How to Play 75 Ball Bingo
75 ball bingo is the most popular type of bingo played in the USA, which is why at many sites you'll find it in rooms called 'Stars & Stripes' or 'Route 66' etc.
Unlike it's 90 ball cousin, the cards used in 75 ball games allow for a lot more variation in gameplay, each with slightly different ways to win. Each game can be played in any variety of styles, such as:
- Coverall / Blackout
- Any line of 5
- High 5
- Patterns
- Letters
Because it is online bingo, you don't have to worry about knowing how they all work, as cards are auto-marked and claim bingo for you, but if you wish to know more just scroll down and read more.
Tickets
In 75 ball bingo, the game is played with single tickets made up of a square 5x5 grid with numbers from 1-75 inside each square. The middle square is called the 'free space' and does not include any numbers as this is already 'dabbed' before the game begins.
If you are manually dabbing the tickets yourself, it is useful to know that each column will display a specific set of 15 numbers. Column 1 shows numbers 1-15, column 2 shows 16-30, column 3 shows 31-45 and so on.
Coverall / Blackout Games
Perhaps the simplest form of 75 ball bingo is the coverall game, sometimes called 'blackout'. It is the equivalent of a full house in 90 ball, in that to win you must be the first player to dab every number on one of your tickets to win.
Because of this, coverall games are often very long games so if you enjoy chatting these are good ones to play as you'll have lots of time to talk to other players before you get anywhere close to winning bingo!
Any Line Of 5 Games
As the name suggests, the way to win in this variation of 75 ball bingo is to be the first player to get a line of 5 numbers on your ticket. However, unlike in 90 ball where you have a horizontal line across, here you can win with a straight line in any direction, including horizonatally, vertically and diagonally.
Also, because the free space in the middle of the card is already dabbed each game, you technically only need 4 numbers to win if your line goes through this central square. So these games can be very quick indeed, especially compared to coverall.
High 5 Games
In this variation, there are a total of 5 prizes to win on each game. Players first player for one line (in any direction), then two lines, then three lines, then four, then finally five (coverall).
Some versions of this may restrict it so only horizontal lines count, some allow any direction to be played. It's not the most common version but it out there.
Pattern Games
Patterns 75 ball bingo is perhaps the most popular form of 75 ball that you'll encounter. Instead of playing for a line of 5 or coverall, here there will be a specific pattern or shape on the ticket that you need to dab in order to win.
In the example below from tombola I am playing first for a tree pattern. The ticket shows in yellow the numbers I need to get in order to win. If I get any numbers that aren't part of the pattern, it will still dab them but it won't count towards the game.
Players enjoy the pattern style games because they change designs after each game, and there are hundreds of possible patterns and variations to play.
Letters Games
To be fair, these are just the same as pattern games, only the patterns make the shape of specific letters. They play in exactly the same way as a patterns game.
How To Win At 75 Ball Bingo
As you should know, there is no way to guarantee a win or really increase your chances other than buying as many tickets as you can. However, that isn't always a cost-effective plan!
My advice is to play in quieter rooms or fair-and-square games, where you know all the players are allowed the same small number of tickets. Bingo75 at tombola is a good example of this, but only go there if you enjoy the pattern style of games. I don't think they do any of the other variations.
75 Ball Bingo Variants
Because 75 ball is so varied in itself, there aren't a huge amount of games where another unique twist has been added on to make it special. However, the one that stands out in my mind is Deal or No Deal Bingo 75.
It's one of my favourites I definitely recommend you try it out. It's available at all the Playtech bingo sites.
