Bingo Lingo - A Glossary of Bingo Terms
Bingo Slang explained here
Here’s a list of the most common bingo terms out there but there’s sure to be many others. If you know of any, please email us at: info@loveagamble.com and we’ll add them to the list. Enjoy or play bingo right here, right now!
Admission Packet - A minimum amount of cards that you must buy to pay for your admission – ie. 3-6 cards per game.
After Game - The game played at the end of a session.
Ball Lifter - The device used to lift the ball from playfield to the shooter.
Ball Runway - The outlet where the ball is launched up by the ball shooter to enter the main playfield area.
Ball Shooter - The plunger used to launch the ball into the playfield area.
Bingo Board – Typically an electronic board that lights up each number as it is called.
Bingo Card - A card containing the 24 numbers and a blank space laid out in 5 rows by 5 columns.
Bingo Marker - A marker that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo game card.
Blackout - (or Coverall) The action of covering the numbers that have been called. The aim is to cover all numbers to win.
Break Open – Multiple cards made from paper or paper products with perforated break open tabs.
Caller - The person who calls out the bingo numbers as they are drawn.
Cash-In-Prize – A bingo game with a prize instead of cash payout.
Chat Room – Online chat room where players can interact with each other.
Dauber – A pen with a foam tip used to cross off the numbers called.
Early Bird Game - A bingo game that starts earlier than the scheduled games.
Face - Individual bingo sheet containing 24 numbers and one blank space.
Four Corners – The numbers on the four corner numbers of the card. If you get these four numbers, you win.
Free Space - The middle square on the card that is like a “joker” – this square counts towards your wining game.
Game Room - Some online bingo sites divide the players into game rooms or online bingo halls.
Hardway Bingo (Hard-way Bingo) - A game of Bingo played in a straight line without the use of the free space.
House (Bingo House) - A bingo hall or centre where the game is played. The house is also the property owner or operators of a gambling game, such as Bingo.
Instant Bingo – An open ticket which contains the letters B I N G O. Winning tickets have the word / letters B-I-N-G-O, or a bingo logo or pattern i.e., a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line.
Jackpot - A large prize awarded for accomplishing a tough bingo pattern. For example, a blackout within a specified number of balls.
Late Night Bingo – Also known as Moonlight Bingo, this is a bingo game that starts late at night, usually around 10pm.
Lucky Jar – Also known as Cookie Jar. A jar containing cash. It you hit BINGO on a specific number, you win the lucky jar and take the cash. The lucky number is usually the first number called at the beginning of a session. Money is added to the container each time the number is called. Also when the bingo caller makes a mistake in the game.
Minimum Buy-in - The minimum amount you have to spend to be eligible to play ion the game and for winning prizes.
Moonlight Bingo - Also known as Late Night Bingo, this is a bingo game that starts late at night, usually around 10pm.
Multiple Winners – When more than one player wins at the same time.
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.
Pattern – A bingo pattern is the pattern that is needed by the player to cover the numbers on the card, ie a straight line; horizontal, vertical or diagonal line.
Payout - The percentage of sales paid out by the House. Most bingo halls pay out about 75%. In State lottery games, about 45% is paid out.
Postage Stamp Pattern - Matching four numbers to form a postage stamp (a 2 x 2 grid) in any of the four corners.
Prize Bingo – Cash that is handed out as a prize for winning the game of bingo
Progressive Jackpot - A Jackpot that gets larger and larger over days, weeks or even months until someone wins the pot.
Quickie – A game of bingo in which the numbers are called at a fast speed and the card must be full and all numbers crossed off to win.
Quack quack – Two two's!
Rainbow Pack - A paper booklet that allows players to play for three or four different prizes at the same time.
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, an electronic devise used to pick the numbers for a game of bingo.
Session - An entire evening or daytime programme of bingo.
Shutter Board - A reusable board with pre-printed numbers, usually in a 4x4 format and made of plastic. Numbers are marked off by closing their individual shutters over them.
Six-pack, Nine-pack - Six or nine numbers in a block on one card.
Speed Bingo - A faster variation of normal bingo. Numbers are called very fast and you can bingo in as few as three numbers. This game is usually played before or after a normal session.
Speedgame, Speed Game – Same as above although this time, it is sold as a single game with a single card.
Split Pot - A bingo game where by the winner splits the sales of the game (the pot) with the bingo hall or House.
T.E.D., G.T.I. - An electronic marking system used to play multiple packs at once.
Texas Blackout - A variation of bingo. The first number called will be either odd or even. If the first number called is an even number, all even numbers on all bingo cards are considered wild cards or jokers. If the first number called is odd, all odd numbers are jokers and can therefore be marked off.
Tickets - 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.
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; for example, if 38 is called, all numbers ending in 8 should be marked off.
Wrap Up - The name of the last game of a bingo session.
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