What Are The Odds Of Winning at Bingo UK

Bingo is a game of chance but for many players, the game is just part of a wider social activity. For centuries, Brits have packed into bingo halls, village halls, and community centres with their dabbers at the ready.

Playing online UK bingo is an opportunity to catch up with friends, socialise, and share your competitive energy as you try to land a full house. Even online, bingo games are

Like with any game, there are some players who take this competition more seriously than others. Whilst they may also be there to chat with pals, they play to win. If you’re one of them, you’re probably wondering what the odds of winning bingo games are and whether you can increase them.

The Basic Rules of Bingo

The rules of bingo are simple. You start a game by buying a card (or cards) with rows of numbers laid out in a grid.

The bingo caller will then announce “eyes down” to alert you to the start of the game and then begin drawing numbers and reading them out. If your card contains that number, you mark it.

The aim of the game is to match all the numbers on your card before anyone else. This is called getting a “full house” and the winning player will declare “house” to alert the caller and get them to stop drawing more numbers. Their card will then be verified and, if it has won, they’ll be awarded their prize.

Most games also include a smaller intermediary prize of a ‘line’ which involves matching all numbers on a single horizontal line. This works in the same way with the player shouting “line” and their win being verified.

In some games, there are multiple line prizes, such as for getting two or even three lines. This is most common in online bingo.

Playing bingo online has the same rules but wins are validated automatically without the need to shout (though you still can, if you want).

How To Potentially Increase The Odds Of Winning In Bingo

Your odds of winning a bingo game are the number of cards you have purchased divided by the total number of cards sold for that round. For example, if you purchased one card and there is a total of 100 players (each with one card), your odds of winning at bingo are 1/100 for that game.

Some players try to find ways to increase their odds at winning bingo games. Because it is a game of chance, these efforts don’t actually change the likelihood of you bagging a line or a house, but they can help your gameplay.

The most commonly cited way to increase your bingo odds is to buy more tickets. However, this isn’t quite true. Sure, it will increase your chance of winning in any single game, but the odds of any individual bingo card winning remain the same. At the same time, the return to player will also stay at the same level because you will have to spend more to play with more cards.

Veteran bingo players will also tell you that where you sit in a bingo hall is important. This doesn’t have any effect at all on your bingo odds, but it can be helpful in busy bingo halls to sit closer to the announcer or a speaker will make it easier for you to hear the numbers being called and not miss any.

Having your own dabbers and making sure that they work before the game starts also ensures you aren’t distracted. It’s also a good idea to have a spare just in case one dries up.

The Calls

Bingo callers speak a unique and distinct language, pairing numbers with humorous phrases like “two little ducks, 22” and “favourite of mine, 69”. Almost all bingo games use the same set of numbers running 1-90 so there’s no real advantage to be gained in this area.

Calculating the odds of a number being called on your card are a little more complicated to work out compared to the odds of winning a game as they change with each call. However, as each game progresses, the odds of a number on your card being called next increase. Here’s an example to help explain this.

If your card has 15 numbers and the game uses the standard 1-90 ball format, the first call gives you odds of 15/90 (1/6) of a number being called. If you don’t get a match the first time, the odds then change to 15/89 and then 15/88. If you then match on the third call, the fourth call odds for you are 14/87.

It’s important to remember that this is the case for every player, so any advantage is neutralised. Theoretically, a player with more numbers already marked will have longer odds of getting a match in the next call than one with more un-matched squares on their card. But you’d still rather be the player with the bingo card that’s closer to winning than one that’s further away.

The Number of Players

The number of players in a game can change your odds of winning but this is hard to control, it also only works in live games as video bingo games are not played against other people.

As we touched on earlier, a game with 100 cards in play means each card as a 1/100 (1%) chance of winning. If only 50 cards are in the game, those odds become 1/50 (2%).

The problem with relying on this strategy is that you don’t have much control over it. Of course, you could try to pick a day when fewer people are playing. For example, Friday and Saturday nights are likely to be popular times for bingo halls whilst a Wednesday is probably quieter (not accounting for any special promotions or events).

That still doesn’t guarantee better odds though. If you find yourself competing on a Wednesday afternoon against some particularly enthusiastic bingo players who have each bought 10 cards for a round, the number of cards in play will big higher.

The Number of Games You Play

Of course, you can use this principle in your favour too. Buying more cards means you have better odds of winning that single round. For example, having two cards out of 50 means your odds change from 1/50 to 2/50 (1/25 or 4%).

However, you have to buy each card, which means you will be using your bankroll more quickly, offsetting the improved odds.

Playing with more cards also increases your chances of missing one of the calls whilst you scan each row for the number that’s just been announced.