There are more versions available to play than ever before with the 75, 80 and 90 ball versions playable for anyone going online.
So what is the reason for the popularity – certainly one of them is that every game of bingo is a new experience – no two games are the same, and there are constantly new ways to win.
Instead of just one way of winning, bingo halls have come up with new pattern bingos which give you so many more interesting ways to play.
Horizontal and vertical bingo
The easiest way to play is marking off horizontal or vertical lines on bingo. It is the traditional way bingo cards are scored, but oddly enough, it is the version where most people make mistakes.
Of course, this does not apply when you play online since you can have your cards marked automatically, but if you are playing in a bingo hall, people do miss out on bingos!
This is especially the case when there are a lot of tickets involved. Horizontal and vertical line patterns are as easy as they sound – simply line up the numbers to span across the ticket. On the 90 ball version you need a line of 5 numbers to win.
These games are the fastest bingo games with the fewest balls called until a ticket wins.
Less common patterns
These patterns are the next most common. You can get a diagonal running from left to right, or right to left. Having both the patterns wins you the Big X. Obviously these two patterns can only be won in the 75 ball and 80 ball bingo versions.
You can get a blackout or a full house if you play any of the bingo games – this involves marking off every single number on your ticket.
This usually happens after 60 or so numbers are called and tends to be the slowest pattern game. Other patterns such as the cornered pattern for 80 ball bingo and centre squared, also for 80 ball bingo are very fast patterns to be called.
If you want a long game, go for a full house game on a 90 ball game. If you want quick action, then an 80 ball pattern game would suit you better. There are other patterns including a four pack, six pack and practically any pattern you can dream of!
Whatever game you end up playing, you can only win if you take part. The more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to win – and there are regular winners.
The biggest winner has won over a million pounds in a single game, so there is life changing amounts of cash to be won!