Going into any situation in life, it’s always best to be prepared and this is even more true when there is money on the line.

Ultimately, bingo, just like all other forms of gambling, is a game of chance. However, there are various ways to tip the scales of luck more into your favour and maximise your chances of winning in online bingo. There is absolutely no guaranteed way to win in bingo, and I would question anyone who tries to convince you otherwise, but there are certain strategies you can undertake to give you a slight advantage.

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Perhaps you are brand new to the game of bingo, or perhaps you have just started playing online. Either way, this article will cover everything from timing, budgeting, quantities, and various playing strategies to give you the very best chance to not only win a game of bingo, but to win consistently.

Timing is everything

While bingo is a game of chance and luck, like most gambling games there are certain tactics you can employ to try and turn the game in your favour as much as possible.

The first of these tactics is focused on time. Time is a huge factor in either increasing or decreasing your chances of winning in bingo. While, in most cases, the largest jackpots are to be won at peak times when there are the greatest number of active players, playing at non-peak times can be your secret key to success. With this in mind, it will increase your chances of success if you play at times where there are the fewest players online. In most bingo games, the winner is the first to call out a full house. When you are playing with fewer competitors, then the likelihood of this happening to you is much higher compared to a room full of hundreds of players. The jackpots in bingo, however, are not always directly linked to the number of players currently playing in any one game.

The best times to deploy this tactic are usually weekdays or at odd hours including early mornings and late nights.

Time, therefore, is directly linked to the number of players you will be playing against and finding ways to minimise the number of opponents is key. For this reason, it is also a strategy to avoid ‘free entry’ bingo rooms or the cheapest available rooms. Whilst these games allow for your money to go as far as possible, and on the surface offer a much lower risk investment, they also attract the greatest number of players for this very reason. Sometimes paying a little bit extra to enter a room with less players can reap great rewards.

That being said, some bingo sites, such as Lantern Club, do increase the jackpots when there are more people playing the game. Simply look around and explore your options. If you see a large jackpot with few players in the game, then that would be a good place to start!

Don’t chase the game

Like in all forms of gambling, setting a budget that you’re prepared to lose is key. A good strategy never involves chasing your losses in the blind hope of making a winning.

Official online bingo platforms will all be regulated and licensed in accordance with the legal governance frameworks in the country of operation, and they will all utilise a Random Number Generator to ensure complete fairness in which numbers are drawn within a game and in which order. With this in mind, while it is not part of anyone’s strategy, losing numerous games of bingo is part of what makes it fair and, like all gambling, this can happen at any point.

It is very easy to feel that you deserve a win after so many near-misses, but in the name of true randomness, there is no way of knowing whether this is true or not.

With online tickets and cards so cheap, and the ability to play multiple games at a time, it is very important to prepare a budget before you start playing. A very useful tip is to physically write this down and put it next to you while you play as a constant reminder.

Most bingo sites will allow you to set personal limits, so if you believe you may go over your desired limits it would be a good idea to utilise the automatic budget caps.

More cards mean more winning

One of the best ways to improve your chances of winning in any particular game of bingo is to increase the number of cards you are playing from at any one time.

While a lot of sites allow you to buy single cards, generally speaking online sites usually offer bingo cards in books of six. Therefore, if you purchase two lots of tickets you will have 12 individual cards and 12 opportunities to win. Purchasing three lots gives you 18 opportunities, and so on.

Keeping track of your results can get confusing, especially if you ever have more than 10 on the go at any one time! To help overcome this, many online sites include an ‘auto dab’ feature which automatically mark your bingo cards ensuring that you don’t miss a singe number.

While it does only take one card to win a game of bingo, if you increase your chance of possessing that winning card then you are in a much better position. However, while buying the maximum number of cards available per game may increase your percentage odds of winning, it is also a much more expensive and, therefore, riskier way to play.

If you do employ this strategy, it is even more important o set a budget and stick to it, right in line with the abovementioned point.

Look around

Because of the hot competition between all of the bingo sites to be the go-do destination for bingo lovers, many sites offer bonuses for both current and new customers.

A key part of bingo strategy is understanding where these welcome bonuses and prize bonuses may be on offer. Likewise, there are usually many free bingo games on offer which give you the opportunity to grow your winnings with minimal to no risk.

Likewise, before you join any game, it is always best to know what the prize is and how you can win. Depending on the type of game you’re playing there may be several ways to win.

If you play your cards right and capitalise on various welcome bonus deals and join the games with the best chance of winning, you can look to maximise your earnings much quicker than without them.

Granville’s System

When it comes to bingo strategy you may be surprised to hear that there are mathematical strategies that have been employed from varying backgrounds to help give players the winning edge.

One of the most famous of these was created by Joseph E. Granville, a mathematician and stock analyst born in 1923. Granville’s method was originally developed as a means to make bold and accurate predictions on investments. His concept of ‘On Balance Volume’ centres around the notion that when the volume of any given share increases without a change in the stock price, then the price would rise in line with this rise and vice versa.

Simply put, and linking this to bingo, his theory suggests that it’s possible to begin to identify patterns in bingo numbers even though they are completely random. According to his findings, an ideal bingo card contains a roughly equal split between even and odd numbers, low and high numbers, and should contain numbers where the last digit is different each time.

Ultimately, the theory is based upon understanding the true concept of probability. While this could reap rewards for some, it is still a contested strategy yet to be widely proven and difficult to execute.

The Tippett Strategy

Another theory on the strategy of bingo stems from Henry Caleb Tippett, an English statistician born in 1902. One of the key differences between the Granville and the Tippett systems is in its simplicity.

As a true Englishman, Tippett’s strategy is based on the 75-ball version of the game. The theory centres on the concept that the longer a game of 75-ball bingo goes on for, the more likely that the numbers drawn are closer to the medium number of 38. On the other hand, for shorter games, the more likely the numbers drawn will closer to either 1 or 75 – both extremes.

The counter argument to Tippett’s strategy is that if you really do want to pick the right numbers, how can you possibly predict in advance which games are going to be longer or shorter than others?

Practice, practice, practice…

The two elaborate theories outlined above are just simply that – theories. The best way is simply to practice, practice, practice. Trying out the various game types and capitalising on various welcome offers and free games is one of the best ways to start playing online bingo. Importantly, it’s about building up the confidence that will allow you to win.

Socialising with other players and engaging in bingo chat rooms is another great way to pick up tips and tricks that you can take into your gameplay. Likewise, within the chatrooms there are usually special prizes and jackpots up for grabs that are announced by the host or caller so do keep an eye out. You’ll also learn more about and understand the challenges or problems other players have experienced and be sure to follow the same ill fate.

Conclusion

As mentioned at the very start of this article, bingo is a form of gambling and there is, unfortunately, no sure-fire (or legal) way of ensuring you will win. At the end of the day, it’s a game of chance and luck. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your chances of winning, even if only by a little bit.

One of the most important things to always bear in mind, as mentioned above, is simply knowing when to stop. Players across all forms of gambling tend to lose large amounts of money when they are chasing a game in the effort to recoup their losses. Knowing when to walk away, either when you’re on top or on a losing streak, is crucial for your long-term success.

While is may seem like a negative strategy, aimed more at minimising losses rather than maximising winnings, it is truly the only strategy that you are in complete control of. All others are still based on an element of chance and probability.