Practical guide 3 min read
How to play bingo: rules, patterns and how long a game takes
75-ball columns, the free space, lines and full cards, how many calls a game usually takes, and playing online against the computer.
The card
A 75-ball bingo card is a 5 × 5 grid under the letters B, I, N, G and O. Each column takes its numbers from its own range:
| Column | Numbers |
|---|---|
| B | 1 to 15 |
| I | 16 to 30 |
| N | 31 to 45 |
| G | 46 to 60 |
| O | 61 to 75 |
The middle square is a free space: it counts as marked from the start, so the N column has only four numbers. Every card has 24 numbers, and no two cards are the same.
The calls
The caller draws numbered balls one at a time, at random, and reads each out with its letter: "G 52", "B 7". The letter tells you which column to look in, so you can find the number quickly. If it's on your card, mark it. Each ball is drawn once, and the game ends when someone wins.
Winning
Agree on the pattern before the first ball. The common ones are:
- A line: any full row, column or diagonal. The free space helps, so the middle row, the middle column and both diagonals need only four calls each.
- Full card (or blackout): every square on the card.
The first player to complete the pattern shouts Bingo. The caller checks their card against the calls. If it's right, they win the round. If not, the game carries on.
How long a game takes
That depends on how many cards are in play. We simulated thousands of games with random cards and calls:
| Cards in play | First line, usually after |
|---|---|
| 4 | 26 to 36 calls |
| 10 | 21 to 30 calls |
| 25 | 18 to 25 calls |
Full-card games are much longer. With 10 cards the first full card almost always comes after 65 to 72 of the 75 balls, so most of the bag gets called.
Play online
The bingo game has a 3D ball cage that calls the game for you:
- Choose the balls (1 to 75, Holiday or Christmas words), one to four cards, 3 to 24 computer players, a pace and the winning pattern.
- Press Start game. Each ball tumbles out of the cage into the tray and is read aloud.
- Tap a square when its number is called to daub it. Uncalled squares won't take a daub.
- Once you've daubed a line, the BINGO button lights up. Press it, or the B key, before a computer player shouts.
Every computer player daubs every call perfectly but takes a second or three to shout, so a sharp eye wins. Turn on Daub my cards for me to play with less tapping.
Hosting a real game
For a room of players with paper cards, print them with the Bingo Card Generator, then press Call this set. The game opens as the host for those cards: draw each ball, show the board on a TV, and type a card's number to check a winner.