Bingo Lingo

This page can be great especially for the ones who just entered in the wonderful world of bingo. In here you will find the explanation for all bingo call outs and bingo terms. This bingo lingos you will either hear in a bingo hall or you will see them used in bingo online.

Admission: To be eligible to enter a bingo hall and/or participate in a bingo game.

Admission Packet: A minimum number of cards that you must purchase as the price of the admission. Typically you must purchase an Admission Packet, which usually contains three to six cards for every regular game, and may also contain some special games. Exactly what is part of the Admission Packet varies from hall to hall.

Ball Gate: Part of the ball dispensing machine, the one-way flap at the top of the 'ball runway' which the ball passes under to enter the main play field area.

Ball Lifter: The mechanism used to raise the ball from beneath the play field to the 'ball shooter' tip.

Ball Runway: The channel where the ball is launched up by the ball shooter to enter the main play field area.

Ball Shooter: The spring loaded plunger with a rubber tip used to launch the ball into the play field area.

Bingo Card: That is the bingo sheet used to play bingo which have 24 numbered spaces and one free space (blank). The numbers are assigned at random on each card and are arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows (5 x 5 = 25 in total including the blank square). The numbers in the B column are between 1 and 15, in the I column between 16 and 30, in the N column (containing four numbers and the free space) between 31 and 45, in the G column between 46 and 60, and in the O column between 61 and 75. Players have thousands of unique (unduplicated) cards to choose from. Some manufacturers print unduplicated series of 6,000 cards. There are also series of 9,000 cards available. Hard cards and Flimsy cards have a series number printed on them. For example, card number 1252 will always have the same numbers in the same spaces.

Bingo Marker: A special crayon or ink dauber that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo game card.

Basket Bingo: It is a Bingo game where "basket" prizes are given.

Blackout: A pattern where you must cover the whole card to win. Same as coverall.

Bingo Board: A display board, usually electronic that lights up showing each number as it is called by the banker.

Bingo Booklets: A specific number of different colored bingo cards all containing the same number of faces (ON's) bound together to be played one for each game at a bingo session. The cards are bound in the order in which they will be played.

Bonanza Bingo: A progressive coverall Jackpot that is usually played as the 13th game of the session. Forty-five numbers are drawn before the session and players mark them on separate cards and set aside. There is an additional fee to play this game, usually $1. The countdown begins at 48 numbers or less and go up one number per week to 52 numbers or until won. The amount of the jackpot is determined by card sales for that game.

Breakopen: A multi-ply card, made completely from paper or paper products, with perforated break open tab or tabs. The game play area of the card is covered to conceal a number(s), letter(s) and/or symbol(s); some of which have been designated in advance as prize winners.

Buy-in: Converting cash into bingo cards.

Caller: Also known as the banker. The person (or machine) who calls out the bingo numbers.

Card: Your playing card, of course!

Chat room: A screen displayed parallel to your game where you can type in messages and chat to other players and read their responses.

Coverall: Same as blackout, you need to cover the whole card in oder to win.

Colors: The color of each sheet in your bingo book

Consolation Prize: In some special games, in case if there is no winner in a predetermined number of calls, may be offered a prize or prizes.

Cut: Indicates the direction in which a sheet of faces will be cut from the master sheet. (square, horizontal, or vertical)

Dauber: This is an ink-filled bottle/pen with a foam tip on it which is used to mark called numbers. When you touch the bingo card with the foam tip it marks the square.

Early bird game: The game that starts before another regularly scheduled game.

Flimsy: Bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. There are usually three cards printed on a single sheet but flimsies are also printed in one, 2, 4, 6 or 9-card formats. Usually a flimsy sheet costs one or two dollars. If you win with a flimsy the pay out is a bit bigger than on a regular game. Also called 'Throwaways' in some areas.

Four Corners: A pattern where you must cover the corner numbers of the card. With those 4 numbers you can win.

Face: Is the individual bingo sheet containing 24 numbers plus the blank space in the middle

Free space: The middle square of the card. You get it free every game and it counts towards your winning pattern.

Game board: The display board over your cards that shows you the balls in play.

Game room: Some online games divide the players into game rooms. The smaller group makes a more manageable chat room.

G.T.I., T.E.D.: This is an electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.

Hard Card: A bingo card printed on heavy cardboard material usually with shutters to cover each number as it is called out.

Hardway Bingo: Get Bingo in a straight line without the use of the free space.

Inlaid Card: A pre-printed card, usually in 4x4 format laid into a table, and black discs are used to cover the numbers as they are called out.

Instant Bingo: A ticket which contains the letters B I N G O, bingo card faces, bingo numbers, and no other symbols. Winning tickets may incorporate letters spelling the word B-I-N-G-O, or contain a complete pre-designated bingo pattern (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line).

Jackpot: This is a big prize usually given to the players who reach a difficult pattern (such as a blackout) within a specified number of balls.

Minimum Buy-in: The least amount you must spend to be eligible for prizes.

Moonlight Bingo: Session of bingo that starts late at night, usually about 10:00 pm.

Money Ball: A number drawn before the game that will double a player's winnings if bingo is hit on that number.

Mushroom: A group of bingo displays that gets its name from its shape - it has a narrow tubular base, and a wider head with the machinery used to play the game and collect money from players. Customers sit around the mushroom to play, and there are usually 6 to 8 positions at each.

ON: Refers to the number of bingo faces per sheet. A 6 ON would have 6 faces per sheet

On The Way: The game played on the way to the blackout game. It is played prior to the blackout on the same card. First the preliminary game(s) are played and then more numbers are called until there is a blackout.

Pattern: This means the shape how you need to cover on your card the called numbers. The most basic patterns are straight lines in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction. One popular pattern is the "blackout" or "coverall" where you have to cover the whole card to win.

Parti: This is a type of slot bingo or cash bingo where the prize is cash and depends on the number of players, since the cash prize is at least 50% of the money paid in. The most common boards used for parti bingo are inlaid cards and hand-held shutter boards.

Payout: The percentage of sales paid out by the House. Its value varies, depending on where you play.

Postage Stamp Pattern: Matching four numbers to form a postage stamp (a 2 x 2 grid) in any of the four corners.

Rainbow Pack: A paper pack that allows players to play for three or four different prize denominations at once.

RNG: Random Number Generator; the machine used to pick the numbers for a game of bingo. Most are electronic.

UP: Refers to number of sheets that are used to made your book. For example, 6 UP indicates that the book has 6 sheets of bingo paper

Series: The number of unique faces that a single set will contain. For example: a 9000 SERIES has 9000 unique faces

Set: 9000 bingo faces numbered in sequence and all one color

Speed Bingo: A variation of regular bingo. Numbers are called very quickly and you can bingo in as few as three numbers. Usually played before or after a regular session.

Speed Game: A coverall that is called very quickly. It is sold as a special game one card at a time.

Split Pot: A bingo game in which the winner splits the sales of the game (the pot) with the bingo hall or House. For example, the winner might get 60 percent of the sales and the house would keep forty percent.

Texas Blackout: A variation of bingo. The first number called will be either odd or even. If the first number called is Even then all the even numbers on all your cards are Wild (Jokers). Cover all the even numbers. If the first number called is Odd, cover all the odd numbers. The game then proceeds to a blackout.

Wild Number: Usually played on a double bingo that leads into a triple bingo. The first number out of the hopper determines the wild number; for example, if 42 is drawn, all numbers ending in 2 should be marked off.

Wrap Up: The last game of a session

Bingo Number Calls:

• 01 is called "At The Beginning / Kelly's Eye"
• 02 is called "One Little Duck"
• 03 is called "Cup Of Tea / One Little Flea"
• 04 is called "Knock At The Door"
• 05 is called "Man Alive"
• 06 is called "Tom's Tricks"
• 08 is called "Garden Gate"
• 09 is called "Doctors Orders"
• 10 is called "Tony's Den"
• 11 is called "Legs Eleven"
• 12 is called "One Dozen"
• 13 is called "Devil's Number / Unluck For Some"
• 14 is called "Valentines Day"
• 15 is called "Young and Keen"
• 16 is called "Sweet Sixteen"
• 17 is called "Dancing Queen"
• 18 is called "Coming Of Age"
• 19 is called "Goodbye-Teens"
• 20 is called "One Score"
• 21 is called "Key Of The Door"
• 22 is called "Two Little Ducks"
• 23 is called "A Duck And A Flea / Thee And Me"
• 24 is called "Two Dozen"
• 25 is called "Duck And Dive"
• 27 is called "Gateway To Heaven"
• 28 is called "Over Weight"
• 29 is called "Rise And Shine"
• 30 is called "Dirty Gertie"
• 31 is called "Get Up And Run"
• 33 is called "Dirty Knee / Two Little Fleas"
• 34 is called "Ask For More"
• 35 is called "Jump And Jive"
• 36 is called "Three Dozen"
• 37 is called "A Flea In Heaven / More Than Eleven"
• 38 is called "Christmas Cake"
• 40 is called "Naughty Forty"
• 41 is called "Time For Fun"
• 42 is called "Winnie The Pooh"
• 43 is called "Down On Your Knees"
• 44 is called "Droopy Drawers / Open Two Doors"
• 45 is called "Halfway There"
• 47 is called "Four And Seven"
• 48 is called "Four Dozen"
• 49 is called "Payout"
• 50 is called "Half A Century"
• 51 is called "Tweak Of The Thumb"
• 52 is called "Danny La Rue"
• 53 is called "Stuck In The Tree"
• 54 is called "Clean The Floor"
• 55 is called "Snakes Alive"
• 56 is called "Was She Worth It"
• 57 is called "Heinz Varieties"
• 58 is called "Make Them Wait"
• 59 is called "Brighton Line"
• 60 is called "Five Dozen"
• 61 is called "Bakers Bun"
• 62 is called "Turn On The Screw"
• 64 is called "Red Raw"
• 65 is called "Old Age Pension"
• 66 is called "Clicketty Click"
• 67 is called "Made In Heaven"
• 68 is called "Saving Grace"
• 69 is called "Any Way Up / Either Way Up"
• 70 is called "Three Score And Ten"
• 71 is called "Bang On The Drum"
• 72 is called "Six Dozen"
• 73 is called "Queen B"
• 74 is called "Candy Store"
• 75 is called "Strive And Strive"
• 76 is called "Trombones"
• 77 is called "Sunset Strip"
• 78 is called "Heavens Gate"
• 79 is called "One More Time"
• 80 is called "Eight And Blank"
• 81 is called "Stop And Run"
• 82 is called "Straight On Through"
• 83 is called "Time For Tea"
• 84 is called "Seven Dozen"
• 85 is called "Staying Alive"
• 86 is called "Between The Sticks"
• 87 is called "Torquay In Devon"
• 88 is called "Two Fat Ladies"
• 89 is called "Nearly There"
• 90 is called "Top Of The House / Top Of The Shop"