Bingo And Its Many Variations

Bingo has become such a popular game because of how easy it is to learn. There are not many rules and while the caller may have some different names for the numbers in the cards may differ from bingo hall to bingo hall, the premise is always the same. Everyone has a bingo card and the numbers are in some sort of a ball holder, numbered 1 through 75.

A bingo caller will call out a number and everyone will need to check their card or cards to see if they have the number. Depending upon the card itself, marking the number can involve folding the number back on the punch card or using an ink pen in order to blot out the number.

Traditional bingo involved covering all of the numbers on the bingo card. This meant all 5 numbers under the B, I, N, G, and O columns. There are many variations, however. The bingo caller or the bingo hall will determine what game or games are played.

Postage stamps is one where there are several squares of 4 numbers touching each other formed on the bingo card. A 9 pack includes 9 numbers which form a square. There is also another variation, which is the 6 pack. Using the free space is optional.

Kite and tail is where a diagonal is formed using one of the corners and then a diagonal, which will resemble a kite. Top and bottom is another variation, where the entire top row and the entire bottom row are filled. There is also 8 states, which is the free space with all of the numbers surrounding it. This means that there will be no B or O members called.

Blood, sweat, and tears is another bingo card that features 3 bingo lines, which do not include the corners. The most common however is the cover-all, which means that all of the numbers on the card are marked for bingo and this is usually the last game of the session played. When people are playing for money, it is also the game that is worth the most money.

Every bingo hall is a little different. Some play for money and some play for prices. Some will only allow players to have one card while others will allow players to have as many cards as they wish to purchase. In addition to playing in bingo halls there has been a recent trend for people to play online. Sites such as jackpoyjoy have many variations of the game to play all which include different twists to keep the game interesting.

Since there are 25 numbers on each bingo card, there are almost countless possibilities in terms of what games can be played. Some bingo halls are more creative than others, not only in the games that they play but also in how they call the numbers. When it comes time to playing bingo, due to the many variations, rules are still almost always explained.