In this article, I will introduce you to the basic rules of the game Bingo and show you how to play. The object of the game is to be the first player to get a five in a row horizontally vertically or diagonally.
Setup
Give each player a scorecard and markers (some scorecards have built-in markers). Put all the bingo balls in the cradle and mix them up.
One person, ‘the caller’, mixes the balls and draws one at random. He then calls out the letter and number on the ball. Each player then marks the called letter on their scorecard. If it is present the caller sets the drawn ball aside to mark it.
If the player has five in a row they call out ‘bingo’. They read back their letters and numbers to the caller to confirm a correct win. If they are correct then the player wins. If they’re not correct or if no one called out bingo then the caller draws another ball and the process repeats until there is a winner.
The middle space on each board is the free space and always counts as if it has a marker on it. Another popular way to play is ‘blackout’. This is when the object of the game is for the players to completely fill their scorecard with marks instead of just getting five in a row.