Bingo strategies

Bingo is generally seen as an easy game. Young and old alike can learn and enjoy it, and while there's potential to win substantial sums, games like poker and roulette are seen as having a higher earning potential, as well as higher stakes. Whether you are playing online bingo or other games such as slots, there is still a strategic element to bingo. It's not all down to luck. Here are a few tips and tricks:

• Keep track of the pattern on your cards. It sounds obvious, but newcomers can find it hard to see the pattern on their cards, especially in a version with a complicated pattern such as a kite or a "crazy" shape. (Crazy usually means the game can be won by finding the pattern upside down or sideways, not only upright.)
• Play when few others do. The odds of winning a progressive jackpot game depend on how many bingo cards are in play. The fewer cards in circulation, the better your chance of winning. So it's better to play when there are few other players: go to the bingo hall when it's raining or on a quiet night, and you're likely to do better than when the hall is full.
• Buy multiple cards. Each card has an equal chance of winning, so the more cards you have, the more chance you have of winning the jackpot. The general advice is to look around, see how many cards other players have on average and, if you feel comfortable, add a few more. With experience, it becomes easier to keep track of several cards. Bear in mind that more cards cost more, and you may lose more money this way, so only do this in high-jackpot games you feel are worth the risk.
• Stay alert! It bears repeating. Countless small fortunes have been lost because a player was too distracted to notice the pattern appearing on a lucky card. If you're playing online, check out bingo bonus websites to play for free.