Non National Bingo Night specific Bingo terminology

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This bingo glossary can be a helpful reference for any bingo player.  These terms are not specific to the National Bingo Night television show.  Most terms apply to any traditional or "bingo hall" style game.  Review this glossary of terms, visit the NBNchat.com bingo forum for tips, tricks and recommendations.   Grab your bingo dauber and don't forget your lucky charms.  Have fun, we hope that you'll be a winner!

Rummy is a game of strategy and no longer considered to be gambling by the United States government.

Rummy Royal CAN accept US players!  Not only do they accept US players, they also accept PayPal as a form of payment and to release funds to winning players.

ABC

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is a television and radio network in the United States. Today, it is owned by The Walt Disney Company, and the company name is ABC, Inc. The studio headquarters are in Burbank, California, linked to the Walt Disney Studios by pedestrian bridge.

Admission

Eligibility to enter a bingo hall and/or participate in a bingo game.

Admission Packet
A minimum number of cards that you must purchase as the price of admission. Typically you must purchase an Admission Packet, which usually contains three to six card for every regular game, and may also contain some special games. Exactly what is part of the Admission Packet varies from hall to hall.

After Game

The game played after the end of a regular session of play.

Ball Gate

Part of the ball dispensing machine, the one-way flap at the top of the 'ball runway' which the ball passes under to enter the main playfield area.

Ball Lifter

The mechanism used to raise the ball from beneath the playfield to the 'ball shooter' tip.

Ball Runway

The channel where the ball is launched up by the ball shooter to enter the main playfield area.

Ball Shooter

The spring loaded plunger with a rubber tip used to launch the ball into the playfield area.

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Basket Bingo

Bingo game where "basket" prizes are given.

Bingo

1) A prize game played in halls. Basically, players buy cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid corresponding to the five letters in the word BINGO. Numbers such as B-2 or 0-68 are then drawn at random (out of a possible 75 in American Bingo, and 90 in British and Australian Bingo) until one player completes a 'Bingo' line with five numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize.  2) a game of chance where players are awarded a prize or prizes for being the first to complete a specified arrangement of numbers on bingo paper, based on numbers selected at random.  3) Bingo is a gambling card game named by analogy to the board game bingo. Each player is dealt X cards and Y cards are dealt face down in common. The value of each hand is the sum of the values of each card, where the cards have blackjack values. The cards on the board are gradually revealed with opportunities to bet along the way. Bingo is usually played high-low with the pot being split between the players with the highest and lowest point totals.

Bingo Board
A display board, usually electronic that lights up showing each number as it is called.

Bingo Marker

A crayon or ink dauber that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo game card.

Blackout/Coverall
This is a pattern where you must cover all numbers on the card to win.

Blower
A forced-air device that mixes the bingo balls and dispenses them to the caller who announces the number and displays it on a bingo board.

Bonanza Bingo
A progressive coverall Jackpot that is usually played as the 13^th game of the session. Forty-five numbers are drawn before the session and players mark them on separate cards and set aside. There is an additional fee to play this game, usually $1. The countdown begins at 48 numbers or less and go up one number per week to 52 numbers or until won. The amount of the jackpot is determined by card sales for that game.

Break Open

A multi-ply card, made completely from paper or paper products, with perforated break open tab or tabs. The game play area of the card is covered to conceal a number (s), letter (s) and/or symbol (s); some of which have been designated in advance as prize winners.
 

Buy-In
Buying bingo cards or an Admission Packet (see above). Converting cash into bingo cards.

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Caller
This is the person who calls out the numbers.

Card
A card containing 24 numbered spaces and one free space (blank), with which you play BINGO. The numbers are assigned at random on each card and are arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows (5 x 5 = 25 in total including the blank square). The numbers in the B column are between 1 and 15, in the I column between 16 and 30, in the N column (containing four numbers and the free space) between 31 and 45, in the G column between 46 and 60, and in the O column between 61 and 75. Players have thousands of unique (unduplicated) cards to choose from. Some manufacturers print unduplicated series of 6,000 cards. There are also series of 9,000 cards available. Hard cards and Flimsy cards have a series number printed on them. For example, card number 1252 will always have the same numbers in the same spaces.

Cased

When you are Cased you are one number away from winning.  Being Down to one number to call Bingo. - Thanks to  James for submitting the word!

Cash-In-Prize

A form of bingo where the prize is a cash payout. This is taken from the money paid in.

Casino Night

(Also, Vegas Night) - An event held for a specific period of time (generally beginning in the afternoon and ending by midnight) during which a qualified organization is entitled to hold casino-style gaming events. Games conducted include: Pull tabs, bingo, roulette, blackjack, poker, craps, gin rummy, five card stud poker, and merchandise wheels.

Consolation Prize
The prize or prizes offered on some special games if there is no winner in a predetermined number of calls.

Coverall
pattern where you must cover the whole card to win. Usually 50 to 60 of the 75 bingo numbers have to be called to cover all the numbers on a card. But blackouts in as few as 43 numbers have been recorded (Same as blackout).

Dauber
Bingo dauber is ink-filled bottle/pen with a foam tip on it used to mark called numbers. When you touch the bingo card with the foam tip it marks the square.

Early bird game
A bingo game that starts before another regularly scheduled game.

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Face

Is an individual bingo sheet containing 24 numbers plus the free space in the middle.
 

Flimsy, Flimsies
Bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. There are usually three cards printed on a single sheet but flimsies are also printed in one, two, four, six or 9-card formats. Typically a flimsy sheet costs one or two dollars and a win on a flimsy on a special game usually pays quite a bit more than a win on a regular game. Also called 'Throwaways' in some areas.

Free space
This is always the middle square of the card and is included in the current pattern counts towards your winning numbers.

G.T.I., T.E.D.
An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.

Game Board, Game board
An electronic display that is attached to the bingo board to show the pattern needed to win that particular game. It looks like a bingo card, shows what variation of bingo you are playing on that particular game on the program. An example would be: chevron,  four corners, regular, blackout, etc.

Game room
Some online games divide the players into game rooms. The smaller group makes a more manageable chat room.

Hard Card
A bingo card printed on heavy cardboard material usually with shutters to cover each number as it is called out.

Hardway or  Hard-Way Bingo
Bingo in a straight line without the use of the free space.

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House

A casino or gambling center/centre or a gambling hall/property. Also the property owners or the operators of a gambling game, such as Bingo.

Inlaid Card

A pre-printed card, usually in 4x4 format laid into a table, and black discs are used to cover the numbers as they are called out.

Instant Bingo

A break open ticket which contains the letters B I N G O, bingo card faces, bingo numbers, and no other symbols. Winning tickets may incorporate letters spelling the word B-I-N-G-O, or contain a complete pre-designated bingo pattern, i.e., vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line.

Jackpot
The jackpot is the largest prize for the game in question and is awarded when you make the pattern within the specified number of balls, referred to on your screen as 'balls to jackpot'.

Late Night Bingo(Also, Moonlight Bingo)

Session of bingo that starts late at night, usually about 10:00 pm.

Lucky Jar, Cookie Jar
A container with cash. You win the contents of the lucky jar if you get bingo on the lucky number. The lucky number is usually the first number called at the beginning of a session. Money is added to the jar every time the lucky number is called and usually if the caller makes a mistake in announcing the game. Usually you can win the lucky jar only on regular games. There is no lucky number in play on special throw-away games.

Main Stage Bingo

The main event of a session of bingo, and the one said to draw the most customers.

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Minimum Buy-In
The least amount you must spend to be eligible for prizes.

Money Ball
A number drawn before the game that will double a player's winnings if bingo is hit on that number.

Moonlight Bingo
Session of bingo that starts late at night, usually about 10:00 pm.

Money Ball

A number drawn before the game that will double a player's winnings if bingo is hit on that number.

Multiple Winners
Two or more players bingo at the same time. When this happens, the cash prize is divided among them. For example, if there are five winners on a $500 game, they each receive $100.

Mushroom

A group of bingo displays which takes its name from its shape - it has a narrow tubular base, and a wider head with the machinery used to play the game and collect money from players. Customers sit around the mushroom to play, and there are usually 6 to 8 positions at each.

Nicknames
This is a way of announcing or repeating the Bingo number drawn in a humorous way. In a crowded, noisy room, it also helps to confirm the number called. Bingo play using nicknames persisted in British Bingo halls until faster computer draws replaced air-blown balls.

National Bingo Night

A television gameshow airing in the United States.  National Bingo Night premiered on ABC television network on Friday May, 18th  2007.  Created and executive produced by Andrew Glassman (Average Joe), the series has a major interactive element, enabling viewers with home computers to play along and win prizes.

NBNchat.com

An online community for people who enjoy playing Bingo, with an emphasis on the National Bingo Night television show.
 

On The Way
The game played on the way to the blackout game. It is played prior to the blackout on the same card. First the preliminary game (s) are played and then more numbers are called until there is a blackout.

On
A player is said to be On when one or more cards they are playing lacks only one number for a bingo.

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Pattern
You only need the numbers that form the pattern found at the top right monitor of your screen to win the game. If you manage to do this within the designated balls to jackpot then you win the jackpot prize. If not, then you win the prize in question. If there is more than one winner, then the prize is divided equally.

Parti

Short for participation bingo, a type of slot bingo or cash bingo where the prize is cash and depends on the number of players, since the cash prize is at least 50% of the money paid in. The most common boards used for parti bingo are inlaid cards and hand-held shutter boards.

Payout
The percentage of sales paid out by the House. The average payout among all bingo halls is approximately 75 percent. This compares with a payout of approximately 45 percent on state lottery games.

Postage Stamp Pattern
Matching four numbers to form a postage stamp (a 2 x 2 grid) in any of the four corners.

Prize Bingo

Until recently, this game was only played for a set prize or vouchers. Recent changes in UK law mean that now the prize may be cash of up to £15.

Progressive Jackpot
A Jackpot that gets bigger until it is won. It builds daily, weekly, or monthly if it is not won in a specific number of calls. If there is no winner in X number of calls, consolation prize (s) of lesser dollar amounts are paid. Different variations of progressive games add dollars or numbers, or both, to the jackpot. There is usually a separate buy-in for Progressive Jackpot games.

Quickie - Numbers are called as quickly as possible & the card must be full to win Bingo.

Rainbow Pack
A paper pack that allows players to play for three or four different prize denominations at once.

Reno Night
An evening of casino games like blackjack and roulette. These are sometimes held in bingo halls but more often in restaurants and hotels, Eagles & Elks clubs and other fraternal organizations.

RNG - Random Number Generator; the machine used to pick the numbers for a game of bingo. Most are electronic.

Serial Number

The minimum number printed by a manufacturer on each set of game tickets/cards.

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Session
An entire evening or daytime program of bingo consisting of regular games usually played on hard cards and special games played on throwaways, flimsies or paper sheets. A session usually lasts somewhere between two and a half hours and three hours and 15 minutes.

Six-pack, Nine-pack
Six or nine numbers in a block on one card.

Special
Games that usually are played with a different set of cards than the pack purchased at admission.

Speed Bingo
A variation of regular bingo. Numbers are called very quickly and you can bingo in as few as three numbers. Usually played before or after a regular session.

Speedgame, Speed Game
A bingo game in which the winner splits the sales of the game (the pot) with the bingo hall or House. For example, the winner might get 60 percent of the sales and the house would keep forty percent.

Split Pot
A bingo game in which the winner splits the sales of the game (the pot) with the bingo hall or House. For example, the winner might get 60 percent of the sales and the house would keep forty percent.

T.E.D., G.T.I.
An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.

Texas Blackout
A variation of bingo. The first number called will be either odd or even. If the first number called is Even then all the even numbers on all your cards are Wild (Jokers). Cover all the even numbers. If the first number called is Odd, cover all the odd numbers. The game then proceeds to a blackout.

Throwaways
Bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. There are usually three cards printed on a single sheet but flimsies are also printed in one, two, four, six or 9-card formats. Usually a flimsy sheet costs one or two dollars and a win on a flimsy on a special game usually pays quite a bit more than a win on a regular game. (Usually called Flimsy or Flimsies).

Validation
Eligibility required to win additional jackpot amounts. Price varies by number of cards played.

VFW or V.F.W.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (re: Bingo Halls)
 

Wild Number
Usually played on a double bingo that leads into a triple bingo. The first number out of the hopper determines the wild number. For example, if 42 is drawn, all numbers ending in 2 should be marked off.

Wrap Up
The name of the last game of a session

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