Bingo Games - Ultimate Guide to Bingo

Playing 75-ball Bingo is as American as Apple pie – or, really, it's more like mining for gold as a prospector in search of riches. And then, of course, there's the 90-ball variant of the game, which is just as popular in the UK as ever before. 

Regardless of where you come from or your lived experiences, it's now possible to have fun and win online Bingo from anywhere in the world.

Like the 49ers in search of golden glory, waiting on the edge of your seat for a euphoric B-I-N-G-O! can sometimes be like panning for gold downstream from competition more "in the know" on how to find it. On the subject of this pursuit of finding gold, playing Bingo for real money may seem like another way of testing nature's great lottery.

Gold is a delicate mineral that, to some, is the root of all evil — it's often found in the most unlikely of places, and gold is mysteriously absent from other places which men have promised it is buried aplenty.

A bingo jackpot is no different. It is the rarest form of online Bingo you can hope to win, but as past winners here at BingoVillage can attest, knowing the game inside and out is the best way to position yourself to win bingo jackpots. 

In this guide, we'll give you all the tips you need to know about 30-ball bingo and speed bingo, plus the more traditional versions of bingo players for generations have come to know and love.

The Many Types of Bingo

If you're in the US, you're probably familiar with 75-ball Bingo – by far the most popular type of Bingo here in North America. It's a fast-paced game with a variety of ways to win. 90-ball Bingo is a more classic variation that's popular around the world. It's a bit slower-paced than 75-ball Bingo, but it still offers plenty of excitement. 80-ball Bingo is a British variation that's played on a 4x4 grid. It's a good choice for players who want a quick and easy game of Bingo.

And then there are more creative variations made possible by the Internet. Deal or No Deal bingo, anyone? Rock & roll bingo is one of our favourites at BingoVillage. How about themed bingo nights, like "Jeopardy Bingo" or "Ghostbusters Bingo"? Talk about turning the fun factor up a notch.

There are plenty of bingo variants to keep the timeless game fun and challenging, so if you're looking for your favourite way to play Bingo, you've come to the right place.

90-ball Bingo

For folks in no rush at all who want a chance to chat between daubing their bingo cards, the traditional 90-ball Bingo (popularized in the UK) is an evergreen way to kick back, relax, and bet on it is your lucky day. Not to mention, it's a fun way to make friends! 

In 90-ball Bingo, your entry cards include numbers printed across nine columns, with five numbers in each of the three rows – thus, you'll have 15 numbers for each entry into 90-ball Bingo online. For games with fewer bingo balls, the cards work the same with fewer columns containing random numbers in ascending order. 90-ball bingo cards have the most columns with nine total – so if '9' is your lucky number, it might be the game for you!

• Column One has a number 1 to 10
• Column Two has a number 11 to 20
• Column Three has a number 21 to 30
• Column Four has a number 31 to 40
• Column Five has a number 41 to 50
• Column Six has a number 51 to 60
• Column Seven has a number 61 to 70
• Column Eight has a number 71 to 80
• Column Nine has a number 81 to 90

The winning patterns of 90-ball Bingo are determined by your game's host, but in online Bingo at places like BingoVillage, there are often very creative patterns themed for the seasons. 

That being said, here are three typical winning patterns: one line, two lines, and full house. Here's how to win Bingo with a typical pattern:

• One line: Mark off all five numbers in any row on your card.
• Two lines: Mark off all ten numbers in any two rows on your card.
• Full house: Mark off all 15 numbers on your card – in other game variants, this is called a blackout. A full house gives you the lowest odds for winning, but the payout is more.

75-ball Bingo

This is the most common type of bingo in North America and the type of Bingo we play most often here at BingoVillage. 

Fun fact: There are over 300 different patterns that can be used to call a winner, which makes it all the more exciting when you play online bingo. Not unlike 90-ball bingo, there are some fairly common bingo patterns involved with this popular variation of the game – one line, two lines, and blackout (full house). 

Besides the change in total numbers, the columns work the same as the 90-ball bingo above. But because factoring the layout of 75-ball bingo cards (a 5x5 grid with 25 numbers), ‘X’ and ‘T’ and ‘H’ patterns are relatively common in pattern bingo games. 

So, can you play 75-ball bingo for real money? Of course. 

And the truth is, a lot of us are carryovers from the days of bingo balls being drawn from a bingo ball cage – and no judging if you still enjoy land-based bingo – but today, it’s more common to play bingo online where a bingo ball generator is embedded into your web browser. This means your bingo caller is powered by a random number generator (RNG), and while you can still hand-pick your bingo cards with the click of a button, a lot of the game is powered by AI.

The thing that hasn’t changed is the fun factor. For Americans playing 75-ball bingo, it’s a lot like the dream of moving out West with big dreams and hopes for striking it rich. We can’t promise you gold, but BingoVillage has several fun variations and extra prize money available throughout the week.

80-ball bingo

If you stumbled into this guide looking for rare and unique types of bingo, this is just the start of it (feel free to scroll down if you want even wackier versions of bingo). Popular throughout the UK and Europe, 80-ball bingo uses bingo cards with a 4x4 grid and 16 numbers on each card. 

For those familiar with the more common 75-ball and 90-ball bingo games, it should come as no surprise this version of online bingo works just about the same – the more numbers you daub (especially as the bingo caller gets closer to 50 bingo balls drawn), the more your chances go up of winning real money in bingo. There are many different winning patterns in 80-ball bingo, including single lines, double lines, four corners, and full house.

30-ball Bingo, aka Speed Bingo

No rest for the weary; this is like if Mad Max: Fury Road were a bingo game – Speed Bingo players buy cards with just 9 numbers on a 3x3 grid, and games move very fast with only 30 balls in play. Made for the modern world, this variant of online bingo is best enjoyed on the go or when you’re in a pinch for time.

In no other variation of bingo is it more evident that we are a long, long way from panning for gold in the rivers of California. 

Although payouts are typically lower, you can play more games of bingo when you run through Speed Bingo. Of course, the same best strategies for winning bingo apply to 30-ball bingo as with the other variations of the game. 

Session Bingo

You may have seen Session bingo referenced online or talked about in your local bingo hall, and it’s not really a specific variation of bingo – the idea here is that you will purchase a stack of bingo cards for an entire night (or session) of bingo – the idea being that you’ll stick around for a while.

Some bingo hosts who produce Session bingo events have a dozen or more bingo games per session, but, hey – that just gives you more chances to win! 

Jackpot Bingo

Typically, bingo jackpots are available within a certain number of bingo calls. At the start of the game, you will see the jackpot bingo prize amount and the maximum number of bingo balls that can be called for you to win a progressive jackpot amount.

At BingoVillage and most other online bingo sites, you must get a coverall (full house) to win the bingo jackpot. Of course, it’s hard to win jackpot bingo in under 50 bingo balls, and since it’s so rare to win, make sure you come equipped with your best bingo strategies! 

Popular Bingo Patterns

Whether you’re playing online bingo for free or in the mix to win real money in bingo, the objective is always the same: Beat your opponents to the winning pattern before all of the bingo balls are drawn.  

There are a few different strategies to help you win at bingo, and sometimes, there are multiple prizes with multiple patterns in a single game of bingo. As the number of balls the bingo caller draws grows closer to the total bingo balls available in play, games grow in tension as a blackout or rare pattern is soon to be announced – and if you’re down to one or two numbers to go, there’s a good chance you’re in it to win it! 

With that being said, some simple bingo patterns are more common than needing a full house – especially in land-based bingo halls where players manually daub their bingo cards.

• Straight line: Score numbers in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
• T-shape: Score numbers in the shape of a T.
• L-shape: Score numbers in the shape of an L.
• X-shape: Score numbers in the shape of an X.
• Coverall (Blackout): Score all numbers on the card.

Of course, many themed games are creative and help players enjoy the festivities of the season. We previously listed some of the rarer types of winning bingo patterns you can discover while playing online bingo, but here are a few that are popular in land-based bingo games:

• Corners: The four corners of the card.
• Four-leaf clover: A four-leaf clover shape.
• Horseshoe: A horseshoe shape.
• Bell: A bell shape.
• Diamond: A diamond shape.

Other Types of Bingo Games

With no shortage of bingo game variations to choose from, which one is right for you? You’re probably thinking along one of two lines: Which games of bingo give you the best chances of winning, and which type of bingo is the most fun to play? 

If you have a gold rush mentality and want to find the most fertile games for winning real cash in bingo, your best bet is to find communities like BingoVillage that have deposit bonuses and seasonal promotions. 

Of course, you can also play online bingo for free, and many types of bingo games can only be played in traditional bingo halls or at the local pub. Regardless of which version you choose, if it’s fun you’re looking to have, you might select one of the oddities from the list below.  

52-ball Bingo

This bingo variant may perfectly suit those with an “all or nothing” mindset, as basically everywhere it is played, the only way to win is with a blackout (full house). Its originality can be traced to the substitution of bingo cards for a regular deck of playing cards. Contestants are dealt a hand of cards, and rather than daubing, you place a chip on your card when it’s called. The first player with all five cards called wins! 

45-ball Bingo

This game is similar to Swedish bingo, designed for bingo hosts who want to utilize smaller bingo cards and quicker games. That makes it perfect for themed bingo games like Pirate Bingo or Under the Sea Bingo, which feature original illustrations in place of numbers. The bingo caller, therefore, draws a card or ticket with the printed image, such as a whale in Under the Sea bingo – and the first player to score a blackout (full house) is usually declared the winner. 

Swedish Bingo, aka 5-line Bingo

Far from the hills of Northern California, where gold miners staked their claim on newfound riches, a different type of bingo was born. The Scandinavian Mountains play host to the aptly named “Swedish bingo,” which has also been dubbed “5-line bingo” globally. 

As its secondary title suggests, Swedish bingo is played using bingo cards that have a 5x5 grid – and, typically, 75 bingo balls as with its North American counterpart. The same types of patterns in 75-ball bingo are also commonly used in 5-line bingo.

The one key difference? Swedish bingo doesn’t give you a free square in the middle! 

Lucky Numbers Bingo

Adding some spice to the traditional 75-ball bingo with tried and true 5x5 bingo cards, Lucky Numbers bingo uses bingo cards with four numbers circled. With extra prizes in each game, players can win one of the bonus prizes if any one of their numbers is called! 

Jackpots are won in Lucky Numbers Bingo by the first player to score a full house (blackout) and have all their numbers called – but unlike traditional bingo game variations, there are at least four lucky winners in every game.

Jogo do Bicho Online

One of the richest treasures known to man rests in the country of Brazil: the Amazon Rainforest. Another wild creation full of animals to come from Brazil is the game of Jogo do Bicho, typically played online.

In Jogo do Bicho, bingo players have cards featuring 25 different animals. Here’s how to win Jogo do Bicho:

• Choose the animal(s) you want to bet on and the amount of your wager
• Drawing times are designated by your online bingo site
• If your animal is drawn, you win a prize! 

Jogo do Bicho is a truly unique twist on the game of bingo, and as its popularity grows out of Latin America, more and more players are searching for ways to play it alongside traditional online bingo.

Music Bingo, aka Rock & Roll Bingo,

Believe it or not, Music Bingo goes back at least to the 1950s when it was a TV game show airing on NBC and ABC. A hundred years after prospectors struck gold in California, viewers sitting at home could watch contestants play on bingo boards with M-U-S-I-C, try to win fast cash and go home lucky.

Music bingo (Rockstar bingo) is still a favourite among trivia enthusiasts and beer drinkers in pubs across the world. Sometimes the music is actually live, but more often than not, music bingo is played with pre-recorded songs until one lucky contestant scores 5 songs in a straight line on their rock & roll bingo card.

Cow Patty Bingo and Chicken Sh*t Bingo

 

Well, what can we say? Some folks enjoy a simple life, slow cookin’ and a little steel guitar to go along with their songwriters on the radio. And that’s exactly who might be attracted to a game of Chicken sh*t bingo (Cock-a-doodle Poo). What? Yep, you read that right. 
Hailing from the Lone Star State, players of Chicken Bingo grab a blank bingo card using pre-paid raffle tickets, each with a different number corresponding to the Chicken Bingo board. A player wins the jackpot if a real, live chicken poops on the number matching your bingo card. 

Agrarian-themed bingo with winnings pinned to the bowel movements of farm animals does not stop there. Cow patty bingo has a similar theme, where players buy a square on a dirt lot or grass field marked by a grid with numbers inside. A cow is released from a pen, and if it plops a squat on your square, you win the jackpot. 

Horse Bingo

For all you equestrians and horse lovers, there is – amazingly – a bingo game tailored just to you! This one doesn’t involve real, live horses, though. Horse bingo (Stallion bingo) features colourful bingo cards with different breeds of horses illustrated throughout. In place of numbers and bingo balls, the caller draws cards with images of horses. The first player to get a line on their horse bingo card wins in this fun variation of bingo.

Reel Bingo

If you’re wondering, “What is Reel bingo?” it’s exactly how it sounds – a combination of bingo and a reel like you find on slots! It works like Speed bingo, but with four escalating wager amounts you place on bingo cards featuring fruit symbols.

The bingo caller spins the reel, which will display a combination of various fruit symbols, and if the combination matches a line on your card, you can mark it off.  Reel bingo is a relatively new invention and is unavailable at BingoVillage right now, but never say never. We have a variety of online slots to play, while you can find Reel bingo in land-based casinos (usually as add-on wagers) and as a standalone game at online bingo sites. 

Paint By Numbers Bingo

This fun bingo variant is a relatively new variant of 45-ball bingo and is still pretty rare. The concept involves 45 bingo balls with tickets or bingo cards that feature themed illustrations. In Paint by Numbers bingo, you’ll select cards that feature spaces for you to paint, and each colour of paint will be associated with a number on the bingo card.

With 15 different numbers, you’ll paint your bingo card as each one is called. In the end, if all spaces are filled with your paint colours, and you’ve painted the whole illustration, you’ve won! 

Paint by bingo can be played for fun or with small wagers. Since painting a full illustration is akin to winning a full house (blackout), you’ll win a jackpot based on your wager amount at the end of the game. 

Bingo Bonanza

Of all the variations of bingo, one of the hardest to win is the bingo bonanza. It’s typically a land-based side game played with coloured cards sold before the start of a regular game of 90-ball or 75-ball bingo.

The numbers on these bonanza bingo cards are shown on a special board, and if a player scores a win using any of these numbers at the conclusion of a regular bingo game, they earn additional prize money.

Bingo Chat Games

As bingo began progressively moving towards the Internet, entrepreneurs running bingo sites developed clever ways to retain the community aspect at the heart of bingo.

Thus, bingo chat games were born.

Bingo chat games are run by chat moderators (community managers) who inform the group when games are taking place and what the rules for winning are. If you place a wager at the beginning of the bingo chat game, you’ll see in the chat room what the jackpot or winning amount is for the game. 

The best part of chat rooms in online bingo is the atmosphere. Players are sort of forced to get to know one another, and in no time, you can make friends who have similar interests. Once the game starts, the chat moderator might ask trivia questions about sports, current events or television. 

The social element of bingo goes back to the game’s beginnings, which stretch to medieval Italy, believe it or not! And just as California gold prospectors once set up taverns and other community centers to support their quest for winnings, so too is bingo best played as a social game where you can chat freely and share your good fortune with others. 

And don’t forget – if you’re lucky enough to win bingo chat games, type it out: B-I-N-G-O!