Bingo Terminology Explained: Succeeding from a Foundation of Knowledge

Even if you currently play online bingo, you will have most likely fell in love with the game and honed your craft in a local hall. It is here where you receive a true gaming education, as you get to grips with the pace of the game and the individual calls that accompany different action. Learning this unique terminology can have a huge impact on your ultimate success as a bingo player, regardless of where you eventually end up playing. For those who are new to the game, here are some of the key terms and phrases that you will need to learn. These include:

Caller
Whether this individual takes a human or virtual form, the caller draws the Bingo numbers and announces them during the course of each specific game. In the online format of the game, the caller is little more than a virtual figurehead, while the digits are produced using a random number generator (RNG). Traditional bingo callers arbitrarily select individually numbered balls from a box or sphere, before announcing audibly to all participating players. You job is to then mark these off until you have completed your game card and can call ‘house’.

Chat Games
From an online perspective, virtual chat rooms have added an additional dimension to the typical bingo experience. More specifically, they have heralded the emergence of new formats such as ‘chat games’, which are introduced in chat windows and afford players the opportunity to compete for some bonus cash. Managed by chat moderators and essentially serving as short, mini-games, these titles are potentially lucrative and should appeal to all players. If you have a desire to make money, this feature is even more alluring.

Strip
While every bingo player is familiar with the term ‘house’ (which is called when a player has ticked off all of the numbers of their game card), many formats offer additional chances of winning through the course of gameplay. This is where the term ‘strip’ comes into play, as this describes a completed row of six bingo tickets and in some instances it may be the trigger for a large cash prize. Although this is not a feature of every single bingo format, in instances where it is players will need to be aware of the terminology and its meaning.

Last updated: Jan 24, 2023