In the world of Bingo, both online and in a brick-and-mortar Bingo hall, there’s a load of game specific terms that are used regularly. And if you’re new to the game, then it can all get a bit confusing. Here’s our list of common Bingo terms, so that you are in the know the next time you play online bingo at Paddy Power.
Blackout Pattern
This a Bingo pattern that involves daubing all the numbers off, on the whole of the card. It’s also known as a coverall. Completing this Bingo pattern in a 90-Ball Bingo game usually results in winning the main ‘Bingo’ or ‘Full House’ prize.
Bingo Rooms
These rooms are the virtual version of land-based Bingo hall, where online players can play individual games of Bingo. There are different Bingo rooms depending on the variation of the game, such as 90-Ball or 75-Ball Bingo, or the jackpot on offer.
With an online Bingo room, a player must click to enter, buy tickets to play and then wait for the game to begin. The casino site will usually offer players the chance to play an instant game or even a slot during this waiting time. The Bingo room may also have a chat room on offer, where players can socialise and chat about the game.
Caller
The caller, which can be a person or a machine, is what calls out or displays the randomly generated Bingo numbers for the players to then mark off on their cards.
Dauber
This a special Bingo ink-filled pen that has a foam tip, which is used to physically mark off the numbers on a card. The tip is designed so that the square can be filled in one ‘daub’.
For online Bingo, marking off the numbers can be done with a click of a mouse or a touch of the finger on the screen. If you so wish, you can also set the computer to do all the work for you and mark off the numbers automatically. This makes it even easier if you’re playing with multiple tickets.
Free Space
For certain variations of the game, the free square is in the centre of the Bingo card and does not contain a number. Acting like a ‘Joker’ or ‘Wild’ square, this square can count towards a winning pattern.
Full House
This is when you have completed all three lines on the card, in a 90-Ball Bingo game. This usually corresponds to the Full House prize to be won, following the aforementioned Blackout pattern.
Hard-Way Bingo
This is a type of Bingo pattern on the card, where all the numbers in a straight line have been called, without using the free space.
Jackpot
The jackpot is usually the main prize awarded for marking off all the numbers of a difficult pattern, such as a blackout, and to be the first one to do so.
Some games have a fixed jackpot where there is a set prize to win, whereas a progressive jackpot has an amount that will continually rise until somebody wins it.
Pattern
This is the shape that needs to be created by the daubed numbers on the Bingo card in order to win a prize. The simplest patterns are one straight line, either horizontal, vertical or diagonal, depending on the variation of Bingo you’re playing. The most difficult pattern is when all of the numbers on your card have to be called in order to win.
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