Bingo Glossary

Admission Admission Packet Basket Bingo Beano Bingo Board Bingo Card Bingo Hall Bingo Marker Blackout Buy in Caller Card (Bingo) Cash in Prize Casino Night Chat Room Consolation Prize Coverall Dauber

Early Bird Flimsy, Flimsies Four Corners Free space Game Board Game Room GTI or TED Hard card Hardway Bingo Jackpot Latenight bingo Lucky Jar Minimum Buy In Moonlight bingo Moneyball Multiple winners Pattern Payout percentage

Postage stamp pattern Progressive jackpot Quickie Rainbow pack Reno Night RNG Session Special games Speed bingo Speed Game Split pot Strip Texas Blackout Throwaways Tickets Validation Wild card Wrap up

 

Admission

Your permission to enter a bingo hall and/or participate in a bingo game.

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Admission Packet

The minimum number of cards that you must buy in order to play. Usually this minimum is three to six cards for a regular game. Some packets contain cards for special games like progressive jackpots but usually you buy cards for these types of games separately. Exactly what is part of the Admission Packet will depend on where you are playing.

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Basket Bingo

A bingo game where a "basket" of prizes is given. Traditionally this might have been a physical basket of goodies, but in the online world it will tend to be a combination of cash prizes and other rewards.

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Beano

The name given to the early form of Bingo played in the 1920s in the US. Players used to shout out “Beano” when they won because they marked off their numbers using beans as counters on their cards. The current name “Bingo” is said to have derived from this American game when someone mispronounced the word “Beano”.

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Bingo Board

An electronic display board which shows which numbers have been called and which are still to come.

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Bingo Card

The card you buy containing a grid with a random selection of numbers which you hope will be called out during the bingo game so you can win the prize! Different types of bingo game have different shaped grids. Unique cards are printed and players choose from the selection before starting the game of bingo. Some bingo halls offer up to 9,000 unduplicated series of cards.

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Bingo Hall

Originally the physical place where players go to play a game of bingo. Bingo Halls now exist online in a virtual form. Some websites offer a variety of bingo halls, each with a different atmosphere, playing style etc.

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Bingo Marker

Anything that is used to mark the numbers off on your bingo card. It may be a counter, ink pen, or, if you are playing online use your mouse or the “autodaub” option (where the computer automatically marks the card for you).

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Blackout

One of a number of terms used to describe the pattern where all numbers on your card must be marked off to win. See also Coverall and Full House.

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Buy in

The act of buying bingo cards or an Admission Packet (see above) to enter a game of bingo.

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Caller

The person who calls out the numbers as they are selected at random.

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Card (Bingo)

The card you buy containing a grid with a random selection of numbers which you hope will be called out during the bingo game so you can win the prize! Different types of bingo game have different shaped grids. Unique cards are printed and players choose from the selection before starting the game of bingo. Some bingo halls offer up to 9,000 unduplicated series of cards.

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Cash in Prize

A game of bingo where the prize is in cash. The winnings are made up from the cards sold at the beginning of play.

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Casino Night

A night when the bingo hall uses its gaming licence to provide traditional casino type games. Also sometimes called Reno Night or Vegas Night.

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Chat Room

One of the big reasons for visiting an online bingo hall (apart from winning of course!) is to socialise. You can do this via an online chat room. Many games show a split screen so you can play and chat to friends and fellow players at the same time.

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Consolation Prize

The prize offered on some special games where there is no winner after a pre-specified number of calls.

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Coverall

One of a number of terms used to describe the pattern where all numbers on your card must be marked off to win. See also Blackout and Full House.

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Dauber

A sponge-tipped pen filled with ink or paint which is used to mark your card as the numbers are called out. In online games the computer can automatically mark your cards or you can use your mouse.

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Early Bird

A game that starts before the scheduled session. It usually has fewer players and a smaller prize pot.

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Flimsy, Flimsies

Flimsies are cards printed on lightweight disposable paper and available to buy only at real world bingo halls. They usually contain 3 bingo games but other versions are available too. They are also known as “throwaways”

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Four Corners

A pattern where you must mark the four corners of your card to win.

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Free space

The central square of a 75 ball bingo card with no number written on it. It acts as a wild card, so it can count towards the winning pattern.

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Game Board

A board displayed throughout the game which reminds players of the pattern needed to win.

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Game Room

Online bingo halls often divide the bingo play between rooms. This enables them to offer more frequent games with a wider range of play styles.

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GTI or TED

Used in real world bingo halls, this is an electronic marker which can be rented to daub your numbers automatically. When playing online the software does this anyway.

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Hard card

A rigid, reusable bingo card with shutters that are drawn as the numbers are called. They are available only in offline bingo halls.

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Hardway Bingo

Another variant of the game where to win you must make a straight line without using the central free space.

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Jackpot

The big prize for the game being played. It is won by making the winning pattern first. For progressive games to win the jackpot you must make the pattern within a specified number of calls.

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Latenight bingo

Bingo games that start later in the evening, usually from 10pm. Also called Moonlight Bingo.

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Lucky Jar

In real-world bingo halls this refers to a physical jar full of prize money. In the online world, it usually refers to a smaller prize or small progressive jackpot.

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Minimum Buy In

The minimum amount you must pay to play. This will usually be specified on the admission packet.

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Moonlight bingo

Bingo games that start later in the evening, usually from 10pm. Also called Latenight Bingo.

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Moneyball

A ball that is drawn before the game of bingo starts. It will double a player’s winnings if they get a bingo on this number.

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Multiple winners

When more than one person wins at the same time. In this instance the prize money will be divided equally between them.

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On

A player is said to be “on” when they have only one number left to reach bingo.

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On the way

A game played on the way to a coverall or blackout game. For example there may be a one line win as people are trying for a coverall. Once the one line win has happened the players continue with the same cards on their way to a coverall win.

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Pattern

To win at bingo you need to mark off the numbers on your card until they match the specified pattern for that game. Typical patterns are vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines as well as coverall or full house. But there are loads more especially for the 75 ball game. The winning pattern for any game is displayed as a reminder on the game board throughout play.

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Payout percentage

The percentage of all the bingo halls takings which is paid out as prizes. This is usually somewhere around 70-75% for online halls and is significantly more than state run lotteries which are more like 40-45%.

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Postage stamp pattern

A winning pattern of a 2x2 grid in any of the four corners of the card. It is said to resemble a postage stamp on a letter.

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Progressive jackpot

A relatively new addition to the bingo game, where the total you can win increases game after game until a winner finally claims the prize. A pattern is announced at the start, together with a number. To claim the progressive jackpot, the winner must match the pattern in fewer calls than the specified number.

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Quickie

A game where the numbers are called as quickly as possible and you must have a coverall to win.

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Rainbow pack

A pack of multiple cards which enable people to play for multiple prize amounts and denominations.

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Reno Night

A night when the bingo hall uses its gaming licence to provide traditional casino type games. Also sometimes called Casino Night or Vegas Night.

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RNG

A Random Number Generator is the machine used to pick the numbers in the game of bingo.

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Session

Most commonly used to refer to the daily programme of games in a real-world bingo hall. A session will typically last 2 and a half to 3 and a half hours. Online bingo halls offer games around the clock so a session may only be used to refer to a set of special games or a promotional block.

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Six pack

A block of six numbers on a bingo card.

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Special games

These are games with their own special rules and usually played with special cards, different from those bought at admission.

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Speed bingo

As the name suggests, this is a variation on the traditional game of bingo where the numbers are called out much more quickly than usual and you can win with as few as 3 balls.

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Speed Game

A coverall game where the balls are called very quickly. More popular at online halls than off line. You usually buy cards for these games as singles.

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Split pot

A game where the winner splits the takings from card sales with the bingo hall. For example the winner may take 70% of the takings from the game leaving the bingo hall with 30%.

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Strip

Bingo cards or tickets are often sold in sets of six. This is called a strip.

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Texas Blackout

Another variation of the typical coverall or blackout game. The first ball is drawn and, depending whether it is an odd or even number, all odds or evens on the players’ cards will be considered as marked. The game then proceeds as normal until blackout is reached.

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Throwaways

Throwaways are cards printed on lightweight disposable paper and available to buy only at real world bingo halls. The usually contain 3 bingo games but other versions are available too. They are also known as “flimsies”.

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Tickets

This is another name for the bingo cards which are used for playing bingo. Each one contains a grid with a random selection of numbers which you hope will be called out during the bingo game so you can win the prize! Different types of bingo game have different shaped grids. Unique tickets are printed and players choose from the selection before starting the game of bingo. Some bingo halls offer up to 9,000 unduplicated series of tickets.

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Validation

When Bingo has been called it is necessary to verify the win. In real-world bingo halls play is suspended whilst this check takes place. When playing online it happens automatically and instantly.

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Wild card

This is usually played after a double bingo, before leading on to a triple bingo. The first number drawn will determine the wild card. For example if 17 is drawn, then all numbers ending in 7 will be considered marked off.

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Wrap up

This is the name given to the last game in a session.

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