Bingo is a game of luck. There are several mooted strategies and tips, but effectively it is a game based on random numbers drawn. The more players involved, the bigger the jackpot but the lower the chances of winning. Concerning the bingo games rules, there are two basic versions of bingo. The first set of game rules apply to the brick and mortar bingo halls, and the other set applies to online bingo.

Brick and Mortar Bingo Play

In brick and mortar, real bingo halls players pay admission to the venue and purchase tickets or bingo cards to participate. A caller then uses a random number generation system to draw numbers in a lottery style manner. As the numbers are called players mark, or daub those numbers on their cards using a padded marker.

The moment a player achieves any of the winning patterns on the bingo card, they shout out ‘Bingo’. This is to attract the attention of the caller, and announce to the other players that a win has been achieved. The organiser will send someone to verify the win, and then the player gets paid their winnings. The game may end there, or continue with second and third prizes, depending on the rules of the venue and the pattern make-up of the bingo cards.

Online Bingo Game Play

Online bingo is much faster and simpler to play. Despite the appearance of social aspects to online bingo sites, the interactive nature of land-based bingo halls is lost. Hence the ongoing popularity of brick and mortar bingo halls. Online bingo game rules are very straightforward. Players at the bingo site will start off by selecting a bingo room. Once inside the room, they purchase a number of bingo cards and join the other players who are also in that bingo room. As bingo sites keep improving the chatting and interactive capabilities these are becoming features of bingo sites.

According to online bingo game rules the caller will begin calling numbers in a similar fashion to the brick and mortar venues. When a number is called out, players mark the numbers on the screen. In the same way as land-based bingo play, players try to complete a winning pattern before the other players do. This basic race, and trepidation, is a large factor in making this such an exciting game. Once players have completed a winning pattern on one of their cards, they will click on the ‘bingo’ button to effectively shout it out.

Game Variances that are Available

It must also be made quite clear that the bingo game rules and the bingo card patterns are quite different to land-based bingo. The cards, for instance, have a completely different format. In online bingo play the cards are square, with a simple 5×5 grid filled with 25 numbers.

Therefore, the bingo game rules that are general are matching lottery-style drawn numbers to a bingo card, and the requirement to shout out ‘bingo’ when you win. In online bingo the primary concerns are the winning patterns and pay outs. Each site will have individual nuances to the games available there, and players are strongly advised to check these before they begin playing at the site.