 31 and 45 (including the blank space), in the G column between 46 and 60, and in the O column between 61 and 75.
Blackout
Like Coverall, covering the entire bingo card to win. This is usually reached only after calling most of the 75 bingo numbers, usually as many as 50 to 60.
C
Caller
An announcer calling out the numbers which are drawn.
Coverall
Like Blackout, covering the entire bingo card to win. This is usually reached only after calling most of the 75 bingo numbers, usually as many as 50 to 60.
D
Dauber
The pen with which players mark their cards (online bingo rooms have their own digital daubers).
F
Face
The term referring to a particular bingo sheet - all 24 numbers plus the free space in the center of the N column.
Four Corners
Bingo patterns vary, this one requiring the bingo player to cover the four corner numbers of the card.
Free Space
In the center of the bingo card there is an empty space with no number assigned to it. The free space functions in the player's advantage, much like a Joker, as it counts towards the winning pattern.
G
Game Room
Different bingo playing room divided by tiers, types of bingo, etc.
J
Jackpot
The biggest prize given to a player who completes a blackout/coverall.
M
Minimum Buy-in
Besides the buy-in, the purchase of bingo cards to be eligible to play, the minimum buy-in is the lowest wage to spend to be eligible for prizes.
Money Ball
Before the bingo game begins, the money ball is drawn. If the player hits bingo on that number at the end of the game, the jackpot won is doubled.
Multiple Winners
If two or more players hit bingo simultaneously on the same number, the cash prize is divided among them.
N
Nine-pack
Nine numbers filling a block in one card.
O
On
A player is "on" when he is just one number away from hitting bingo.
P
Pattern
Usually, to win at bingo, a straight line must be covered. Other standard patterns include horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Some bingo games may feature a four corners pattern, a coverall or others.
Q
Quickie
A fast iteration of bingo when numbers are called out rapidly and players have to mark their cards with the pace.
T
Texas Blackout
A fast-pace version of bingo, in which the first number called is followed by erasing all the numbers on the bingo cards, by all the players, which are accordingly odd or even. For example, if an odd number is drawn, then all odd numbers are Wild Numbers and can be covered. The game continues as a Blackout game.
W
Warm-up
The first game in any bingo session.
Wild Number
Spicing up the bingo game, the Wild Number is decided by the first number called, for example, 16 is drawn, all numbers ending in 6 are marked off the bingo cards.
Wrap-up
The last game in any bingo session.
