Internet Bingo

Bingo, both live and Internet, is the most tolerated gambling game in the United States. Churches and nonprofit organizations are usually allowed to use bingo games for fundraisers, even in states that don't allow any other form of gambling. It has a history as a family oriented game and is even played in schools today.

More recently, bingo has come to the Internet where it's become a big business. Internet bingo appeals to a wider cross section of people than any other gambling game in the world. Male and female, young and old people all play bingo.

The advantage of Internet Bingo is that it can be played any time of the day and there is always a game going on. When playing on the Internet, you only need to be 18 to gamble, where most US casinos have a minimum age limit of 21.

Bingo Rules

Bingo is such a simple game to play that anyone could jump right in and probably catch on without even being told the rules. In the most basic form of bingo, each player gets a card with a 5x5 grid printed across the front. Right above the top row of the grid the letters B I N G O are spelled out. The five spaces in the column below each letter are printed with a number.

The game announcer then calls out letters and numbers, one at a time. The announcer picks randomly, usually with the assistance of a machine that blows out balls printed with the numbers or through the use of a computer.

If the players have the spots on their grids, they mark the corresponding spots on their bingo cards. For example, if the announcer yelled "N 36!" a person using the sample card from above would mark the bottom, middle cell in the grid.

In traditional bingo games, the first person to get a complete line, whether it be horizontal, vertical or diagonal wins. To announce the win, players jump up and yell "Bingo!" This is an important part of the game because it is used as a tiebreaker. If two people get a bingo at the same time, the first person to say "bingo" wins.

When playing bingo on the Internet, there isn't any need to jump out of your seat and yell bingo. When playing Internet Bingo, all you'll either have to click a bingo button or it will all be automatic.

Alternative Bingo Patterns

A game that's been as popular for as long as bingo has is bound to have variations spring up. The most common variations include the use of different patterns for bingos. For example, the "blackout" game requires players to fill every space on their cards before they qualify for a bingo.

Other bingo patterns include:

Two Line

Four Corners

Center Cross

The letters C, E, F, N, O, T, X, Y

Postage Stamp - A 2x2 section located in the top right corner

Double Postage Stamp - Two postage stamps, one in any two corners

Clover Leaf - Four postage stamps, one in each corner

Inner Square - A 4x4 section in the middle of the bingo card

Kite - A 2x2 section in the top corner with a diagonal line

Picture Frame - All squares around the outside edges

Railroad Tracks - Vertical lines under the I and the G

Bars - Vertical lines under the B, N and O

Checkers - Every other square marked off

Tunnel - A 3x3 square in the middle and the 4 corners

Internet Bingo vs. Live Bingo

Internet bingo is relatively new and still gaining momentum but it has already proven itself to be very popular. Thanks to several advantages offered by Internet bingo, the Internet version of the game has become just as popular as the live version.

Internet games allow chatting - Many live bingo games discourage talking because everyone needs to hear the announcer.

Squares can be automatically marked for you - There's no need to worry about forgetting squares or marking the wrong ones - the Internet casino software can do it for you if you want.

Play more cards at once - You can keep track of more cards at a computer than you can live. Some Internet bingo sites automatically arrange your cards so that the ones closest to winning are closest to the top of the screen.

No embarrassing bingo mistakes - Afraid to jump up and yell "bingo!" in front of everyone and be wrong? Well, worry no more. The software takes care of everything - plus it's all anonymous.

Can play any time you want, 24 hours a day - You don't have to wait for once-a-week church events online. Just log in whenever you feel like playing and you can find yourself a bingo game on the Internet.

Bingo Strategy

Bingo is completely random so there's no viable strategy to make it more likely that your numbers are called first. There are, however, several bingo strategies to make it more likely you win:

Pick cards that have different numbers

If you play more than one card at a time, try to get as wide a variety of numbers as possible. That way, if the number doesn't match your card, it might just match a number on another card.

Use the "auto-daub" and "auto-bingo" functions

If you're playing on the Internet, use these functions to make sure you never miss a bingo. Both of these functions are intended to make it less likely you skip a number or forget to yell out a bingo. With the wide variety of Internet bingo patterns out there, this is a very real possibility.

Play at reputable sites / venues

This one is a little obvious but it's easily overlooked. Don't play Internet bingo on shady looking websites or brick and mortar locations. If you play online you can find all kinds of bingo reviews to help you pick the best site. If you play live, use your best judgment to pick a bingo venue.