If you are considering playing bingo in the near future, then the good news is that this is a very simple game to understand and play. In fact, all you need in order to play are the bingo cards, bingo chips and the ability to recognize numbers from 1 to 90. The main objective of the game is to a predetermined pattern on the bingo card with the lowest number of calls. It is necessary to mention that the pattern varies from game to game and it can take on several forms, such as:

• Horizontal line
• Vertical line
• Diagonal
• An X
• A box
• Block out (filling up the entire card)

The design of the bingo card

The bingo card is composed of five columns, each of them having the letters of the name of the game – B, I, N, G, O – tagged in the upper section of the card. The columns contain five squares with random numbers ranging from 1 to 75, the only exception being the N column which includes four random numbers and a free space. For more simplicity and convenience, the columns were designed as follows:

• The B column includes numbers from 1 to 15
• The I column includes numbers from 16 to 30
• The N column includes numbers from 31 to 45
• The G column includes numbers from 46 to 60
• The O column includes numbers from 61 to 75

It is necessary to mention that you can have as many bingo cards as you can handle, mostly depending on your ability to identify and label numbers fast.

Playing bingo

Regardless of where you play bingo, the game starts after the host notifies the participants about the pattern they need to complete. Afterwards, the game host will start drawing out numbers and will call them by letter of the column and number (I – 20, G – 48, O – 72, etc). Once you hear the letter and number, you will need to check your cards and label them immediately. The process is usually repeated until one of the players finished the required pattern.

Players who yell “bingo!” will need to provide proof that they actually completed the pattern, by either presenting the card for verification to the host or by shouting out the numbers that allowed them to make the pattern. If the pattern on the card is validated, the player wins and the host can start another game as soon as the other players are ready.