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Bingo is one of the simplest games to play with potentially huge rewards and jackpot prizes. However, some bingo terms are quite unique and can be crucial in increasing your chances of winning. This Bingo Glossary covers everything you need to know about bingo before you start playing in bingo clubs or online bingo sites. For more information on how to play bingo, please visit the Bingo School section on Online Bingo Friends. 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 75 ball bingo - There are 75 numbers that are randomly called and players must match the announced pattern on their cards.
90 ball bingo – There are 90 numbers that are randomly called and players must get 1-line, 2-lines and full house to win. A Admission – Number of bingo cards to be purchased in order to enter the game.
Admission Packet - A minimum number of cards that you must purchase as the price of admission.
After Game - The game played after the end of a regular session of play in bingo clubs. This doesn’t apply to online bingo as games can be played 27/7.B Ball Gate - Part of the ball dispensing machine, the one-way flap at the top of the ball runway which the ball passes under to enter the main playfield area.
Ball Lifter - The mechanism used to raise the ball from beneath the playfield to the ball shooter tip.
Ball Runway - The channel where the ball is launched up by the ball shooter to enter the main playfield area.
Ball Shooter - The spring loaded plunger with a rubber tip used to launch the ball into the playfield area.
Barrier - A box section containing playing consoles and coin slots on both sides.
Basket Bingo - Bingo game where basket prizes are given.
Beano - A game in which players cover squares on numbers on the cards when corresponding numbers are called out. Bingo game was originally called Beano as beans were used to cover the numbers. Check out History of Bingo pages on onlinebingofriends.com for more details.
Bingo Bango Bongo - A points-based bingo game for two players or more.
Bingo Board - A display board, usually electronic that lights up showing each number as it is called.
Bingo Books/Booklets - A number of different coloured bingo cards bound together to form a book/booklet to be played one for each game at a bingo session. They are usually bound in the order in which they will be played.
Bingo Card - A card containing numbered spaces with which you play bingo.
Bingo Marker - A crayon or ink dauber that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo game card.
Blackout - (also Coverall) A bingo pattern where you must cover the whole card to win.
Blower - A forced-air device that mixes the bingo balls and dispenses them to the caller who announces the number and displays it on a bingo board.
Bonanza Bingo - A progressive coverall Jackpot that is usually played as the 13th game of the session.
Book - A series of tickets for bingo games.
Breakopen - A multi-ply card, made completely from paper or paper products, with perforated breakopen tab or tabs.
Buy-in - Buying bingo cards or an Admission Packet.
Buzzword Bingo - A game played using buzzwords instead of numbers. Players mark words and phrases on their card as they are spoken. C Caller - The person who calls out the bingo numbers.
Cash Ball - A progressive jackpot that pays off on the called number, drawn before the session begins.
Cash-In-Prize - A form of bingo where the prize is a cash payout. This is taken from the money paid in.
Casino Night (aso Vegas Night) - An event held for a specific period of time during which a qualified organization is entitled to hold casino-style gaming events.
Chat Games – Games played during or in between bingo games in the bingo room in online bingo sites. They are usually played with the help of chat masters, or CMs. Additional prizes can be won.
Chat Master (CM) - The person in charge of online bingo chat rooms and chat games. Also called the chat monitor or chat moderator.
Chat Room - A section in online bingo sites where bingo players can chat with each other, make friends, swap tips and play chat games for additional prizes.
Coverall - (also Blackout) A bingo pattern where you must cover the whole card to win.
Consolation Prize - The prize or prizes offered on some special games if there is no winner in a predetermined number of calls.D Dauber - Bingo dauber is an ink-filled bottle/pen with a foam tip on it used to mark bingo numbers called.E Early Bird Game - A bingo game that starts earlier than regularly scheduled games.F Face - The individual bingo sheet containing 24 numbers plus the free space in the middle.
Flimsy, Flimsies - Bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. Also called Throwaways.
Four Corners - A pattern where you must cover the corner numbers of the card. If you get those four numbers, you win.
Free Space - The center square of the card that is left blank. It counts towards your winning pattern.G Game Board - The display board above your card that shows the balls in play.
Game Room - Some online games divide the players into game rooms.
G.T.I. - An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.H Hard Ball - The first number drawn at the start of the bingo session.
Hard Card - A bingo card printed on heavy cardboard material usually with shutters to cover each number as it is called out.
Hardway Bingo - Bingo in a straight line without the use of the free space.
House - A casino or gambling center/centre or a gambling hall/property. Also the property owners or the operators of a gambling game, such as Bingo.I Inlaid Card - A pre-printed card, usually in 4x4 format laid into a table, and black discs are used to cover the numbers as they are called out.
Inside Square - A bingo pattern in 75-number bingo in which players must cover all the numbers in the I, N and G columns surrounding the free space, in order to win.
Instant Bingo - A breakopen ticket which contains the letters B I N G O, bingo card faces, bingo numbers, and no other symbols. Winning tickets may incorporate letters spelling the word B-I-N-G-O.J Jackpot - A big prize usually awarded for achieving a pattern, such as a coverall, within a specified number of balls.K L Late Night Bingo (Also Moonlight Bingo) - Session of bingo that starts late at night.
Lucky Jar (or Cookie Jar) - A container with cash. The winner gets the contents of the lucky jar when they bingo on the lucky number. The lucky number is usually the first number called at the beginning of a session. M Main Stage Bingo - The main event of a session of bingo, and the one said to draw the most customers.
Minimum Buy-in - The least amount that must be spent to be eligible for prizes.
Moonlight Bingo - Session of bingo that starts late at night.
Money Ball - A number drawn before the game that will double a player's winnings if bingo is hit on that number.
Multiple Winners - Two or more players bingo at the same time. When this happens, the cash prize is divided among them.
Mushroom - A group of bingo displays which takes its name from its shape. Customers sit around the mushroom to play, and there are usually 6 to 8 positions at each.N Nine Pack - Nine numbers in a block on one bingo card.O On - A player is said to be ON when one or more cards they are playing lacks only one number for a bingo.
On The Way - The game played on the way to the blackout game. It is played prior to the blackout on the same card. P Pattern - The shape that must be covered on the card in order to win bingo.
Parti - Short for participation bingo, parti is a type of slot or cash bingo in which the prize is cash and is dependent on the number of players.
Payout - The percentage of sales paid out by the House. The average payout among all bingo halls is approximately 75%.
Pod Top - The unit on top of the barrier that contains all the mechanisms used in the game, such as coin mechanisms, credit displays and claim buttons.
Postage Stamp Pattern - Matching four numbers to form a postage stamp (a 2 x 2 grid) in any of the four corners.
Prize Bingo - Until recently, this game was only played for a set prize or vouchers. Recent changes in UK law mean that now the prize may be cash of up to £15.
Progressive Jackpot - A Jackpot that starts from a minimum amount and increases until it’s won. Q Quickie - Numbers are called as quickly as possible & the card must be full to win Bingo.R Rainbow Pack - A paper pack that allows players to play for three or four different prize denominations at once.
Reno Night - An evening of casino games like blackjack and roulette. These are sometimes held in bingo halls but more often in restaurants and hotels.
RNG - Random Number Generator, the machine used to pick the numbers for a game of bingo.
Serial Number - The number printed by a manufacturer on each set of tickets/cards. Each ticket in a set contains the same serial number.S Series - Indicates the number of unique faces that a single set will contain. For example, a 9000 Series has 9000 unique faces.
Session - An entire evening or daytime program of bingo consisting of regular games usually played on hard cards and special games played on throwaways, flimsies or paper sheets.
Shutter Board - A hand-held re-usable plastic board with pre-printed numbers, usually in a 4x4 format. These numbers are marked off by closing shutters over them.
Single Line Across - A pattern in which a player has marked off all the numbers on one row of their card.
Six-pack - Six numbers in a block on one card.
Special - Games that usually are played with a different set of cards than the pack purchased at admission.
Speed Bingo - A variation of regular bingo. Numbers are called very quickly and you can bingo in as few as three numbers. Usually played before or after a regular session.
Speedgame, Speed Game - A coverall that is called very quickly. It is sold as a special game one card at a time.
Split Pot - A bingo game in which the winner splits the sales of the game (the pot) with the bingo hall or House. T Table Board Bingo - Table Board Bingo is a lottery scheme where players purchase the Table Board card and win prizes by being the first to complete specified arrangements or patterns of numbers on the Table Board Bingo device from numbers selected at random.
T.E.D. - An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.
Texas Blackout - A variation of bingo. The first number called will be either odd or even. If the first number called is Even then all the even numbers on all your cards are Wild (Jokers). Cover all the even numbers. If the first number called is Odd, cover all the odd numbers. The game then proceeds to a blackout.
Throwaways - See Flimsies above.
Tickets - These are printed pages on which the main stage bingo is played. They are laid out in grids, and normally come in books. Some tickets have bar-codes which describe the numbers on them and are used to help check claims.
Two Lines Across - A pattern in which a player has marked off all the numbers on two rows of their bingo card.
Validation - Eligibility required to win additional jackpot amounts. Price varies by number of cards played.U Ups - The number of bingo sheets used to make up a book.V Vegas Night - See Casino Night, above.W Warm Up - See early bird.
Wild Number - Usually played on a double bingo that leads into a triple bingo. The first number out of the hopper determines the wild number.
Wrap Up - The name of the last game of a session.X Y Z
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