How Are Bingo Cards Numbered
If you’ve played bingo a few times, you’ll probably be pretty familiar with how bingo cards are numbered. If you’re new to the game though, we’re here to explain exactly what standard bingo cards will look like, so you know what to expect when you play your first game of bingo, either online or at your local bingo hall.
Design of Bingo Cards
The most popular bingo variation in the UK is 90-ball bingo – the form of the game with the most numbers. On a bingo card for 90-ball bingo, you’ll find that there are 27 numbers. These are arranged in three rows of nine numbers each. There are no blank spaces on a 90-ball bingo card, unlike in 75-ball bingo, which we’ll look at next.
In 75-ball bingo, which is the most popular version in the US, a bingo card contains 24 numbers, which are arranged in a 5×5 grid. This means that there are 25 spaces, so the central position in the grid does not have a number and instead it’s assumed that all players have already filled this position. This means that everyone essentially starts with one matched number on their card.
The other popular form of bingo is 80-ball bingo. In this form of the game, players receive a card with 16 numbers, which are arranged in a 4×4 grid. As with 90-ball bingo, there are no blank spaces on an 80-ball bingo card.
Placement of Numbers on a Bingo Card
At first glance, it might look like the numbers on a bingo card are simply thrown on there, with no logical arrangement. If you look closer though, you’ll see that the numbers do actually have some kind of order.
You’ll find that the smaller numbers are on the left-hand side of the card, and they get larger as they move towards the right. There are a set number of spots reserved for specific number ranges. For example, on a 90-ball bingo card, the first column is for numbers 1-9, while the second column is for numbers 10-19. This continues all the way until the final column, which will contain three numbers from 80-90.
The fact that the numbers have some kind of order is important to realise if you’re playing in a bingo hall. This is because it makes the job of marking your cards much easier. Cards are marked automatically when you’re playing bingo online though, so you don’t need to worry about being able to check numbers quickly.
That’s all there really is to know about the numbering of bingo cards. The best way for new players to get a sense of how bingo cards are designed is to play the game though, so why not head over to one of our recommended new bingo sites today and sign up?
