How to Win at Bingo – Is it Possible to Increase Your Chances?
Bingo is a much-loved game of chance where you must match your ticket numbers to win. While it’s entirely based on luck, a few things can improve your chances of winning when playing bingo games.
Bingo is a favourite passtime for many gamblers. © PauloDiniz, Pixabay
The Great Game of Bingo
Bingo is a whole lot of fun. The game of chance is a big hit with players thanks to its simplicity, the lively communities built around it and, of course, the prizes you can win.
The thing is, bingo is very much a luck-based game. Numbers are drawn one at a time, and if they match the ones on your ticket, you mark them off. You win by completing certain lines or patterns. While winning any of the prizes is great, it’s the biggest one people want the most.
When playing bingo, you can do nothing to influence which numbers get drawn. But having said that, there are a few things that can boost your chances of winning over long-term play.
Winning at Land-Based Bingo Halls
Playing real-life bingo can be a great source of entertainment. Many people play at their local bingo halls regularly, not necessarily because they’re into gambling, but because playing bingo is a fun, sociable activity for them. Here are a few tips to consider.
Concentration and Staying Alert
Concentration is key if you’re wondering how to win at bingo when you’re playing a real-life game. You have to be focused on the game, and as soon as the caller reveals a number, you should check your tickets.
Once a number is announced, it should take you just seconds to determine whether it appears on any of your tickets or not. Scanning tickets without missing numbers you’re meant to mark off is a key skill.
Why is this important? Because in bingo, speed is everything. If you win, whether it’s a single line or the top prize, you have to shout out that you’ve won as soon as possible.
A key rule of bingo states that a winning ticket must include the last number called. If you wait until the next number is called, your ticket won’t count as a winning one.
Since there’s not a lot of time between numbers getting called, you need to be alert. To help you do this, make sure you get plenty of rest the night before.
Avoid anything that will prevent you from focusing on the game. If you feel too tired on the day, it might be best to do something else instead. Make the most of breaks in between game sessions, too.
Getting to the Venue and Taking Your Seat
You should arrive at the venue early. By doing this, you’ll have enough time to set things up, buy any food and/or drinks you want and get yourself in the right frame of mind for playing bingo.
Also, think about where you will sit. There’s no right or wrong place to sit; it’s all about personal preference. Depending on availability, you should sit somewhere you won’t get distracted.
Some people prefer to sit close to the caller. Even though they usually use a microphone and can be heard by everyone playing the game, many still like sitting close because it helps them focus on the game.
Choosing Games and Tickets
Since bingo is a multiplayer game, the more people there are, the lower your chances of winning. The fact that people can purchase multiple tickets can also affect your odds.
One thing you can do to increase your chances of winning is to participate in games with few players. If possible, avoid the busiest times (i.e. evenings and weekends) and visit your hall at quieter times.
Remember that for some games, the prize pool is determined by how many tickets are bought. Quieter games could, therefore, have smaller prizes to give to winning players than busier games.
Another point to make is that you should play games with multiple prizes. Some bingo games have a single prize and that’s for marking off all numbers on your card.
If you play a game with prizes for a single line and two lines, for example, you will have more opportunities to win. After all, winning something is better than not winning anything at all.
It’s also worth thinking about the number of tickets you’re going to buy. The more you have, the greater your chances of winning. But the thing is, you have to dab each winning number yourself physically.
If you have too many tickets, you might not be able to keep up with checking every one of them for winning numbers. You should, therefore, buy however many tickets you can easily manage.
Side Bets and Unique Patterns
Some bingo games have optional side bets that can pay out even if you don’t win the main game. A good example is the progressive jackpot that keeps growing with money from ticket sales until it’s won.
Side bets can be tempting, but they can be costly and don’t always have good win rates. Instead of placing them right away, consider whether they’re worth it.
Sometimes, your chances of winning a regular game are better than winning a side bet. Do some research beforehand to get an idea of how likely you are to win a game’s side bets.
Then there’s the matter of patterns. Many games of bingo require you to fill a line or multiple lines with matched numbers to win. This is fairly easy to keep track of.
However, some games pay out for completing certain patterns on your card. If the pattern’s not already visible on your card, it’s a good idea to highlight it so you can track which numbers are needed to win.
Winning at Online Bingo
If you’re wondering how to win at online bingo, you’ll know that there’s a key difference that sets it apart from real-life games.
This is the fact that numbers are marked off automatically. All you have to do is sit back and watch as numbers are revealed, and if you win, you don’t have to do anything. Everything is automated.
So, what can you do to help you win at online bingo? Many of the tips mentioned above also apply to bingo games you play online. These include playing at quieter times and buying multiple tickets.
Something also worth mentioning is bingo bonuses, which all the best bingo sites give out to players (both new and existing). Bonuses can’t help you win as such, but they can still be useful.
This is because they let you play for a reduced price or even for free. Common examples of bonuses include free tickets, bonus money you can spend on tickets and rooms with free games for everyone.
It’s important to point out that bonuses are often too good to be true. This is because they may seem great, but their terms and conditions somehow limit them.
Before claiming any kind of bingo bonus, read the fine print so you know the rules, requirements and restrictions. All bonuses are optional, so you shouldn’t claim one if you don’t want to.
Other Points to Mention
For real-world and online bingo, some strategies are claimed to help improve your win rate. However, there’s very little evidence to suggest that they work.
There’s no bingo strategy that can definitely improve your odds. The reason for this is simple: bingo is a game of chance, and there’s nothing you can do to determine which numbers are called.
Plus, the main strategies, including Tippett’s theory and the Granville strategy, rely on players picking numbers for their bingo tickets themselves. Most bingo games (both real-world and online) don’t let you do this.
Lastly, the game of bingo has lots of variants. These differ in how many balls are used (30, 50, 75, 80 and 90-ball bingo are common versions) and what you have to do to win.
As a general rule of thumb, you should always know how a game of chance works before you play it. If you’re new to bingo, playing online can be a good way of learning the ropes.
There’s no magic solution that can make you win bingo. There’s practically nothing that can guarantee you success. However, the above tips should boost your long-term chances of winning at bingo.
