Familiarise Yourself with the Basics of 90 Ball Bingo
The 90 Ball version of Bingo maybe played all over the word but it is the most popular version of bingo in Europe and Australia, especially the UK. The game got its name because of the amount of balls that are used in the game. You got it, yes, 90 balls are used and as you can also guess, the balls are numbered from 1 to 90.
In this version players get typically 3 chances to win. There is usually 1 horizontal line, 2 horizontal lines and the full house. This version of bingo typically lasts longer than a 75 ball game and the prize money is split up into 3 piles rather than just the 1 with the 75 ball version. This means even though the prize money is shared 3 ways, players do get more chances to win. The full house prize money is the biggest also.
90 ball bingo seems to be the most popular version of bingo that is played online and it is really giving the 75 ball version of bingo a run for its money. Most online bingo sites however do offer both versions of the game.
In the game itself the cards that are used to play the game are known as bingo tickets that form strips. These strips are made up of 6 tickets and each ticket is made up of nine columns and three rows. Each row on each card contain 5 numbers, the remaining squares are blank. This means that each single ticket contains 15 numbers.
A bingo ball machine will then pick out numbers at random, the players have to mark of the numbers if their cards contain them. Playing online; the software will do this automatically. Playing at a bingo hall; plays have to do this manually with a pen known as a bingo dauber. If you are then the first play to do any of the following:-
- 1 horizontal line on 1 strip
- 2 horizontal lines simultaneously on 1 strip
- Fill every number on 1 strip
Then you win. You have to yel either "line" or "bingo" to complete the section of the game - playing online will automatically do this, you do not have to yell “bingo” at your computer screen. You need to be the first person to successfully do any of these. More than one caller will result in a split prize.
Things to Note:-
There is usually an added jackpot in each game that can be won if a player happens to win the full house in under a specified ball count. This jackpot can be hard to win as the odds are slim, but it is possible none the less.
If you play online then the cards will be marked for you but if you are playing at a bingo hall never buy more cards than you can keep track on. You are responsible to keep track of numbers and if you miss one then you could lose the game.
The more people that are playing a game means more money is up for grabs but your odds of winning goes down. The less people who are playing means there is less money to be won but your odds increase.
