Classic Bingo – Guide to Playing the Best Variations Online
You’ll be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of bingo. It is a world-famous name with repeat appearances in film, books, and pop culture. This social game is now also available online, so there’s nothing urging you to go to a land-based bingo hall if you’re a fan of this game of chance – though visiting a hall might have some upsides. If you do choose to play online, apart from the well-known classic bingo variants, you can also enjoy some unique takes on this game on pretty much every bingo site out there.
If you’d like to get more into online bingo, this page will tell you all you need to know about the different bingo game types online, including a close look at the differences in layouts and grids. Though the online offer is rich, we’ll go over some standout games you can encounter while browsing online bingo sites.
Choosing a Bingo Game
Deciding which bingo game to go for is not rocket science – though there are several factors to consider when you find yourself faced with the long list of options at any given online bingo site. Once in the lobby, you can browse the bingo rooms on offer. You’ll find games sorted by the amount of balls drawn, including American bingo alongside the UK variant, as well as some unique rooms with slightly tweaked approaches to winning lines or prizes. Ticket prices are also something to consider – especially if you prefer being flexible with your wagers. Luckily, there’s options for both more and less financially conservative players. Most sites give you a quick rundown on the rules as well – though we’d encourage you to have a look at our dedicated bingo rules guide to close any knowledge gaps.
The Best Bingo Variations
There’s several ways to play bingo, with the classic bingo variants at the forefront while new, innovative approaches to this game spruce up the selection at our favourite bingo sites online. Generally speaking, you won’t find much deviation in the rules: the crux of any bingo game lies in marking off the called numbers on your sheet in the search for a qualifying pattern. Nevertheless, you might encounter some slight variations here and there, including games that call for intriguing patterns. But let’s have a look at some of the most popular bingo games out there.
The above games are just a small sampler of what you can find out there. Our favourite here is the Bouncy Balls bingo, which is a more compact, 35-ball version based on a namesake slot. The tickets here consist of four different bouncy balls with animated faces, and bagging all four means you’ve got a full house!
Classic Bingo: Also Known as 90-Ball Bingo
This is the most common type of bingo online and offline, with “90-ball bingo” meaning that 90 balls are drawn. The tickets have 15 numbers each, distributed across a 9×3 grid. Your job is to mark the numbers called and hopefully be the first one to complete a pattern on the ticket.
Typically, this British bingo variant involves a fixed set of winning patterns. One line means you’ve got 5 adjacent numbers on a particular row, followed by a pattern of any two lines. The biggest win is the full house, which consists of all 15 numbers on a ticket being marked. In land-based bingo halls, each pattern would qualify for a different prize, from items to cash rewards. Online prizes still vary depending on the casino, week or even day or event.
75-Ball Bingo: The American Bingo Variant
The bingo style which is more prevalent in the United States is the 75-ball bingo. But don’t worry – you can enjoy this game also on British bingo sites, of course!
As the name suggests, it’s played with 75 balls, and the tickets consist of a 5×5 grid – with some even sporting a prominent B-I-N-G-O above the top row. Unlike the British bingo variant, 75-ball bingo isn’t limited to the traditional one line, two line or full house wins. Instead, the game may call for a variety of patterns – for instance four corners, a diagonal line or a cross in the middle. Also, the middle square of a ticket is already market, meaning it’s a free square and can be part of a winning line you complete.
80-Ball Bingo: A Mix of the Two Top Variants
Can’t decide which variant to go for first? Then you’re in luck because you can also get your hands on a friendly compromise between the two aforementioned styles. It is called 80-ball bingo, and, luckily, this variant has started making more appearances on bingo websites, thanks to a growing demand for variety.
The biggest difference to the previous two bingo types is, again, the nubmer of balls/numbers that are called, along with the fact that the tickets in 80-ball bingo have 16 numbers each on a 4×4 grid. However, the objective is the same: to be the first to land a single line of four numbers or any of the unique patterns that might be required to win. The gameplay here tends to be slightly faster, which is why many players have flocked to 80-ball bingo, especially online.
Fantastic Choice of Online Games
The classic bingo variants have been widely known in land-based halls for quite some time now. People have been playing bingo for decades, nay, centuries, so it’s only natural to have a couple of basic variants to turn to, whether 90-ball bingo, 75-balls bingo, or others. That’s why it’s no wonder we encounter these variants online with high frequency as well. Nevertheless, online bingo has given way to some new offshoots of the genre, which we can see with games like the 35-number Bouncy Balls Bingo, or other variants like 30-ball Speed Bingo on a compact nine-number ticket or the Flash Fives Bingo that’s played with tickets containing five playing cards.
Playing Online vs. The Classic Bingo Hall
There’s two sides to each coin, as they say, and this is no different when considering whether to play bingo online or offline. The social aspect is, of course, a completely different ball game when you’re playing in a land-based hall, though there might be some drawbacks here too, such as the fact that you can’t just play with one tap of a finger. And though the social side of things might be unique in brick and mortar halls, today’s online bingo rooms successfully mimic the lively atmosphere via user chat options. Plus, the choice of games online is a definite plus here as well, as you won’t be constrained to playing just one type of bingo and can switch between rooms with ease.