How to Play 90 Ball Bingo – One of the Most Popular Online Bingo Games

In Ireland, the UK and across Europe, the most popular online bingo game is 90 ball bingo. A number of different variants are available to the bingo playing public, including 75 ball, 80 ball, and 30 ball bingo. But 90 ball bingo is still the favourite. Possibly because it is the staple bingo game for land-based bingo halls. If you’re new to playing bingo, or have never encountered this bingo variant keep reading because we’re about to explain what it’s all about.

Introducing the 90 Ball Bingo Card

Some call it a bingo ticket some call it a card. Whatever your preference, the make-up is basically the same and consists of three rows and nine columns. The rows contain five numbered squares as well as four blank squares. The numbers in the squares range from one to ninety and the lines are arranged as follows:

• 1st column – 1 to 9
• 2nd column – 10 – 19
• 3rd column – 20 to 29
• 4th column – 30 to 39
• 5th column – 40 to 49
• 6th column – 50 to 59
• 7th column – 60 to 69
• 8th column – 70 to 79
• 9th column – 80 to 90

A 90 ball bingo game is almost always played using a strip of 6 tickets each. All 90 numbers will be displayed spread across the 6 tickets. Which means one number will be covered on every call.

Buying bingo cards/tickets

To buy online bingo tickets it’s just a case of clicking on the ones you want, or you have the option of letting the bingo system do it for you. When manually selecting tickets you choose them one ticket or one strip at a time, clicking on the ones you want to purchase. You also have the option of choosing an entire strip with one simple click. If you don’t like the look of the strip just click on “get a new strip” and it’ll be replaced with a new one. If you like the idea of a more random choice you can let the system choose for you. Simply click on the number of strips you want to purchase in the auto select strips box. The number of tickets bought will be displayed along with the price. To participate in an online bingo game you have to buy at least one ticket, up to a maximum of 96 (16 strips). You can only buy bingo tickets if there are sufficient funds in your bingo account.

How to play 90 Ball Bingo

Once you’ve bought your strip or strips of 6 tickets it’s time to start playing. You may have to wait a while for a game to begin, but it’s usual for games to begin every few minutes. A caller calls out numbers, from 1 to 90, one at a time, as they’re drawn by the bingo system. For every game, each number will only be called once. If the number appears on any of your tickets you’re able to mark it off, otherwise known as daubing. As the numbers are called during the game they appear in the top left-hand corner of the screen, displayed inside a bingo ball. It’s also possible to see the last five numbers called as they are usually displayed alongside or underneath it.

When it comes to daubing your bingo tickets there are generally a couple of options. You can daub yourself or let the system daub your tickets automatically. Autodaub is a great option if you’re worried about forgetting a number, or if you want to take a break from the screen, perhaps to make a cup of tea, and don’t want to miss any of the action. The default selection tends to be the automatic method, but it’s very easy to change it by going into the games settings.

What makes a winner in 90 Ball Bingo games?

There are three ways to win a 90 ball bingo game, which makes this game unique. It’s possible to win by getting a one-line bingo, a two-line bingo and a full house. Here’s how they get broken down:

• One-Line bingo win – All the numbers in any one single row on any ticket are covered
• Two-line bingo win – All the numbers in any two of the three rows on any ticket are covered
• Full-house bingo win – All the numbers in all three rows on any ticket are covered

When a player gets a win, the game stops for a short period of time and a message is displayed informing other players of who had the win and how much they won. At the end of the game all 3 winners will be displayed along with their prizes. That’s the basics of 90 ball bingo. When it comes to playing there are a number of different terms you’ll encounter, as well as reading them in the chat rooms. So you don’t feel left out, let’s share a few of them. The rest you’ll soon pick up along the way.

A lesson in bingo lingo for beginners – Part One

• 5 line bingo – Otherwise known as Swedish bingo and just another variation of the game
• 30 ball bingo – Also known as Speed Bingo, because it moves so fast
• 80 ball bingo – A modern bingo format introduced when online bingo started
• Bingo network – A group of online bingo sites belonging to the same network, generally using the same graphics, formats, promotions and pooling of jackpots
• Bingo schedule – A list of all the games due to take place, usually including starting times, the bingo room the game will be held in, number of players and prizes
• Bingo software – This is what powers an online bingo site and provides the games and support
• BOGOF – Buy one get one free, a special promotion whereby you buy one ticket and get one free
• Coverall – This is a bingo game in which all the numbers have to be covered in order to win, also known as a blackout game

This is just a small selection of the lingo used when playing bingo. We’ll bring you more on some of our other pages.