How To Play Bingo Online

Bingo is not a difficult game to play - and with practice you can daub away your numbers with the best of them! Online it can even all be done for you! Here's a mini guide to getting started with playing bingo online. Playing bingo online is very easy. Despite the different kinds of bingo you can play, the basics of the game are roughly the same. Whether you choose to play at Jackpotjoy, Tombola, Foxy Bingo, Wink or any of the other 100s of sites available you'll find roughly the same kind of set up and format.

Basics Of Online Bingo

The object of Bingo is to match all the numbers in a special pattern which will be shown on the screen for each game. To play a game you'll usually purchase a ticket which contains a series of numbers (usually 1 to 90 or 1 to 75). When the game begins random numbers are called out one at a time and are then highlighted on the screen. If a called number matches one on your card then you can mark it off. If you complete a pattern, one line, two lines, full house - or whatever pattern may be required - then you've got BINGO and will win a prize! This instructional video care of BingoCams introduces some bingo basics which for the most part applies across most bingo sites.

How Do I Play Multiple Bingo Tickets

One of the great things about playing online is that you don't need to worry about marking your bingo card. However, if you would like to take a more pro-active approach, you can turn the "auto daub" off and manually mark your card by moving your mouse over the numbers. Don't worry if you accidentally miss a number; all of your prizes will be awarded whether you have daubed your cards or not. So, just sit back and let your computer do the work while you watch, chat, or play the mini games. You can even buy cards and switch off your computer, because many bingo sites allow you to pre-buy cards in advance. To add to the excitement of bingo, you'll also have a chance to win progressive jackpots! But what are these pre-buy cards, chat, mini games and jackpots we're talking about? Well we'll come to those shortly.

How To Join A Bingo Site & Start Playing

  • Select a bingo site that you wish to join.
  • Register as a new player.
  • Fund your account! You may have a no deposit bonus or you might have to deposit.
  • Choose a bingo room to enter.
  • Purchase your bingo cards.
  • Watch and see if you're a winner - don't forget to chat to the other roomies!
  • Congratulate the winners!

Other Bingo Features

Online bingo starts to get a little more complicated when you start to discover the many different features that are on offer. Firsly the game has many variations. Over the years the theme, number of balls and even the format used have been changed to try and make things more interesting. For example Bingo Millions offered players the chance to win in a lottery style format; Bingo Blast is a 90 ball game that does away with the build-up and goes straight to the 90 ball full house run-in; Reel Bingo at Tombola does away with numbers altogether and uses a fruit machine; plus of course there's Slingo which combines bingo and slots. The cool thing about all these variants is that the how to play format is pretty much the same. Oh, and we shouldn't forget that there's a whole host of other features on most standard bingo sites!

When you visit a bingo site you might be surprised to find that there's usually more going on than just bingo! It's a social game and many rooms will have a chat client so you can converse with your fellow players, let them know how many numbers you need to win and also offer up your congratulations. As well as chat there's also usually some mini games, the opportunity to pre-buy tickets and progressive jackpots.

1. Who Are Roomies & Bingo Chatrooms?

Bingo chat is one of the most important elements of playing online bingo. It takes the game away from being a solitary experience to one that is social. You can chat with fellow players (usually called roomies), the chat host (CH) or chat moderator (CM), and even take part in side games - sometimes for prizes or a bonus. Chat is also a good way to see who's close to winning as many players will post 3TG, 2TG, 1TG (to go) as the balls are called. You don't have to take part in the bingo chat... and on some sites you can even switch it off.

2. What Are Mini Games?

Mini games are games that you can play whilst waiting for the next bingo game to pop up. They're usually played within the bingo client so that you don't have to leave the room. The games tend to be scratchcards, slots and casino table games. They can be addictive and they can be expensive so be warned. If you're tempted by them then you may well find your bingo money runs out quicker than you expected!

3. What Is A Progressive Jackpots?

On every bingo game they'll be a jackpot prize - this is the prize awarded to the player who gets a full house. On some games you'll also see a progressive jackpot. This is usually a much larger prize and it grows on every game. The progressive jackpot can be won by calling bingo within a certain number of calls. The number varies from game to game and site to site.

4. What Are Guaranteed Jackpots & Sliding Jackpots?

On some bingo games you'll see the words "guaranteed jackpot" - this means that the prize on offer will be given away in that game. Sometimes, especially on big money games (such as million pound bingo games) you might see "£1million bingo, £1000 guaranteed" - this means that to win the £1million prize you will need to bingo in a fixed number of calls. If no one manages to do that during the game, and it's unlikely to happen, then the prize money on offer will be just £1000. This kind of game is known as a sliding jackpot.

5. How Do I Get Pre-Buy Tickets?

The great thing about online bingo is that you often don't need to be online to play. Some sites, especially when they have a big prize game, allow you to pre-buy your bingo cards. This just means you can get them in advance and that when the game plays your cards will be checked - and if you win, then you'll be notified. Look for the "pre-buy" tab in the bingo lobby for these games.

6. What Is Session Bingo?

A number of popular bingo brands such as Buzz, Mecca, Gala, The Sun and Jackpotjoy now run Session Bingo games. These usually run for one hour and have a fixed fee of a few pounds (cheaper games tend to run in the morning). This fixed fee buys you tickets for a selected number of games that will run during the same period. The great thing about Session Bingo is that you know how much you're spending across a selected number of games.

7. What Are Even Stevens Games?

When you play most bingo games you'll usually see that a maximum number of tickets can be purchased. This means all participants may be playing between 1 and the maximum tickets in a single game. Players with the most tickets (and biggest budgets) therefore have more chances of winning. To overcome this brands started to introduce Even Stevens games where each player has the same number of tickets and therefore the same chances of winning.

8. What Are Multistakes Bingo Games?

In some games you may be asked how much you wish to spend on a ticket, for example 10p, 25p, 50p, £1 or £2. These are multistake games and they're very popular at Tombola. Multistake games are Even Stevens games in that each player only has one ticket. However all players play the same game regardless of the amount they purchase their ticket for! The only difference is that the prizes awarded reflect the initial wager. Multistake games are great way to let everyone play the same game with the same number of tickets regardless of budget.

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