Bingo Terms and Meanings
Bingo is not all about announcing of numbers, marking cards and shouting Bingo if there is a possible winner. Bingo is also a lot of things. There are words that we all need to understand especially in the world of Bingo.
1. Admission This is given to anyone that is entitled to play Bingo on a Bingo Hall.
2. Admission Packet This details the minimum number of cards that a player may buy. This is how you may enter Bingo game. Or this number of cards will give you the permission to be admitted in.
3. After Game The end of every Bingo session is called "after game".
4. Ball Gate a part of the machine that dispenses the ball number. A gate way to enter the main area where the caller will get the numbered ball.
5. Ball Runner The area where the numbered ball is being launched.
6. Basket Bingo In a Bingo game a basket of prizes are given. This is how prizes are called.
7. Bingo Board An electronic board that shows the numbers that are being called by the caller. Every time a number is announced a light will turn on under the corresponding number.
8. Bingo Booklet or Bingo Books This is a sheets of paper that are bind together and appear in different colors. This is what players can play during one bingo round.
9. Bingo Card This is where players mark the numbers that are announced by the caller. This cards have 24 squared numbers with a free space in the middle. There are 5 column with the letters B, I, N, G and O on top. And under each letters are numbers. Letter B are the numbers 1 to 15. Letter I have 16 to 30. Under column N are 31 to 45, including the free space in the middle. Letter has 46 to 60. And last under letter O are the numbers between 61 to 75.
10. Bingo Marker In the old days bingo players used beans or rubber stamp to mark their cards. Now, they use a marker pen with different colors to cover the corresponding number. This is to avoid confusion if you already win or needed one more.
11. Blackout Also known as "coverall". This is one of the most popular and used pattern in a bingo game. This usually has the jackpot prize or the last session to be played. The player must cover all the numbers on their card in order to win.
12. Blower Like a huge blower from it's name that mixes the balls inside the machine.
13. Buy-in This is the process of converting your cash to cards.
14. Caller This is how a person that announces the numbers is called.
15. Dauber This is how the marker that cover the number on the card is called.
16. Early Bird If a bingo session begins early this is how it is called. Also in other bingo session this is also called the "warm up".
17. Face This is how a card is called.
18. Four Corners Another type of bingo pattern. This means that in order for a player to win one must cover the four corners of the card.
19. Free Space You can see free space in all cards. This is located in the middle under the letter N.
20. House This is how a casino or the gambling establishment is called.
21. Jackpot This is a huge prize. Normally this is the last game with difficult bingo pattern. Usually they use the Blackout patter for the jackpot.
22. Lucky Jar This holds the cash for the prizes
23. Multiple Winners There are chances that there might be more than one winner in one bingo round. If this happens the prize will be split into the number of winners.
24. Pattern This is how a winner is distinguish. Every round has different pattern and a player must cover the right pattern in order to win.
25. RNG This stands for "Random Number Generator". This means that the ball that are coming out from the dispenser is all in random.
26. Wrap up This means that you have reached the last bingo game for the night.
