Bingo is a popular game of chance in the United States and in many countries all over the world. The game was originally a lottery game in Italy in the 16th century. In the 18th century the game evolved and the elements of using card, tokens and calling out numbers had been added. In the 1920s, Hugh J. Ward standardized the game at carnivals around Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. He also wrote a rule book about the game later on. Edwin Lowe, a toy merchandiser, witnessed one of these bingo games, brought the idea to New York, thus spreading the games popularity. He introduced it to his friends and organized games using the same materials as in the game he witnessed: dried beans, a rubber numbering stamp and card board. His friends totally enjoyed the game, and the rest, as they say, is history. As for the term bingo, the name supposedly came about when a friend of Lowe’s yelled “Bingo!” when he won, instead of “Beano!” However, there are reports that the word “Bingo” was used in the UK in the 1770s and was brought to the Pittsburgh area decades before Lowe’s claim. How the Game Is Played A basic game of bingo is played using cards that have been pre-printed with numbers on 5x5 matrices. Numbers are drawn randomly and players match them against the numbers on their cards. Equipment A bingo card has numbers arranged in five rows and five columns. At the top of the columns is the word BINGO. A typical bingo game numbers 1 to 75. The number on the card is limited by column. The column under letter B can only contain numbers between 1 and 15. The I column can only contain numbers between 16 and 30, column N can contain numbers between 31 and 45, column G can contain numbers between 46 to 60, and column O can contain numbers between 61 and 75. Numbered balls are drawn from a cage or basket, depending on the venue. Some bingo halls use state of the art equipment such as an electronic system that selects the ball or blowers that push the lightweight balls from the cage. To mark their cards faster, players use markers with brightly colored ink called daubers. Patterns In order to win a game of bingo, players must complete a pattern. Bingo patterns give the game structure. Patterns come in different shapes. It can be a letter, a sign, or even a thing. The sky’s the limit when it comes to bingo patterns. A game usually starts with simple patterns such as horizontals, verticals, diagonals, and single piles. The game often progresses using more complex patterns, and finally ending with a cover all, which entails the entire card to be covered. There are three kinds of bingo patterns: Static bingo patterns – static patterns are patterns that do not shift or move on a bingo card. All that is needed to win when playing a static bingo pattern is to mark all the squares. Static patterns include standard bingo patterns like letters. Crazy bingo patterns – crazy bingo patterns are those that can be rotated on a bingo card often in 90-degree increments. Some examples include straight line across, straight line down, etc. Wild bingo patterns – wild bingo patterns can either be static or crazy. They are unpredictable and can either stay in one place of a bingo card or be shifted to another. Play Bingo Online Online bingo sites let bingo enthusiasts play bingo from the comfort of their own home. Playing online bingo is still pretty much like regular bingo except of course for the fact that you do not have to go to an actual bingo hall. Playing bingo online though does not mean you would get bored. A lot of online bingo sites let players chat with each other all day. This provides an opportunity to get in touch with other bingo enthusiasts from all over the world, create a network and share bingo tips. Online bingo also lets you play multiple games at a time which is all but impossible to do in a regular bingo game.