Bingo – Strategy or Luck?

June 30, 2009 Articles

Written by Lisa (June 30, 2009 at 9:25 am)

As more people begin to try their luck at bingo, sites are becoming increasingly serious about the money on offer. But for the regular players that want to try and give themselves the best chance of winning these huge prizes, is there anything they can do in terms of bingo strategy, especially in bingo cards?

Bingo is one of the most typical examples of a game of chance. A series of numbers will be pulled out of a draw (or in the case of online bingo, through a computerised system) and these will be ticked off on your randomly generated card. This random number generator (RNG) powers the computer software, offering the bingo balls in random combination’s which will be based around something similar to probabilistic algorithms. That is to say, a pattern will draw a number, but it will also incorporate random aspects, which means you cannot predict the results logically. RNGs also create the bingo cards, and will generate new combination’s for cards at random every time you join an online bingo game.

You can’t play with the same numbers over and over again in bingo, because that would be contrary to the idea of the RNG. You’d be left with either an unfair advantage over your other roomies, or vice versa. In order to comply with the principles of the RNG, every player receives freshly generated cards when they purchase, to keep everything fair.

However, most bingo sites will allow you to swap your cards, until you get a combination that you think is best. The question is, are there actually any “good” cards and “bad” cards – in other words, cards that have a split of numbers that you are more likely to hear called, or cards that will be less likely to tick off?

This will vary based on whether you play 75 or 90 ball bingo, but the principles remain the same, and the idea is around the probability or likelihood that numbers will be called. Much has been said about the idea of number symmetry- that numbers which are spread across the card are more likely to be called than numbers clustered closer together. To demonstrate, take a look at the following two simplified cards:

Card A
3
2
5
7
6

Card B
8
4
1
15
12

If the numbers in the game are from 1-15, then you will see the symmetry across Card B is much better than Card A. For some serious bingo players, having a split of odd and even and high and low numbers is a more favourable combination than that of Card A, and this is something to look out for when you are selecting your cards. However, this does not mean that having Card A will guarantee you a loss, and if you are comfortable with the cards you have, there is no reason for you not to play them.

Another form of ‘strategy’ that some players use is to have familiar numbers. And if you play bingo enough, you will notice that some patterns come up more frequently than others. Although it is important to remember that past events have no influence over future events in games of chance like Bingo, it will not work against you to look out for popular numbers and purchase cards which will have these on there. Despite the fact that each bingo game will be an isolated event, if you keep your eyes open you will notice patterns, and can play these to your advantage.

One way of looking at bingo strategy is to personalise it, and trust your intuition. If there are certain numbers that you find lucky, you may find that these will give you the advantage in a game. Bingo is full of luck traditions – some people will only play certain games, some will only purchase an even number of cards, some even have lucky mascots to try and get luck on their side. By treating your cards as part of your own lucky strategy, you will find that you have a lot more fun playing bingo, as it becomes an experience for you. And having fun while playing online bingo is definitely the most important thing for any player, whether they are serious or not!

But if you want a definite strategy, then keep your eyes out on other games for popular numbers, and keep going until you get a card that has a split that is good for you. In both cases, there is one surefire way of improving your chances of playing, and that is to purchase more cards. You’ll find in many bingo games (and especially larger and more popular games where a greater number of players will lessen your chances of winning) that many players will buy the maximum number of cards per game. Every time you purchase a card, you are vastly increasing your odds of winning, whilst also making sure the playing field is even across your bingo roomies!

By selecting your cards carefully and get a combination of numbers that is right for you and by maximising your chances by purchasing multiple cards, you could find yourself cashing in and getting a big online bingo prize a lot sooner than you think!

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