Winning a game of bingo comes down to who fastest to make the right pattern on their bingo ticket. Patterns are formed as you daub off the matching numbers on your ticket when they’re called out and come in a variety of shapes and forms.
Depending on what type of bingo you’re playing, the pattern that you’ll need to make in order to win can change. Some games also allow multiple patterns and offer different prizes for each.
Some patterns are relatively easy to form and can be made quite quickly while others or much harder and won’t show up in the majority of games. The prizes won from a pattern will usually be related to how hard it is to achieve as well as how many players are in the room.
We always recommend you quickly brush up on the rules of the bingo room you’re in, so you’ll know how to play bingo. This will give you an idea of what you need to do to win. Playing with patterns can be a lot of fun because of the huge variety of different patterns available.
Patterns have different probabilities of occurring too, which means that each game is different, and it’s fun to work out the possibility of a pattern win occurring.
We’ll be sharing more details about the different patterns in the game of bingo, including commonly seen patterns and the rarer ones. We’ll explain the types of bingo patterns, how many bingo patterns there are and how many ways you can win. If you are interested in more insides for about bingo than visit our bingo guide.
PLAY NOW
Popular Bingo Patterns
There are loads of different types of bingo patterns, far too many to list here. However, we’ve listed some of the most popular pattern types with some information about them and their difficulty.
Most of these are patterns that are found on 75 ball bingo games, but some can feature in 90 ball bingo games too. If you’re wondering which pattern you need to win, you can check the details in the rules of the room before you buy your tickets.
In most cases, patterns such as 1 line, 2 lines and a full house will always be used while a special pattern might be the key to winning the jackpot.
1 Line
This is one of the three standard bingo patterns and the easiest to achieve. It’s simply a single line of numbers. Whether you need four or five numbers will depend on whether you’re playing 75 ball or 90 ball bingo.
In 75 ball bingo, the line can be in any direction including horizontal, vertical and diagonal. With 90 ball bingo, however, it can only be horizontal. In some cases, a bingo game may also reward players for forming a line in a specific location on the ticket.
For example, there could be an additional prize for a horizontal line across the middle of the ticket.
2 Lines
Just as with 1 line, the 2 lines pattern is used in every game of bingo. To make this pattern, you simply have to form two lines on the same bingo ticket. The direction the lines can go in will depend on the type of bingo you’re playing, and the direction of the first line.
Full House
The third standard pattern is the full house, where every available space on the bingo ticket has been covered. The full house is the final prize and will signify the end of the game, so it usually offers a greater reward than the two previous patterns.
Four Corners
This is actually one of the simplest patterns in the game as it only requires you to complete four spaces on the ticket. This pattern is used in 75 ball bingo and is often the quickest to complete as it only requires four numbers. A four corners pattern will usually need to be completed within a certain number of balls in order to win.
Letters and Numbers
Letters and numbers are probably the most commonly used bingo patterns outside of the lines and full house. These are some of the easiest patterns to make and are simple to understand.
Some common ones include the letter T, the letter H, the letter X and various numbers including three, four, seven and eight.
Because everyone instantly recognises a letter or number, they’re pretty easy for players to use. Some of these patterns are a bit harder to achieve than others but generally speaking, they’re all fairly straightforward to understand.
Top Middle Bottom Line
The top, middle, bottom pattern is a 75 ball bingo pattern sometimes known as layer cake. It involves three separate horizontal lines, crossing off the top, middle and bottom rows of the grid.
This should leave just two visible rows of numbers remaining on the ticket while fifteen numbers in total have been daubed. This is a difficult one to complete because of how many numbers need to be daubed and it will often award a big jackpot to the lucky player that completes it.
Outside Edge
Completing the outside edge is no easy feat as it involves daubing off sixteen numbers all around the edge of the ticket.
This is a pattern exclusively for 75 ball bingo as it needs to feature a square ticket. It's not as common as some other pattern types but is often used to award a progressive jackpot or similar type of prize.
Any Four Numbers
This is one of the quickest possible patterns to complete as it only involves four numbers. That makes it even simpler than a standard 1 line pattern. The pattern might call for the numbers to be in a specific place on the ticket or it may simply say that the four numbers can be anywhere at all.
Because of how quickly this pattern can be achieved, prizes are normally smaller than usual but the fast-paced nature of the game means you can get more games into a shorter space of time.
This is available to play on 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo although it’s usually only seen in 75 ball games.
Clock
A clock or clockface pattern is where a large circle is made around the outside of the ticket with a clock hand on the inside of the circle.
As with the letters and numbers, this one is pretty easy to recognise as a clock. However, unlike the letters and numbers, it’s often harder to make.
The clock pattern leaves eleven free spaces on the ticket. In most cases, the clock hand can be anywhere on the face of the clock, but some online bingo games may require it to be in a specific position in order for your pattern to win.
Windmill
Lots of bingo rooms make use of the windmill pattern as, just like with the clock pattern, it’s pretty easy to recognise.
This is a 75 ball bingo pattern that makes use of all but eight spaces on the ticket. It forms a square of four spaces in each corner along with the free space in the middle of the ticket to form a shape that’s reminiscent of a traditional windmill. As this pattern is relatively hard to achieve, it often rewards the winner with a jackpot.
Bell
Bell patterns feature an old-style bell which also looks a bit like a Christmas tree. When playing Christmas bingo, you might see the bell pattern renamed as a Christmas tree pattern.
The bell pattern consists of thirteen daubed numbers with twelve free spaces remaining. As with a lot of the other patterns featured on this list, this pattern is only found when playing 75 ball bingo.
Pyramid
Made famous by the Ancient Egyptians, the pyramid is a 3D square shape, although on your bingo ticket it will be completely 2D. A pyramid pattern uses up just nine spaces on the ticket, making it one of the easiest patterns to make other than the single line.
Some bingo rooms might allow you to have your pyramid pattern any way up while others may specify if it has to be pointing in a certain direction to win.
Arrow
The arrow is another multidirectional pattern which can be formed in any corner of the 75 ball bingo ticket. This pattern also fills just nine spaces, making it relatively straightforward to form.
You can also win with an arrow pattern pointing in any of the four possible directions, going diagonally across the ticket. Arrow patterns are fun to make, and games with these patterns can be completed quickly due to the lower number of spaces required.
Bingo Pattern Odds
The odds of achieving a certain bingo pattern will depend on the type of game being played and the number of spaces on the ticket needed to complete the pattern. Often, the more numbers a pattern requires, the lower the odds of achieving it.
For that reason, you often see bingo jackpots awarded to difficult patterns that require a lot of numbers. These patterns will often have to be completed within a set number of balls which adds some extra difficult and changes the odds.
The exact probability of achieving a bingo pattern depends on the type of bingo game being played, the number of tickets you have, the number of tickets in the room and the number of spaces required to complete the pattern.
Calculating the exact odds is difficult, but you can make a rough estimate based on the number of tickets and how many numbers you need to daub off to complete the pattern.
Remember that easier patterns require fewer numbers to complete. Completing a four-corner pattern before the 20th ball has a higher probability than completing a windmill pattern before the 50th ball.
Now, you know everything!
Register today at PlayOJO and get 50 free bingo tickets. Enjoy fun time with your pals in the bingo rooms and be surprised by the bingo numbers. The full house is knocking at the door!
PLAY NOW
FAQs
Most Famous Types of Bingo Patterns? ›
Popular Bingo Patterns. w – The arrow pattern can usually be formed in any corner and a diagonal that stretches to the opposite corner. B & O – For this bingo pattern, to win, every square in the B and O line are covered. Blood, Sweat & Tears – This bingo pattern is comprised of three bingos on the same card.
What are different bingo patterns? ›Popular Bingo Patterns. w – The arrow pattern can usually be formed in any corner and a diagonal that stretches to the opposite corner. B & O – For this bingo pattern, to win, every square in the B and O line are covered. Blood, Sweat & Tears – This bingo pattern is comprised of three bingos on the same card.
What are the most common bingos? ›Yes, data has it that the luckiest and most frequently called winning number* has in fact been revealed as Tom Mix number 6! When it comes to Bingo, winning is all about luck.
What are the winning patterns in bingo? ›In most bingo games, there are five ways to win: five in a row, blackout, X, and 4 corners. However, many bingo halls also have “special pattern” games to keep things interesting. For these special pattern games, mark your cards with a highlighter to help you remember which squares can win.
How many bingo patterns are there? ›The combinations of the "N" column differ due to the use of the free space. Therefore, it has only (15*14*13*12) = 32,760 unique combinations. The product of the five rows (360,3604 * 32,760) describes the total number of unique playing cards.
What is a typical bingo grid? ›A standard bingo card contains 25 squares with 5 rows and 5 columns. The columns are labeled B, I, N, G, O in that order. The numbers are filled from the top to the bottom of a column, beginning with 1 in the B column.
What is the witches hat pattern in bingo? ›Witch's Hat
This pattern is a Halloween favorite. It requires 13 numbers: the last bingo number, the bottom three numbers under the “I” column, the entire “N” line, the bottom three numbers in the “G” line and, lastly, the final number in the “O” line.
A typical bingo game utilizes the numbers 1 through 75.
What is the Tippett bingo strategy? ›Tippett's theory suggests that how to win bingo online will be based on having more numbers called in the game, the more numbers that will be based on the overall median number. As an example, you have 99 bingo balls, and the game will be short. You want to choose the numbers that have more closeness to one and 99.
What numbers should I pick for bingo? ›For example, if there are 99 bingo balls in play, and it's a short game, choose cards with numbers closer to 1 and 99. If it's a long game, choose numbers that are closer to the median number, 45. Skilled bingo players will know which games will go for longer and which games are usually decided in fewer calls.
What are the easiest bingo patterns? ›
Letters and Numbers
These are some of the easiest patterns to make and are simple to understand. Some common ones include the letter T, the letter H, the letter X and various numbers including three, four, seven and eight. Because everyone instantly recognises a letter or number, they're pretty easy for players to use.
So, back to the big question – is bingo a game of chance or skill? The answer is that the outcome is determined entirely by luck (or lack thereof!). Since numbers are chosen randomly, it's impossible to influence the game's course or conclusion in any way – although there are ways to improve your chances of winning.
What does 69 mean in bingo? ›69 – Favourite of mine. 25 – Duck and dive. 70 – Three score and ten.
What is 27 bingo called? ›| 1 – Kelly's eye | 46 – Up to tricks |
|---|---|
| 27 – Gateway to heaven | 72 – Six dozen |
| 28 – In a state/Over weight | 73 – Queen bee |
| 29 – Rise and shine | 74 – Hit the floor |
| 30 – Dirty Gertie | 75 – Strive and strive |
“book ends” means the first and last numbers on each of the three horizontal lines in a box are all announced by the caller and marked on the scorecard. “bottom line" means all numbers in the bottom horizontal line are announced by the caller and marked on the scorecard.
What is best odds bingo? ›What Is Best Odds Bingo? Best Odds Bingo (or BOB) is a 50 ball bingo game where every player has an equal chance to win.
Does bingo have to be 5 in a row? ›The players check all of their cards to see if that number appears on their card. If it is, they mark it. When a player has a BINGO (5 in a row, column, or diagonal), he or she calls out BINGO. The game pauses while the card is verified.
What is bingo algorithm? ›(algorithm) Definition: A variant of selection sort that orders items by first finding the least value, then repeatedly moving all items with that value to their final location and find the least value for the next pass. This is more efficient than selection sort if there are many duplicate values.
What is blackout pattern in bingo? ›What is Blackout Bingo? For those of you raised on video games who perhaps have not had exposure to the endless, plodding pleasures of live bingo, the variant known as “Blackout Bingo” dictates that you must cover every spot on your card to win (instead of the customary vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line).
What is the secret of bingo? ›Don't Skimp on the Cards
The more bingo cards you hold, the better your odds of winning. After all, if a number shouted isn't on one card, it almost certainly will be on a subsequent one. The more bingo cards you have to choose from, the better your chances of making a pattern.
What does 9 on mean in bingo? ›
What is a 9-on? This is the "pack" that regular games are played on. Each sheet in the pack has 9 bingo cards on it. Each card face is another opportunity to win. For example, if game 1 is a "regular bingo," you will search all 9 cards for the pattern.
What is 77 called in bingo? ›77. Double Hockey Sticks. If the number seven is lucky, then the number 77 has double the luck. Some bingo callers might use the term “double sevens,” “lucky sevens,” or “two little crutches” for a visual nickname.
How do people score so high in bingo? ›The quicker you mark a number after it's called, the better. You will get bonuses if you do it fast enough, as well as additional boosts. Plus, the quicker you're able to get through numbers, the more likely you are to stack up bingos, boosts, and points.
What do you shout in bingo? ›There are no formal rules as to what can be shouted, but most players will shout "yes" or "bingo".
How do you outsmart bingo? ›- Buy more cards.
- Pick the best seat in the house.
- Come fully equipped.
- Play with fewer people.
- Learn the rules.
The Houdini is a 2 up card, when the Caller starts to call he/she will call a number like N-32, this means you cover N-32 and the reverse number I-23, if G-53 is called you will also cover N-35, is B-10 is called you will also cover B-1, if B-14 is called you will also cover N-41 and so on till you have a full card ( ...
What is Kelly's eye in bingo? ›The pun is military slang; possibly a reference to Ned Kelly, from Ned Kelly's helmet, the eye slot resembling the number 1.
What is a lucky 7 in bingo? ›What is a Lucky 7? A Lucky 7 Bingo bet is named after the pattern made on the betting slip. There are 7 selections in a 3×3 grid with two squares left empty. It is made up of 1 sevenfold, 1 fivefold, 2 trebles and 9 doubles.
Can you win bingo vertically? ›Players can win by marking off horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Players can also win by making patterns, like in 75-ball bingo. You'll find out which patterns you need to make before the game starts.
What is one line the hard way in bingo? ›A hard-way bingo is a bingo pattern in a straight line without the use of the free space.
How much does the average person spend at bingo? ›
Typically, to play one of every game for the session would cost approximately $20. Prices and payouts will vary on advertised specials. How long does bingo last? A regular session typically lasts about 3 – 3 ½ hours.
What is a hot ball in bingo? ›The Hot Ball number is determined by drawing one of the 75 bingo balls and is done late enough to allow for sales but before the first game to which it applies.
How many balls should be in a bingo set? ›There are 15 balls of each red, blue, green, yellow, and white, 75 balls in total. It's becoming a prize possession of many Bingo enthusiasts and board gamers alike.
How do you make bingo fun for seniors? ›- Music Bingo. Instead of numbers, use the names of popular old-time songs on your bingo cards. ...
- Famous People Bingo. Put names or pictures of famous people in place of the numbers on your bingo cards. ...
- New Bingo Patterns. ...
- Themed Bingo. ...
- “Have You Ever” Bingo. ...
- Community Bingo.
Forty. Some say life begins at conception, some say it begins at birth. But for the bingo callers of the Continent, “Life begins” at 40!
What is the bingo slang for 22? ›22 Two little ducks The numeral 22 resembles the profile of two ducks. Response is often "quack, quack, quack". 26 Two and six, half a crown.
What does red raw mean in bingo? ›64. Red Raw, Almost Retired - Red Raw is a simple rhyme. Almost Retired refers to the fact that 65 was the age at which men could claim their state pension. 65.
What is Bob Ross bingo? ›Bob Ross Bingo - 4 cards
Created by. Gabbi Kastner. A happy little activity for anyone! These 4 different bingo cards go along with any episode of Bob Ross ' "Joy of Painting". Categories include "colors, tools, sayings, content, and sayings".
As 'housey-housey' found a home amongst British army troops, a number of bingo nicknames found their origins in mid-20th century military slang. Number 9 – Doctor's Orders supposedly comes from the slang term for a laxative pill given to troops by army doctors in World War II.
Why is 77 Sunset Strip in bingo? ›'Doctor's Orders' (9) relates to the name of a laxative tablet taken by soldiers during the second world war, whilst 'Sunset Strip' (77) refers to an old TV show. Similarly, 'Tom Mix' (6) is a reference to an old American movie star, and 'Trombones' (76) comes from a song in a musical called The Music Man.
What does the 3 curved lines symbol mean? ›
The triple bar or tribar, ≡, is a symbol with multiple, context-dependent meanings indicating equivalence of two different things. Its main uses are in mathematics and logic.
What are the 4 ways to win bingo? ›- Buy more cards.
- Pick the best seat in the house.
- Come fully equipped.
- Play with fewer people.
- Learn the rules.
Double Bingo
A winning pattern in 75-Ball Bingo requiring that a player complete two lines in order to win (any combination of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal).
Don't Skimp on the Cards
The more bingo cards you hold, the better your odds of winning. After all, if a number shouted isn't on one card, it almost certainly will be on a subsequent one. The more bingo cards you have to choose from, the better your chances of making a pattern.
Number 9 – Doctor's Orders supposedly comes from the slang term for a laxative pill given to troops by army doctors in World War II. Gross.
What does 66 mean in bingo? ›64 – Red raw. 65 – Old age pension. 66 – Clickety click. 67 – Stairway to heaven. 68 – Saving Grace.
Why do people yell 40 at bingo? ›Forty. Some say life begins at conception, some say it begins at birth. But for the bingo callers of the Continent, “Life begins” at 40!
What is cookie jar bingo? ›“Cookie Jar Bingo” A game of chance in which players pay a set fee into a cookie jar or other container and receive a number which entitles the player to a chance to win the total funds in the cookie jar or container.
What is the fastest bingo pattern? ›Four Corners
This pattern is used in 75 ball bingo and is often the quickest to complete as it only requires four numbers. A four corners pattern will usually need to be completed within a certain number of balls in order to win.
The same study that found six and four to be the most commonly-called bingo numbers also found that 42, 62, 72, 51, 64, 81, 47, and 57 were called more frequently than average. These numbers could change at any time, so of course, choosing bingo tickets with them on does nothing to alter your chances.