Beginners Guide To Bingo
Nina
Bingo may seem like a game predominantly played by the older generation; it is in-fact a very interesting game which is easy to get to grips with. While there are many variations of bingo in this article, we will be going over a basic game, once you have the basics right the rest will come naturally.
Other variations are mainly only card style and amount that will change, so they should not pose a challenge to anybody who knows the base game. Online bingo will also be easy once you know how the game works.
The Card
When arriving at a location to play https://onlinebingoaustralia.org/aud/ bingo you will first need to get a scorecard. One player can have multiple cards, but one score card is recommended for players who are still learning the game. A score card can change in size and shape, but for this example we will use a five-by-five card.
You will notice that your card is already populated with numbers in all squares except for the middle square, in this case the middle square is generally considered a free square. You will notice that the vertical columns are usually marked with letters, in the case of five-by-five cards, these letters are usually B, I, N, G, O. keep that in mind for when numbers begin to be called.
The Venue
In the venue there will usually be ample seating and some nature of screens to show the drawn number, if not, this will not be a problem. Bingo usually has a game leader referred to as a caller, he will do the number drawing and call out the numbers to everybody playing. During your first few games at least, the caller should be your main point of focus.
The Game
When the round of bingo starts, your only objective will be to mark the called number on your card until you have marked a complete column or row, depending on the game the set can vary far past the column or row to special shapes, corners and sequences.
Don’t worry, though, this is all usually made very clear either at the venue or on your card itself.
Once you have completed a column or row, provided nobody else has completed a column or row before you, you have won! Your next step should be to yell “bingo” in such a way that the caller can clearly hear you as this should signify the end of the current round.
Rules
As for other rules to know for bingo, there aren’t really any. Just be courteous to those around you as to not distract anybody from their cards. Talking between yourselves is allowed and sometimes even encouraged as bingo is meant to be a social game, it is however expected that everybody can hear the caller clearly, so excessive noise is not ideal.
Lastly, go out and enjoy bingo! It has proven to be a great way to meet people, make friends and hopefully you can win some money too!