Exclusive Bingo Guide – Tips and Strategies to Play Bingo Online
Written ByStaff Writer | Updated On: August 22, 2024
Before diving into online bingo games in Canada, it’s essential to understand the game mechanics, rules, and how to read a bingo card. This guide covers all the crucial aspects of playing this popular game. Let’s get started!
On the surface, Bingo is a simple game. Think about it and images of community centres filled with octogenarians, sucking on hard candy comes to mind. But there’s actually a lot more that makes this game tick, and being able to play online has opened up the old classic to a new generation of players.
Here are the most popular types of variations to play online :
90 Ball Bingo
Talking of different bingo games, this one isn’t too popular here in Canada or the US, but you’ll find it aplenty on the other side of the pond and in the rest of the world.
It is played on a bingo card with 3 rows and 5 columns. Three winners are announced during the game: the first to one row, then to two rows, and then the final winner who completes the whole board of 15 squares.
80 Ball Bingo
Known as a relatively new version where you’ll find 16 numbered squares on a 4×4 grid. In this game, numbers 1-80 can appear on the card, and you can win by completing a single line diagonally, vertically, or horizontally. You can also create four corners or a full house.
75 Ball Bingo
Similar to the 90-ball bingo variant, you’ll find five columns and five horizontal lines on a 75-ball bingo card. You’ll find a “B” letter on top of every column, with an open space at the centre of the card. A 75-ball bingo game can come with bets such as a line and coverall, which is to cover all 24 digits on the card.
30 Ball Bingo
One of the increasingly popular Bingo game variations is 30 Ball Bingo, often called Speed Bingo. With an Ariana Grande sized 3×3 playing card, the game lives up to its name. To win this one you’ll have to fil in all the squares, but with only one prize up for grabs, you’ll quickly learn that great things do come in small packages.
How to Read a Bingo Card
This is exceptionally easy when you play online. You don’t even need to learn how to cross numbers because the software will do all the work for you.
Learn how the following payouts work, and you’re good to go:
Full house: this happens if you mark off all the spaces on the ticket with random numbers, often paying the grand prize or jackpot
Two lines: create two horizontal lines with five numbers
Line: create a horizontal row with five numbers
Four corners: each corner of the card should have four numbers
Different Bingo Patterns You Should Know
What other patterns do you know besides a horizontal line and four corners? Actually, there are many patterns to form on a standard bingo card.
Winning Bingo Patterns: Unlocking the Secrets to Success
A few special Bingo games offer you whole new ways to play the game. Besides winning through completing lines and columns, you can also win by completing special patterns on your Bingo cards.
Here are a few wacky and traditional patterns you might need to look out for when playing 75 and 80 Ball Bingo:
Blackout
Also known as the Full House, to Blackout your board, you’ll need to mark every number on your board.
Checkerboard
For this pattern, you’ll need all four corners and then alternative blocks throughout the board to make a checkerboard pattern.
Four Corners
Get all four corners of the board to complete this pattern.
Lines
This one is the classic winning pattern and will get you a win in every version, with the exception of 30 Ball Bingo. Vertical, horizontal and corner-to-corner diagonals all apply.
Butterfly
Completing patterns is one way to explore different bingo game ideas. One of the more obscure patterns, the butterfly looks like it went through a slightly twisted form of metamorphosis resulting in teeny-tiny wings.
Heart
Are you starting to love the game? Well then, this pattern will be close to your heart.
Outer Edge
Also known as a picture frame. With this pattern, you’ll need to cover all the outer edges of the Bingo board.
Kite
Resembling a kite flying in the sky, you’ll need to either form a small kite, or the slightly trickier large kite to claim this win.
Staircase
Climb up the five stairs of this staircase to complete this winning pattern.
Postage stamp
Signed, sealed and delivered to offer you a win. The double stamp is harder to hit but will give you a bigger reward.
Lucky Clover
Hard to hit since it covers most of the board, but all you need is a little extra luck.
Wine Glass and Six Pack
Wine connoisseur, or do you have more of a taste for a cool Bud? Whichever you are, this might be the pattern for you.
Numbers and numbers
Some winning patterns form the shape of numbers and letters. For an extra twist, special patterns like “Crazy 7s” And “Crazy Ts” fall on their sides.
Bingo Lingo: Your Essential Glossary of Common Bingo Terms
1Caller
The person or automated system that announces the numbers during the game.
2Dauber
A digital marker used to mark called numbers on a virtual bingo card
3Free Space
The center square on a bingo card that is considered automatically marked.
4House
Another term for the bingo site hosting the game
5Split Pot
A game where the prize money is divided among multiple winners. This keeps the game fair and rewarding for more players.
6Flash Board
Electronic display that shows the called numbers and winning patterns, ensuring all players stay informed and engaged
7Speed Bingo
Fast-paced online bingo games with quicker number calls, perfect for players who enjoy a rapid and dynamic game.
8Eyes Down
A traditional call signaling to focus on their cards as the game begins, now digitized in online platforms.
9On
An exciting moment when a player is just one number away from winning, creating suspense in the game.
10Chat Game
Mini-games played within the chat room for additional prizes, adding another layer of fun to the bingo experience.
Bingo Jackpots: Explore the Different Types and How They Reward You
The most exciting bingo games have jackpots and there are different kinds. There are jackpots that you can win as an individual, and others are community-based. Let’s look at the different types and how they work.
Understanding the different types of jackpots:
💰 Fixed
💰 Progressive
💰 Sliding
💰 Community
Fixed
Fixed jackpots are fixed at a certain amount. It doesn’t matter how many players sign up to join the game, the amount remains the same. Players typically know beforehand how the money will be paid out, depending on the rules of that particular game.
Progressive
Do you love progressive jackpots as much as we do? These are the most popular among gamblers because they typically have a highly rewarding pay out. When you buy a ticket for a game that has a progressive jackpot, a percentage of that money goes towards the jackpot prize. As more people buy a ticket, the jackpot amount increases, until someone wins the top prize. Always check the rules before you play.
Sliding
Bingo games rarely offer sliding jackpots, so you probably won’t see a lot of these. This is how they work — the jackpot prize is at its largest amount at the beginning of the game. As the game progresses, the amount of the jackpot decreases. If you want to claim the prize while it’s still big, you have to meet all the requirements quite early on in the game.
Community
At they say, “sharing is caring” and that’s what this jackpot is all about. If you play an online bingo game that has a community jackpot, that means, when someone wins — the main prize will be shared among all the players. This one is definitely not for the greedy, but the upside is that you have more chances of walking away with something in your pocket. In some cases, a portion of the prize is donated to charity.
Most Popular Bingo Calls
Rhymes, looks like the number, or relates to the number in a special way. One of the best quirks of playing in a Bingo Hall is the use of Bingo game number names. These are the nicknames relating to the numbered balls read out by the caller.
This Bingo lingo either rhymes with the number, is named after what the number looks like, or pays tribute to something special relating to the number.
1 – Kelly’s eye
2 – One little duck
3 – Cup of tea
4 – Knock at the door
5 – Man alive
6 –Half a dozen
7 – Lucky seven
8 – Garden gate
9 – Doctor’s orders
10 – [UK Prime Minister’s name]’s den
11 – Legs eleven
12 – One dozen
13 – Unlucky for some
14 – Valentine’s Day
15 – Young and keen
16 – Sweet 16 and never been kissed
17 – Dancing queen
18 – Coming of age
19 – Goodbye teens
20 – One score
21 –Key of the door
22 – Two little ducks
23 – Thee and me
24 – Two dozen
25 – Duck and dive
26 – Pick and mix
27 – Gateway to heaven
28 – In a state
29 – Rise and shine
30 – Dirty Gertie
31 – Get up and run
32 – Buckle my shoe
33 – Dirty knee
34 – Ask for more
35 – Jump and jive
36 – Three dozen
37 – More than eleven
38 – Christmas cake
39 – 39 steps
40 – Life begins
41 – Time for fun
42 – Winnie the Pooh
43 – Down on your knees
44 – Droopy drawers
45 – Halfway there
46 – Up to tricks
47 – Four and seven
48 – Four dozen
49 – PC
50 – Half a century
51 – Tweak of the thumb
52 – Danny La Rue
53 – Stuck in a tree
54 – Clean the floor
55 – Snakes alive
56 – Shotts Bus
57 – Heinz varieties
58 – Make them wait
59 – Brighton Line
60 – Five dozen
61 – Baker’s bun
62 – Turn the screw
63 – Tickle me 63
64 – Red raw
65 – Old age pension
66 – Clickety click
67 – Stairway to heaven
68 – Saving Grace
69 – Favourite of mine
70 – Three score and ten
71 – Bang on the drum
72 – Six dozen
73 – Queen bee
74 – Hit the floor
75 – Strive and strive
76 – Trombones
77 – Sunset strip
78 – 39 more steps
79 – One more time
80 – Eight and blank
81 – Stop and run
82 – Straight on through
83 – Time for tea
84 – Seven dozen
85 – Staying alive
86 – Between the sticks
87 – Torquay in Devon
88 – Two fat ladies
89 – Nearly there
90 – Top of the shop
Winning Tips for Advanced Bingo Players
Optimal game selection: Focus on better odds.
Pattern recognition: Make sure that you learn and understand the winning pattern.
Choose a game with fewer players.
Choose a reputable online bingo site that offers a wide selection of titles with exciting bonuses.
Choose a casino that offers mobile bingo for the best on the go experience – we recommend DRIP Casino!
Honestly, there is no conclusive strategy for winning a bingo game. That’s as each number has an equal chance of marking the card. However, purchasing multiple bingo tickets could be advantageous in the long term.
There is an assortment of casino sites and apps that permit players to enjoy bingo online games for free. This is a fantastic way for players to familiarize themselves with the game before making any real money deposits. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll win any real cash if you haven’t bought tickets for a game.
You can play with transparent bingo results at a licensed and regulated online casino. Most online bingo games use RNG software to produce random outcomes. Therefore, only play at a bingo casino that’s been tested for fairness and transparency.
Play real money online bingo at the below Canadian casinos we have reviewed:
