Chapter Ten: Bingo Strategy
Techniques to Turn Balls into Cash
In this chapter we will cover:
- Beginner bingo strategy: bankroll management, game selection, focus
- Intermediate bingo strategy: overcoming the average odds, how to play more per hour
- Advanced bingo strategy: bingo betting theories, including Granville's strategy
- Responsible gaming considerations
Bingo has traditionally been a game where strategy took a backseat to having a good time. Bingo is a social game where entertainment is the main aim. Indeed, because of the location, dynamics and relatively small prize pools on offer in bingo halls, players have not generally focused on strategy.
However, as online bingo has become popular and brought a new demographic into the industry, there has been a lot more focus on strategy in recent years. In fact, because online bingo has allowed players to play more and win bigger prizes (through guaranteed and progressive jackpot games), players are now looking at ways to boost their chances
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Beginner Bingo Strategy
The sole aim of any bingo novice should be to master the basics and ensure more is not lost than won.
Bankroll Management
A player has to put in place a set of rules that govern how much is spent on bingo activities. In specific terms, a player should not risk more than 3% of a bankroll on a single session. For example, if a bankroll was £1,000, then a player should not stake more than £30 per session.
Game Selection
Choosing the right game to suit a style of play and bankroll is important. Inside an online bingo platform games of all shapes and sizes can be found. This choice can be overwhelming for the novice, so a good way to choose the right game is to find one where the entry fee is around 10% of a daily bankroll. From the above example, this means a player should play bingo games that cost around £3.
Focus
Although online bingo sites will automatically mark off a player’s numbers if they wish, it is still a case of having to focus when playing bingo and this does not just mean when playing a game. Choosing a game, selecting the number of tickets to be bought, checking numbers and counting prize money all requires a certain amount of focus and attention.
Intermediate Bingo Strategy
Once a player has mastered the basics of bingo strategy, understanding the odds can be employed.
Understanding and Overcoming the Odds
To help get to grips with bingo odds, it is possible to use an online calculator. These calculators allow players to look at the likelihood of making a line, two lines or a full house under varying conditions. armed with this information it is possible to work out the potential chances of winning a particular game. common bingo odds include
- Minimum number of calls to make a full house = 15 (odds against =1 in 45,795,673,964,460,800)
- Odds of making a single line in five calls = 1 in 14,649,756
- Minimum number of calls to make two lines = 10 (odds against = 1 in 1,906,881,827,301)
- Odds of making a single line in 88 calls = 1 in 1
- Odds of making a full house in 90 calls = 1 in 1
Another way a player can improve the chances of success in the bingo world is to purchase more game cards than the average. Bingo's dynamics are such that one player has to win. Therefore, the more tickets purchased, the better the chances of success but this is only true if purchasing more tickets than the amount purchased by the average player.
For example, if 100 players have all bought two tickets each then each player has a 2% chance of winning (because 2 divided by 100 equals 0.02). So, if more than two tickets are purchased, it should, theoretically, improve the chances of scooping a prize.
Playing More Per Hour
Online bingo is set up in such a way that it is possible to play multiple games at once. This dynamic means that a player can increase an hourly win rate simply by adding more games to a typical session. For example, if a player managed to achieve a £10 per hour win rate playing two games, then this could theoretically be increased to £20 per hour by adding two more tables.
However, it is important to note that there is a point of diminishing returns with this strategy. If too many games are added and focus is lost then it can actually decrease the win rate.
Advanced Bingo Strategy
After mastering the basics and becoming comfortable with bingo's odds, the advanced player can use this knowledge to employ a more complex theory such as the one proposed by noted mathematician, joseph e. granville.
In simple terms, Granville's theory operates on the assumption that randomness cannot be predicted and he drew inspiration for this from the statistician L.H.C. Tippet who said: "As a random sample is increased in size, it gives a result that comes closer and closer to the population value."
Granville applied this to bingo by suggesting that the ‘population’ in the game is the master board (the board showing the numbers already drawn). According to Granville, the average of the numbers on the master board is half the number of balls in play (i.e. 75 or 90). As a game plays out, it can be seen that the average of the numbers called will gradually approach the ‘half number’ on the master board.
Therefore, in a 75-ball game, the average of 38 means the balls drawn should fall in line with this value. If this is known then it should be possible to choose game tickets that have an average close or equal to 38 and stand a better chance of winning.
Responsible Gaming
In addition to bankroll management, a player should never play if the following traits are noticed:
- A feeling of ‘getting a win back’
- Feeling emotional
- Feeling tired
- Spent more than a daily allowance
- Suffering a sustained losing streak
If a player cannot avoid playing during these times, online bingo sites allow a period of self-exclusion.
