Get to Know Bingo Terms
Bingo is one of the oldest game of chance. What is great about bingo is it is so easy to play and so easy to follow. It can be learned in a few minutes. The equipment you will need are bingo cards (you will need a lot of these if you use pens as bingo markers), bingo markers (you can use pens to write on the bingo cards or use small objects such as seeds or shells - just be careful that these doesn't get blown away or accidentally moved to another space) and a cage where the numbers that are drawn are stored.
Bingo cards are usually divided by 24 numbered spaces and one free space. The numbers are arranged in 5 rows and 5 columns. Each row is headed by one of the letters in the word - Bingo. Example, the B row contains 5 random numbers from anywhere between 1 and 15, while the numbers in I row contain 5 random numbers from 16 to 60, and so on.
Bingo, like any game, has its own set of special terms and its own glossary. Before playing, let's get acquainted with some of these bingo terms:
Blackout - a pattern wherein all the numbered spaces in a card is filled out to win
Caller - the person who calls out the numbers drawn from the bingo cage during the game
Free space - this is the empty space in the middle of the card. This is the equivalent of the joker in a deck of cards.
Game board - this is the board used to display the numbers drawn
Game room - used for online games, a virtual room wherein a set of players can join or simply watch the ongoing game
Jackpot - the large prize at stake, reserved for the most difficult pattern such as a blackout
Minimum Buying - a player must spend at least this amount to make him eligible for the prizes
Multiple Winners - occurs when more than one players wins. When this occurs, the stake or the prize is divided evenly amongst the winners.
Pattern - refers to the configuration that must cover the card in order to win
And one must not forget the word you would rather wish will be coming out of your mouth (or keyboard) and not hear (or read) from others…
BINGO - this is the call you must make when you achieves the required pattern on your card. The first one who calls out "BINGO" wins.