An Array of Bingo Pattern Varieties

Bingo patterns and games in big, formal gatherings may be something like this. The occasion is always anchored by a caller who stands somewhere near the bingo machine where chips or balls are drawn to call out bingo numbers.

American bingo, the type that most people play, involves 75 numbers. While Australian and British bingos have 90. As the caller cal out numbers and have them on display in front, participants are given about 15 to 20 seconds to locate the called out number on their cards and mark them out. These are the three basic cards with bingo patterns already marked out:

The regular or stationary bingo patterns are already marked out on the card as thus and are immovable or unchangeable. The only thing we need to do is mark out the cards. If the markings fall on the marked out pattern, then a win can be claimed. This makes for easier recall of the pattern we are after, instead of glancing at a pattern display on a board from time to time. This also makes for an easier and more convenient check after a win is claimed.

Crazy or unusual bingo patterns are another type of marked cards. They afford easy re-positioning of the patterns on the cards. For instance, a "T" or "I" bingo pattern may be formed from different angles of the card, upright, sideward, or inverted. This also allows for flexible formation of the pattern on the card, making possible a workable "strategy" players can apply with just a little imagination. Formation of a pattern is not rigid as in a regular or stationary type, but may be adjusted.

Wild or irregular bingo patterns stay marked on the cards but their applications may be seen scattered on the cards. Other patterns are played, depending on the requirement of the moment. The most common are the straight-line patterns (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal), plus an occasional 4-corner pattern. Other interesting patterns are the "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" (three bingo winning patterns on a card, quite difficult, and hence "blood, sweat, and tears"), Six Pack (two-rowed six adjacent numbers), Eight States (fil the squares around the free space, among others.

The more patterns played in a session the better. Introducing new patterns gives renewed hope for participants, thinking that having the same patterns tends to favor only certain bingo cards. Thus, the more patterns we know the better we can handle a formal bingo gathering.