Whether it is your friend’s baby shower or wife’s wedding shower or just another family get-together, Bingo is something that is constantly on the cards for the night. Being such an easy game to play, it proves to be one hell of an entertainer among a wide range of players! Every soul on the planet knows how to play the game, thanks to its extremely simple rules and game play. When traveling in large groups, the best time killer would be none other than a game of Bingo!
Besides, a good number of people, the only other requirement for a game of Bingo is a Bingo set. With so many versions of the game, the variety in Bingo sets is unlimited. A full set for Bingo essentially consists of Bingo cards, Bingo numbers and a board.
Bingo Cards
Bingo cards are simple cards made of cardboard or paper containing of either 3 x 3 or 4 x4 or 5 x 5 squares in them, each holding a number except the one in the middle, which is left blank. There are about 100 different sets of cards with different sequences. There are two types of sets available based on the Bingo cards – Reusable and Non-Reusable. Reusable cards are nothing but shutter cards. The number on each square can be folded backwards to mark them. After the game, they can be unfolded so they can be reused later. Another type of Bingo set can be called reusable when chips or coins are provided with the set. In this type, for each marked number a coin or chip is placed over it. This way they can be used again by replacing the coins. Non reusable cards, however, involve the use of markers or pens to strike out the called out numbers. Obviously, they cannot be reused later. Therefore, such bingo cards are made with thin paper so they can be thrown after using them just once.
Bingo Numbers
The numbers called out by the host in the game of Bingo are present in the form of Bingo balls. The balls are mixed in a bag and are randomly called out one by one. Alternatively, for high profile games, Bingo cages are used. A spherical cage contains all the Bingo balls and the cage is constantly rotated to ensure complete fairness in the game. A button is pressed on the cage, which will allow one ball to come out of the cage through a narrow path. This number is called out and then taken out to be added to the Bingo board.
Bingo Board
The Bingo board is relatively quite simple and does not vary in different sets. It has a slot for each Bingo number that is called out. The numbers are usually arranged in an ascending order. As soon as a number is called out, it is immediately placed on the Bingo Board. When a player claims to have won, his/her numbers are verified with the ones on the Bingo board before declaring him/her as the winner.
