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Bingo, like all good games, has developed its own jargon over the years, expanded further by its move onto the Internet. To help you unravel some of this ‘Bingo lingo’ you’ll find below a glossary of some of the most common terms you’ll find when playing or reading up on online Bingo
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 Balls |
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Often used interchangeably with ‘numbers’, and arising from the traditional method of calling the numbers in land-based Bingo clubs using individually numbered balls.
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| BBs |
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Shorthand for ‘Bingo Bucks’ which are comps (see below) sometimes offered as incentives in online Bingo halls.
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| Bingo Board |
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This is the display board, or screen area in online Bingo, where each number is shown as it is called. The board may also display the winning pattern in 75-ball games. See also Game Board.
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| Black Out |
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This means to successfully mark every number on a Bingo card. See also Coverall and House..
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| Bonus |
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Bonuses are credits or other incentives used by online Bingo halls to encourage players to join and to play more games. See also Welcome Bonus and Match Bonus.
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| Card |
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A Bingo card is a grid containing a unique set of numbers. 75 ball and 90 ball Bingo games use different layouts, however the aim is the same – the player marks the numbers on the card as they are called, hoping that they can mark all the numbers off before any other player. See also ticket.
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| Caller |
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The announcer of the randomly selected numbers as they appear during the course of a game of Bingo.
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| Chat Rooms |
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Chat rooms are virtual spaces provided by online Bingo halls that allow their players to communicate with each other using text messages viewed in real time on a scrolling electronic message board. Sometimes online halls will offer several chat rooms tailored to specific topics of interest, and there are also games that can be played amongst players using the facility..
Like mobile phone text messaging, a number of acronyms and deliberate misspellings are commonly used to speed up ‘conversations’ and have become part of chat room culture. Typical ones are:
BLNG - Better luck next game.
CM - Chat Monitor or Chat Manager (see separate entry below).
CUL8R or CYAL8R- See you later.
GL – Good luck.
GL2U - Good luck to you.
GLA - Good luck all.
GLE - Good luck everyone.
GLNG - Good luck next game.
JK – Joking.
SOHF - Sense of humour failure.
SRY –Sorry.
TY – Thank you.
TYVM - Thank you very much.
3TG – Three numbers to go before I can win.
2TG - Two numbers to go before I can win.
1TG - One number to go before I can win.
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| CMs |
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Chat Monitors or Managers are employees of online Bingo halls who oversee activities in the chat rooms. CMs typical roles are to promote discussions, police behaviour and also host chat games.
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| Comps |
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‘The term Comps’ comes from a contraction of ‘complimentary’. They are ad hoc incentives employed by online Bingo halls to reward loyal or big-spending players. In online Bingo, comps usually take the form of additional credits made to a player’s account, but can also be non-cash prizes.
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| Coverall |
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See Blackout above.
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| Dauber/Dabber/Dobber |
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The customized marker pen used by Bingo players to indicate the called numbers on their cards. In the real world this is a large, stubby, flat-tipped felt pen, and online Bingo hall software usually offers a simulation. It is also common to find an ‘auto daub’ option at online Bingo halls; this feature will automatically mark a player’s card(s) as numbers are called.
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| Early Bird |
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The first bingo game of a Bingo session.
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| Eyes Down |
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The phrase used by the Bingo caller to alert players that a game is about to be commence with the calling of the
first number.
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| Four Corner |
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A Bingo game in which the winning pattern on the card requires the players to mark all four corners.
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| Game Board |
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Another term for the Bingo Board.
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| House |
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Another term for Blackout (see above).
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| Instant Win |
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An alternative, quick result game offering a chance to win an instant cash prize. Instant Win games are a common feature of online Bingo software, as a side-attraction to complement the scheduled Bingo games, and often take the form of virtual
scratch cards or simple slot machines..
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| Jackpot |
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The main prize offered for a particular Bingo game. See also Progressive Jackpot
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| Line |
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A line of numbers on a Bingo card, including any spaces.
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| Lingo |
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A description of the Bingo-specific terminology that has grown up around the game, often rhymed as "Bingo lingo".
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| Log In |
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The process of a player entering a unique password and username registered by them at a specific online Bingo hall to identify themselves and access the site’s secure playing area
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| Match Bonus |
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An incentive often used by online Bingo halls to attract or retain customers. The company credits a player’s account with a bonus that matches, or is a percentage of, a deposit made by that player. There is usually a maximum amount set by the hall that can be paid as such a bonus
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| Pattern |
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Certain games of 75-ball bingo are won by players marking the numbers on their cards to create a certain shape. This could be a simple pattern like Four Corners (see above), or a more complicated design like a letter of the alphabet. See also Shape
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| Payout |
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This is a regular statement by an online Bingo hall to declare the amount of money it’s paid as winnings during a specified period. A useful indicator of the integrity and popularity of a hall
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| Payout |
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This is a regular statement by an online Bingo hall to declare the amount of money it’s paid as winnings during a specified period. A useful indicator of the integrity and popularity of a hall.
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| Progressive Jackpot |
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A Jackpot that grows over time, usually through a percentage of the price of all cards being sold for a particular game or games being added to an initial fixed sum. Progressive jackpot games (often simple called ‘Progressives’) stipulate conditions for winning that are usually to achieve a winning card within a certain number of balls. If a progressive jackpot is not won during a particular game, it is often ‘rolled over’ to the next qualifying game.
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| RNG |
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Acronym standing for Random Number Generator, a hardware or software device used to select numbers without bias.
The software RNGs used by online Bingo halls to call numbers are usually independently certified by reputable
institutions to guarantee fair play.
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| Session |
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A scheduled series of Bingo games. For example, real-world Bingo clubs often break their opening times down into
evening and afternoon sessions.
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| Shape |
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An alternative description for the winning pattern required in 75 ball Bingo.
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| Split Pot |
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A Jackpot that is split equally between two or more players who all win a single Bingo game on the call of the same number.
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| Tickets |
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Alternative term for Bingo cards.
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| Welcome Bonus |
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A credit often paid into a player’s account by online Bingo halls when that player signs up as a member.
N.B. These types of bonus are always subject to terms and conditions that do not allow a player to simply
sign-up then cash the bonus, so do read them to understand how you can use this ‘free’ money.
See also Match Bonus.
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| WRAP or WRAP-UP |
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The final game of a Bingo session. See also Early Bird.
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