Bingo is traditionally played in halls. Bingo rules, payouts and ‘play variations’ differ from place to place. Bingo brochures detailing particular games, rules and payouts are almost always available at each hall.

In essence, players purchase cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid which relates to the five letters in the word B-I-N-G-O. Numbers like B-2 or 0-68 are drawn at random (out of a possible 75) until one player completes a ‘Bingo’ line which is five numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize.

The numbers are announced in quick succession, so you have to concentrate on the numbers which are called and mark them swiftly and precisely on your card(s).

The caller will keep calling out the numbers until one or more players shout/claim BINGO. At this point the game is suspended and the numbers verified. If the BINGO line is verified then there is a winner, the prize is awarded and a new bingo game starts with new cards. If there is more than just one winner, the prize is split between them.

In Las Vegas there are a lot of variations on the standard game including ‘Letter X’, ‘Six Pack’, ‘Coverall’ and ‘Indian Style Papoose’ Bingo. There are also some places which offer special progressive payouts as high as $10,000.

When you play online bingo, the bingo cards are randomly selected for you. In most online games you are given 3 or 4 cards. There are some games which will let you take more.

One common feature amongst online bingo games is that they all have a caller or a display board for the bingo numbers. The game pattern is also shown. Some games will even automatically mark the numbers on the card for you