Variations of Bingo
To make the game of bingo more exciting, there are different types of bingo that are played. One of the most common variations is horizontal bingo. In this you need to fill all the numbers on any horizontal line. The centre line has one blank spot. So in seventy five bingos you need to get four numbers. The second variation is called vertical line. In this you need to get all the numbers in a vertical line. Again it the middle line that most players get as there is a blank spot so again you only need to get four numbers. Then there is pattern bingo. The pattern that needs to be scored is explained by the person who is calling the numbers. Then there is diagonal bingo in which you have to get the numbers in a diagonal line.
Then there can be one line, two lines and three lines. And of course there is the full house in which you have to get all the numbers. It quite often happens that more than one player is a winner and the prize money is divided among the winners.
All these variations add to the excitement of playing bingo. Most players who have just one number left start sweating and eagerly listening to the numbers being called and if their number is called they immediately yell ‘bingo’. If someone else also yells ‘bingo’, the players know that the prize money will be divided. When there is a jackpot to be won, most players choose to play more than one card to increase their chances of winning.
Bingo – A Community Game
Bingo today has taken on a whole new dimension with online bingo. Like most other games that used to be played in clubs, halls, and sports arenas. Bingo has also gone online. There are the advantages of playing bingo online. But there are also it downside. There are millions of people playing bingo online and the thrill of winning is the same. But you don’t get the same atmosphere. You don’t have your family and friends sitting around the table. Between games you cannot stroll over to the bar to refresh your drink or stop to say hello to some friends.
Those who promote online bingo say that you can play at any time. So there is no waiting time to get into a game. Also you can play from anywhere. You don’t have to get a baby sitter or call a taxi. Also so get to meet people on line.
Well all this may sound like a lot of fun and very convenient. But why would I want to spend 8 to 9 hours working on a computer, get home and then again sit in front of a computer to play bingo. The whole point of bingo is that it’s a community game. You get a chance to go meet people, play a game which is neither taxing nor boring. You go out to enjoy. The difference is like going to watch the movie ‘Jaws’ in a cinema house or watch it at home on TV. The effects are missing. On the cinema house screen the shark is huge and frightening. On TV it looks like a little fish. Similarly the atmosphere of playing bingo in a bingo hall cannot be recreated by online bingo.