How to Play Bingo
The goal in Bingo is to fill a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line on a gridded card by matching combinations of letters and numbers.
Up next in Board Games (15 videos)
Turn off the TV and get the family involved in a good old-fashioned parlor game; the rules are all here in this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- Bingo card
- Markers
- Announcer
Steps
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Step 1
Mark the center square
Place a marker in the center Bingo square. This is considered a free space.
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The traditional Bingo card is a 5-by-5 grid card of numbers with the letters B-I-N-G-O written across the top. The letters identify each of the columns.
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Step 2
Listen as numbers and letters are called out
Listen as letter and number combinations are called out by the announcer. Mark any square on your card that matches the number called.
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If B-10 is called out, for example, look in the B column for the number 10, and place a marker there if you find it.
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Step 3
Continue until someone wins
Continue playing until one player has covered a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal pattern of five grid spaces on their card.
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Step 4
Call "Bingo!"
As soon as you have marked five consecutive squares on your card, call out "Bingo!" The first player to get Bingo wins the game.
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Bingo was made popular by a traveling salesman who adapted it from a game he saw at a carnival in 1929. The game was called "Beano" and was played by covering the numbers on a card with beans.
