How to win at online bingo
You have learnt the bingo rules and gotten some practice in. Now it’s time to put your bingo luck to the test! As with any game of chance, there is no single guaranteed way to win but there are things a player can do to improve their chances.
In this guide, we will be talking about how small changes can help and how a little bit of smart thinking can make your bankroll go further. There is no silver bullet to winning in bingo online but every player can take steps to get better at making the right choices in bingo. Read on to learn more about it.
Learn the rules
In any game, whether it’s bingo, poker or snakes and ladders, you cannot hope to win if you don’t know the rules. Perhaps you have watched players enjoying the game or you are simply curious. Whatever the reason you become interested in bingo, your first step should be learning the rules.
The JohnSlots guide to the rules of bingo is a great place to start. It includes information on the terminology you are likely to encounter as you play, how a win is formed, what kind of odds are in play and more. There are many good resources out there, online and otherwise, that you can refer to as you learn.
Play the bingo games with the best prizes
This tip comes with a caveat. While you will most certainly be interested in winning a large cash prize, remember that other players will be thinking exactly the same thing as well.
The ‘sweet spot’ is to find different bingo games with a high enough prize that they are worth the tickets but that are not so high that they receive a lot of attention from other players.
Progressive jackpot bingo games, for example, are hugely popular because everyone wants the chance to win a massive prize. However, casinos will often set criteria that players must meet to access these games, precisely because the interest in them is so high.
Play free bingo
Free bingo games are invaluable to new players. Even experienced players can benefit from playing bingo for free. These games look and feel exactly like the real thing but no money is involved, either in buying tickets or as cash prizes.
Instead, players can play as much as they want for as long as they want, becoming familiar with the game’s rules and winning patterns as well as gaining a better understanding of ticket prices, game odds and more. Free bingo games are an excellent tool for players seeking to improve their game. And they’re fun!
Play when there are fewer players online
In bingo, all the participating players are vying for a slice of the prize pool. So it stands to reason that the fewer competitors there are in a game, the better your chances of winning. You are more likely to win if you are one of ten players than if you are one of fifty players.
The trick here is to play when others aren’t. Identify the busy periods at your preferred bingo casino and avoid them. Generally, games are the busiest over the weekends and on Thursday and Friday evenings, as people are unwinding after work.
If you can swing it, play in the mornings on weekdays or just after lunchtime. Avoid playing at the weekend unless you can do so quite early, while everyone else is having a lie-in.
Buy more bingo cards
This tip is fairly obvious but it does bear repeating. The more cards or tickets you have in play, the more likely it is that one of them has the winning combination.
While this might seem like a fail-safe way to win, you should keep in mind that tickets cost money and therefore, it’s important to weigh up the potential prize against this cost. If you are spending £10 on tickets in a game with a maximum prize pot of £10, the best you can hope for is to break even. Spending a tenner when the prize pot is £5 is just silly.
Test some bingo strategies
Unlike card games such as poker, blackjack or baccarat, there is little skill involved in playing bingo. The closest game it resembles, in terms of the role of strategy, is roulette. In both roulette and bingo, the skill lies in making the right choices when it comes to the numbers to bet on.
In bingo, every number has the exact same chance of being picked at random. Players generally fall into one of two camps. Those who prefer to play conservatively will spread their bets across as many numbers as they can. The thinking here is that multiple tickets covering a broad set of numbers are more likely to be successful.
The second type of player tends to favour high risk/high reward strategies. This means picking numbers from a specific range, across all the tickets in play. This is based on the idea that if a selected number is drawn, it will appear on multiple cards and thus has the chance of contributing to multiple winning patterns.
There are also formal betting strategies such as the Tippett and Granville strategies. These are based on mathematical calculations about how a bingo game might proceed and while they are helpful to players who have difficulty choosing their numbers, none of them can guarantee a positive outcome.
Only play when you feel like playing
Gambling should always be enjoyable. If you are tired, stressed or anxious, you are not in the right mindset to enjoy the game. The same goes if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Bingo is largely a game of luck but if your judgement is impaired, you will not be able to make the right choices when it counts.
It is important to be able to walk away from a game when you are no longer having a good time. Take a break or simply return another day to try again but don’t keep playing if you are not into it. At that point, continuing to play will quite likely result in poor performance and a hit to your bankroll.
Summary
Playing bingo can be exciting, fun and very sociable. While luck plays the biggest role in the outcome of any game, sticking to a few techniques can help you make the most of every round.
Frequently asked about winning bingo
What players often ask about winning bingo? Find out the frequently asked questions and their answers below.
Can you win money on online bingo?
Yes. Each game will have a prize pot and players who form winning patterns the quickest will get a share. If your card has the required winning pattern, you will automatically win. You only need a bit of luck to win. The wins can vary from smaller sums to several thousand pounds in jackpot bingo games.
What are the chances of winning online bingo?
To win at online bingo, you will need to form a winning pattern on your ticket/s and each card has an equal chance of winning. The odds in bingo are affected by four things – the number of cards, the number of players, the number of calls and the number of games played overall. The more cards you have, the better your chances of winning but the number of players can impact those odds.
How much can you win on online bingo?
The prize pool can range from just a few quid to several thousand pounds or more in progressive jackpot games. This information will be displayed in the lobby of any online bingo game. For example, in 2016 one lucky UK player won over 1,2 million pounds from online bingo.
