Online Bingo Glossary

Here we provide the different short forms and lingo used in present online bingo games. It is vital that bingo players are familiar with this bingo jargon so that they are able to play and understand regular or online bingo games:

Admission - to be allowed entry into a bingo hall

Admission packet – the minimum number of cards a player is required to purchase in order to participate

After Game – a game played after a regular session

At the Beginning – bingo jargon for 1

Auto-purchase – where software automatically acquires cards for you at the beginning of the game.

Ball gate – the ball passes through this mechanism on its way onto the playing field

Ball Lifter – a mechanism used to lift the ball towards from under the playing field to the “ball shooter” tip

Ball Runaway – the narrow channel that the ball passes through to reach the playing field

Ball shooter – the mechanism that launches the ball into the playing field

Basket Bingo – a bingo game where “basket gifts” are dished out

Bingo Board – an electronic board that displays each called-out number

Bingo Booklets – a variety of colored cards grouped together, allowing one card to be played per game. They are grouped together in the same order allowing them to be played

Bingo Card – The card that the bingo game is played with. It consists of 24 numbered spaces and one blank space.

Bingo Marker – a marker used to color over the bingo numbers on the card.

Blackout – a pattern where the whole card needs to be covered in order to win

Blower – a device that mixes the balls and uses air to distribute them to the caller who then states the numbers.

Breakopen – a multi-ply card made from paper products, which contains punctured tabs.

Bonanza Bingo – A coverall jackpot commonly played after the 13th game of a particular session. There are forty-five numbers that are drawn before players mark then and set them aside. However, in order to play this game – a separate fee must be paid and sales from this fee are regarded as the jackpot.

Buy-In – the process of changing cash into bingo cards. This is also defined as buying an admission packet.

Cage – An enclosed mechanism used to mix the bingo balls

Caller – The person that announces the ball numbers while they are drawn from the machine

Cash-In-Prize – a bingo game where the winnings are cash payouts, using accumulated from the money paid in.

Casino night – An event held for a specific time or period. It allows a qualified association to hold casino-type gaming events.

Catch-Up – a feature that automatically marks your cards for all called-out numbers

Chat Room – A feature that allows bingo players to read and send messages to other bingo players

Checker – the person responsible for verifying the cards of a winner. Also known as a floor person.

Consolation Prize – a prize offered after there aren’t any winners after a certain number of calls.

Dauber – an ink-filled pen with the tip made of foam, used to mark the cards. This pen makes a square mark whenever used.

Dob Cards – There are all bingo cards that are disposed, also known as “throwaways.”

Early Bird Game – the first game played in a specific session. It can also been seen as a “warm-up” before other bingo games

Face – A single bingo sheet consisting of 24 colored spaces and a clear middle space.

Fingertip Card – A bingo card made from metal or plastic. All call numbers can be tracked by a closing a shutter

Flimsy, Flimsies – Bingo cards published on thin paper sheets. Also known as “throwaways”

Four Corners – a pattern where, if all the corner numbers are covered, you win.

Free Space – The numberless square that in the middle of the face.

G.T.I, T.E.D – A dauber that allows multiple packs to be played at the same time. However, there is a rental fee.

Game Board – A display board that displays the require pattern to win a game

Game Room – When playing online games, players are divided into different game rooms.

Hard Card – a bingo card published on a cardboard material.

Hardway Bingo – When a free space is omitted and a bingo game is played in one row.

House – A casino or the place where you are legally allowed to gamble.

Inlaid Card – a card printed in a 4x4 format. It uses black discs to cover the called out numbers

Instant Bingo – a break open ticket containing the letters B I N G O, card faces and numbers

Jackpot – The main prize awarded to the winner that achieved a difficult pattern within a particular series of balls.

Late Bird – a bingo game played after the normal session

Late Night Bingo – A bingo session played after 10pm. It is also known as Moonlight Bingo

Lucky Jar – A container consisting of the cash which is won by winning on a lucky number.

Master Board – A mechanism which the operator uses to position each ball after the specific number call-out. It is also known as a Rack

Main Stage Bingo – The biggest bingo event, which attracts the most players.

Minimum Buy-In – The minimum amount of spending to allow players to win prizes.

Money Ball – a pre-drawn number that will double the winnings of a particular player who hits bingo on that number.

Moonlight Bingo – a late session of bingo-playing after 10pm.

Multiple Winners – If two or more players call bingo, the prize money is divided evenly among the winners.

Mushroom – a display of bingo sets aligned in a mushroom shape. Players normally allocate themselves around the mushroom when playing.

Nicknames – a humorous way in which a drawn bingo number is called.

No Number – A difference in bingo in which numbers are drawn and then called until only one game card is left over completely unmarked. This card wins the prize.

On – a player is “on” if he/she doesn’t posses one number that allows him/her to win a bingo.

On the way – a game played that precedes the blackout on the same card.

Pattern – This vertical, horizontal or diagonal pattern is needed to cover the card.

Parti – This is the shortened form of “participation bingo”. It is a slot or cash bingo where the winning prize is cash and depends on the number of players.

Payout – the amount paid out by the bingo site/house. The average payout cannot exceed 75%.

Postage Stamp Pattern – a matching set of 4 numbers shaped like a postage stamp in one of the four corners.

Pre-purchase – a way in which players can order game cards in advance.

Progressive Jackpot – a jackpot that increases daily, weekly or monthly until a player wins it.

Pushout Card – a bingo card consisting of certain sections that can be pushed out freely by the player as the numbers are announced.

Quickie – a bingo game where numbers are called out as fast as possible and the card has to be full to win.

Rainbow pack – a paper pack that allows players to qualify for 3 or 4 prizes at once.

Reno Night – an evening of casino games normally held in restaurants or hotels and sometimes in bingo halls.

RNG – known as a “random number generator”. It picks out random numbers for a particular game.

Serial Number – a number printed on each set of cards by a manufacturer.

Series – it illustrates the number of unique faces that a particular set can contain.

Session – an afternoon or evening of regular bingo games, which can last between 2 to 3 hours. Hard cards are used in these sessions.

Shutter Board – a re-usable plastic board that consists of pre-printed numbers.

Six-pack, Nine-pack – a single card containing six or nine numbers in a block.

Sleeper – this occurs when a player realizes that a previous number had made him a winner.

Soft Card – a disposable paper card.

Speed Bingo – this is bingo played quickly and it allows you to win after three numbers.

Speed game – a unique bingo game when one card is sold at a time. The coverall is called very quickly.

Split Pot – this occurs when the winner splits the sales of the game among the bingo hall.

Table Board Bingo – Players are require to purchase the Table Board card and win prizes by being the first to complete certain patterns or arrangements on the Table Board Bingo device from random selected numbers. It can be combined with a regular bingo night.

Texas Blackout – this bingo game is played where the first number called is either even or odd. If it is even, all the even numbers are regarded as wild cards. If it is odd, then the odd numbers can be covered. The game then continues as a blackout.

Tickets – printed pages on which the main bingo events or main stage is played. It is normally printed in books. The tickets have barcodes on them, describing the numbers they contain.

Throwaways – bingo cards printed on thin paper sheets and they are also known as flimsies.

Validation – the process of ensuring that the player is allowed to win addition jackpot amounts.

VFW or V.F.W – Veteran of Foreign Wars (.e.g. bingo halls)

Wait – when a player only requires one number to call a bingo and win the game.

Wild number – a number determined by whether the first number is even or not. It is used in Texas blackout.

Wrap up – the last game of the session.