7 Tips For Playing (And Winning) Online Bingo

Beating the odds when playing online bingo is mainly pure luck. In many ways, that’s good news for players as it means everyone has an equal chance, whether you’re an experienced player or a novice. 

There are, however, a few things you can do to enjoy the whole experience and perhaps even increase your chances of winning.

If you promise not to tell anyone, we’ll share our top tips with you. Eyes down...

1. Timing matters

Obviously, the time you play will depend largely on when you’re available! If you do have some flexibility, though, it’s best to avoid peak times such as weekends, lunchtimes or evenings. 

The number of players doesn’t always make a difference to the size of the jackpot. However, at certain times, there’ll be more people competing for the same payout. 

If you have the opportunity to play at quieter times, such as early in the morning, late afternoon or night time, you could increase your chances of winning considerably. 

2. Budget wisely

As bingo is largely a game of chance, at some point you’ll lose a game. And then another. Your luck might change at some point, but it’s impossible to predict exactly when. 

Before you sit down to play, prepare a budget by writing down the amount you’re prepared to lose on a sticky note and put it somewhere prominent. 

Once you’ve reached that amount – stop. If there’s a little left in the pot, you can always roll it over into the budget for next time. 

3. Compare

Although the majority of sites out there are safe and reputable, you should always pick carefully. 

Ask friends for recommendations or use a comparison site (like ours!) which will give you honest reviews. For example if you are looking for a site with a great bonus you could try Betfred Bingo or if you are looking for one of the best sites to play on your mobile you might want to check out Bingo Stars. Many of the sites offer different features and playing methods, so a comparison site is a quick and efficient way of finding the ones that’ll suit you best.

4. Pick your cards

Most sites will allow you to buy multiple cards, so you increase your chances of placing a particular number. While this can be a useful strategy, it can also be confusing for novices – there’s nothing more frustrating than realising you did have a number after all, but it wasn’t on the card you were looking at! 

To solve this, some sites also have an ‘auto dab’ feature which will mark your card automatically. But otherwise, our advice is to start small and concentrate on one or two cards at once. 

5. Make new friends

One of the best things about playing online bingo is the chance to join online forums or chat rooms. It’s a good way to find out about new bingo sites starting up, what prizes are up for grabs or if any sites are offering bonus games. 

6. Try a strategy

Well okay, we have to admit it, there aren’t really any strategies as all online games should be using random number generators. However, with thousands of pounds up for grabs in prizes these days, it’s not surprising that one or two people have developed formal strategies over the years.

Granville strategy

Developed by American stockbroker and financial writer Joseph Granville. He believed it’s possible to identify a pattern in bingo numbers, even though those numbers are random. 

He calculated the odds of certain number sequences and thought that the most important part of any bingo game is choosing the right card. 

The ideal card contains a roughly even split between odd and even numbers and low and high numbers and should contain as many numbers as possible where the last digit is different. 

For example, a card containing the numbers 21, 65, 74 and 36 is better than one containing the numbers 21, 31, 44, 51. 

Tippett strategy 

Another theory, this time homegrown, was developed by London-born statistician Leonard Tippett. His idea was much simpler. 

For a game consisting of 75 balls, the more balls are called out, the more likely it is that they’re going to be close to the median number, which in this case is 38. The median is the number in the middle of the range and technically here it would be 37.5, but it’s been rounded up. 

For example, the first few numbers called out are more likely to be at one end or the other of the number range, and then as the game continues the numbers should start to ‘group’ around the middle.

7. Enjoy yourself

Online bingo is about excitement and the emotional ups and downs – but more than anything else, it’s about taking a few minutes out of your day to relax and have fun. And that’s the real aim of the game.