5 Big Reasons to Play Bingo If You’re Tired of Casino Table Games

For years, I stuck exclusively to table games, slot machines, and video poker. To me, these were considered the casino classics we all know and love. Eventually, I branched out to poker tournaments (didn’t we all at some point?), and I even scratched out a few keno cards on occasion.

But there was always one section of the casino I never explored, and that was the bingo hall. Fortunately, a friend recently dragged me along for bingo night, and I’m happy to report that I just might be hooked! Simply put, bingo is a blast. So, read on for five reasons why you should give the game a try if table games are getting stale.

1 – You Probably Know the Rules Already

My generation grew up playing bingo in school, with instructors using the fun game of chance format as a teaching tool to make vocabulary drills more relatable.

But even if you’ve never heard of the game in your life, it only takes a minute or to master the basic rules of bingo. A standard bingo card uses a 5×5 grid with the letters B-I-N-G-O labeling the five columns. The grid itself is filled in with random numbers between 1 and 75, beginning with the 1-15 group under the B column, 16-30 under I, 31-45 under N, 46-60 under G, and 61-75 under 0.

The center space is left blank and marked with “FREE,” which means you start every round with that particular space marked off.

The name of the game in bingo is marking off spaces based on the random draw. A “caller” will tumble a drum of balls and pull them one at a time, calling out “B-11,” “N-37,” “G-46,” and so on. As the numbers are revealed, players scan their cards and use a special pen known as a “dauber” to mark the corresponding spaces.

The objective of bingo is to complete a certain pattern designated before the game begins. The classic version of bingo ends when a lucky player completes any horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. Casino bingo utilizes this format in some games, but spices things up by adding a long list of additional patterns to chase.

You might be playing “L” bingo, which requires the entire B column plus the entire bottom row to be filled out. The “Six Pack” version challenges players to fill out any 2×3 rectangle, which obviously resembles a six-pack of beer or cola, to win the game. And in “Four Corners Under N,” you’re looking to mark off all four corners of the card along with the entire N column.

The most popular pattern to shoot for in casino bingo is known as the “Coverall,” which as you probably guessed, requires all 25 spaces to be covered for a winner.

Whatever pattern you win with though, the best part comes when you shout “Bingo!” to alert the caller—and your competitors in the hall—that you’re the latest winner.

2 – Bingo Jackpots Can Rival Many of the Topline Slot Machine Payouts

God bless the folks who invented progressive jackpots.

While the major progressive slot machine jackpots usually get the publicity, bingo uses the same system to build massive six- and even seven-figure paydays. The Station Casinos family of off-Strip casinos in Sin City runs a popular “Jumbo Progressive Jackpot” which uses a starting seed of $100,000.

Every casino operator uses its own format and rules for these major progressive jackpots, so be sure to read the fine print before diving in. Or better yet, just tap your neighbor on the shoulder in between rounds and ask how the jackpot game is played.

3 – The Bingo Community Warmly Welcomes Newcomers

Tapping a stranger on the shoulder to ask a question will usually earn you a dirty look at the blackjack table. And don’t get me started on how rude craps regulars can be when a newbie shows up.

But at the bingo hall, my experience was surprisingly made more enjoyable by the inviting nature of the regulars. Before heading out alongside my friend, I watched a bingo documentary that portrayed hardcore players as stern and serious. That flick left me feeling a bit intimidated when I walked in, but almost immediately, I could sense that my fears were unfounded.

Everybody was smiling and chit-chatting in between rounds, catching up on one another’s family lives and genuinely enjoying the conversations. I figured this camaraderie was a product of a close-knit group of regulars, as we were playing at a small “local’s” casino. So, you can imagine my surprise when I sat down and heard the woman to my right introduce herself right off the bat.

She must have been able to spot a bingo rookie a mile away, because she quickly asked if I needed an extra dauber before furnishing her homemade ones with evident pride. My new bingo buddy also checked out the package of cards I had purchased, before letting me know how to save a few bucks with another option. Finally, she whipped out a chart showing all of the bingo patterns we’d be playing that night so I could consult it on the fly.

I can’t promise a similar experience every time out, and maybe I just got lucky when I chose an empty seat, but somehow, I doubt it. Bingo players tend to be a little older than the tourists at the table games, so they don’t need to put on airs or act tough like the younger crowd. And because bingo is a social game by nature, the atmosphere in a typical hall is lively, upbeat, and positive.

4 – Casino Bingo Offers More Options Than the Classroom Versions

That chart she had on hand certainly came in handy, because casino bingo offers rapid-fire gameplay with a ton of patterns to play for.

On a subsequent trip to The Orleans for Power Bingo, I went all-in a full package of cards to play all 30 rounds scheduled for the day. And let me tell you, I’ve never seen so many shapes to shoot for in my life.

Just get a load of the various winning patterns we played for during the daily Power Bingo event:

• Letter X
• Double Bingo
• Triple Bingo
• Two Postage Stamps
• Three Postage Stamps
• Indian Star
• Small Picture Frame + 4 Corners
• Diagonal and Hardway
• Crazy T
• Double Hardway
• Large Crazy Kite
• Triple Bingo With Wild Number
• Cloverleaf
• Broken Picture Frame + 1 Bingo
• Crazy Pyramid
• Percent Sign
• Fly Swatter and Fly
• 4×9 With Wild Number
• Three Layer Cake
• Coverall

For each of the rounds you see above, the winner wound up pocketing a $10,000 prize. As you might imagine, a ton of fun was had that day as dozens of five-figure paydays were cashed in.

And because I know you’re wondering, I was indeed one of the big winners—thanks to whatever the heck a Large Crazy Kite is—but I’d be writing this bingo primer even if Lady Luck wasn’t smiling my way that day. After all, I was having a great time well before shouting out “Bingo!”

5 – You Can Spend the Whole Day Playing Bingo

The Power Bingo promotion was a special event, so we paid a bit of a premium for the chance to chase higher prizes. I went with a 12-pack + 6 cards free deal for $300, which comes to a $450 value thanks to the freebies.

If that’s more than your gambling budget can bear, don’t worry! Daily and nightly bingo nights at your favorite casino are much more affordable. The South Point, for example, pays out $1,000 prizes with players ponying up anywhere from $32 to $76 for various card packages.

All in all, you can easily spend hours playing bingo for the price you’d pay for a few minutes on the tables or machines.

Conclusion

Bingo might not be the first option for most casino gamblers, but I’m willing to bet it would be if they gave the game a shot. Big-time jackpot payouts, a slowly building sense of “sweat” as your card fills up, and the pure joy that hits when you finally get to yell that magic word—bingo has everything a gambling enthusiast can ask for.

Add in some nice people who put your average grizzled casino gambler to shame, and the bingo hall is where I’ll be whenever the table game grind gets old!