There are several different ways to play the game of bingo. The purpose of this post is to familiarize you, the reader, with these variations on the game. I’ve also provided a chance for you to play bingo games completely free!

Let’s describe the different basic ways to play the game. The number of balls in the game is key to the way it is played.

90 Ball Bingo

This is the game that we should be the most familiar. You will be purchasing bingo tickets beforehand and listening as the numbers are called. The goal of the game is to win one of three prizes: Line, 2 Lines or House.

To win a Line, you will need to cover all 5 numbers in one of your three lines first. To win 2 Lines, you will need to be the first to completely cover any 2 of the 3 lines on a ticket. To win House, you will need to cover all three lines first.

The ticket is arranged as a 3 by 9 grid, giving us a total of 27 spaces. There are 5 numbers on each line of 9 spaces, giving us 4 blank spots in each line. Each of the 9 columns will include 1 or 2 numbers that are within a 10-number range; 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80 and 81-90. A proper bingo ticket will not include an empty column nor a column with 3 numbers.

75 Ball Bingo

This game has made its way into the majority of online bingo halls. Besides only having 75 Balls, the bingo card is shaped as a 5×5 square grid with 25 spaces. There are 24 numbers and a free space in the middle that is automatically covered.

The columns can only include certain numbers out of a 15-number range. In the American version, each column gets a letter that is called with the number. However, most bingo sites here will drop the letter and only call the number.

One of the major differences is that there is usually only one winner to the game. The only way to have multiple winners is to offer multiple prizes as players call Bingo.

The traditional way to win a prize in this game is to be the first person to cover a line of 5 spaces in any direction: Up/down, Left/right or Diagonal. Additional ways to win a prize include covering a pattern on the bingo card or coverall bingo games, where you must be the first to cover all spaces on a bingo card.

80 Ball Bingo

This is a relatively newer bingo game that is an attempt to combine the previous two. An 80 ball bingo ticket consists of a 4×4 square and all 16 spaces include a number. The columns will only contain numbers within a 20-number range.

The traditional way to win at 80 ball bingo is to be the first to complete a line of 4 numbers in any direction. Alternatively, you may also find some 80 ball bingo games that are coveralls (must cover all 16 numbers to win).

30 Ball Bingo

This game is not often found at online bingo halls. The tickets consist of a 3×3 grid with 9 numbers on it. Each column can only consist of numbers within a 10-number range. The goal is to be the first person to cover all 9 numbers.