Online Bingo Strategy – How Do I Increase My Chances of Winning?

winner screenshot
Credit: LisaRisager/Flicjr.com

Even though it’s a game of chance, there are still a few ways that you can maximise your chances of winning in online bingo. Below are a few strategies that you could choose to follow, and hopefully they will give you more chance of a prize.

It’s worth stating that these will not necessarily guarantee more wins, but they are just a few hints and tips as to how you could maximise your chances.

Bingo has been and always will be a game of luck, but there’s no harm in giving yourself a few extra little chances along the way. Whether it be buying more tickets, or sticking to certain bingo times, there are several ways to maximise your opportunity of a jackpot or two.

Online Bingo Tickets

bingo cards screenshot
Credit: ChrisMarchant/Flickr.com

First things first, you have to be in it to win it right? Technically speaking you will have far more chance of winning a prize if you buy more than one ticket. Sure enough it only takes one little strip to win, but the more tickets you have, the more chances you have of winning.

Standard bingo halls and online bingo sites generally offer bingo tickets in books of 6, and there are 90 numbers included in a game of bingo. These 90 numbers are shared across any strip of 6 tickets, so therefore if you buy a full strip then you will have every number to play with.

If you buy two lots you’ll have 12 strips, then 3 strips will give you 18 and so on. If you buy more tickets then of course you will spending more money, however it’s a good start if you want to increase your chances of winning overall. There’s no option of keeping your tickets when playing any bingo game, and once the game is finished, that set of bingo numbers are gone and you move onto the next lot.

Choose The Right Online Bingo Room

room 101 screenshot
Credit: Mary/Flickr.com

Another way to increase your chances of winning online bingo, is to choose a bingo room with fewer players. These rooms will have smaller prize funds up for grabs, but there will generally be less competition overall.

The more players there are in a bingo room, the harder it will be to win anything. Rooms that run throughout the night, or rooms offered on some of the smaller branded sites out there will generally have less players taking part.

Some big branded bingo sites could have hundreds of players taking part in a game at a time, so these sites might be slightly harder to win on. The jackpots will be so much larger however, so it all depends on your personal choice as to whether you want to win small or take the risk and win big.

Bingo Systems

bingo system screenshot
Credit: JimPapier/Flickr.com

It has been known that some bingo players swear by particular bingo systems. There’s absolutely no way to determine which numbers are likely to come out over others, however some players do believe that certain systems do work.

These systems and theories have been around for hundreds of years, and although they aren’t proven, some players still love to use them. Here are a few of the of the bingo systems that players like to play by:

Tippett’s System

Leonard Henry Caleb Tippett was known professionally as L. H. C. Tippett, and he was an English statistician born in 1902. He suggested that:

  • In a 75 ball game, the longer the game goes on the closer to 38 (the median number) you should opt for.
  • Early stages of the game suggest that you are going to be marking more numbers closer to 1 and 75 and in the later stages of the game, you will be closer to 38.
  • For short games, Tippett suggests that players should use numbers close to 1 and 75 and numbers close to 38 in longer games.

The argument here however is obviously how can you predict which games are going to be longer than others? This system is more theory than proven, so unfortunately this bingo system may not work.

Granville’s System

Granville’s System was invented by Joseph E. Granville, and it’s one of the most famous number systems ever invented. Joseph E. Granville was born in 1923, and he was a mathematical analyst who used to make bold predictions on investments.

He was often referred to as a financial writer and investment seminar speaker, most famous for inviting and developing the concept OBV (on balance volume). He argued that when volume increased sharply without any change in stock price, the price would eventually increase rapidly and vice versa.

This system suggests that players should choose bingo numbers that make the card symmetrical and systematic, such as:

  1. A balance of odd and even numbers
  2. A balance of high and low numbers
  3. The bingo ticket should have the same amount of numbers ending in 1, 2, 3 4, and so on.

His concept is that if you understand the true concept of probability, you will understand why it makes sense to choose your numbers in this way. In the long run, you will get an equal amount of high and low numbers, plus an equal amount of odd and even numbers too.

But again, how can you predict exactly what numbers will be coming next? Granville is so confident in his system that he even wrote a book called ‘How To Win At Bingo’. It’s worth a read yes, however it’s not a particularly proven theory.

Other Strategies To Win Online Bingo

bingo strategy keyboard
Credit: GotCredit/Flickr.com

As already mentioned above, it’s virtually impossible to predict which numbers will be called on any given game of bingo.

Whether you play 90, 80, 75 or even 30-ball bingo, at the end of the day it’s all totally random. All bingo, whether land based or online uses an RNG. This stands for:

  • Random Number Generator

An RNG is an electronic device, that’s been designed to generate a sequence of numbers that cannot be reasonably predicted better than by a random chance. This sophisticated RNG device creates a random outcome for every single game played, so no matter what you stake your money on, it has no influence on the number that the random number generator chooses.

Rules

Below are a few general rules that you should follow when playing online bingo, regardless of worrying about whether you eventually win or not. If you stick to the following rules when you play, then you’re more likely to stick to the game over a longer period of time, thus increasing your chances of winning anyway.

Budget Is Everything

bingo budget screenshot
Credit: GotCredit/Flickr.com

Budget is everything when you’re playing online bingo. It can be really easy to spend money quickly in quite a short space of time as the tickets are so cheap, so the first rule is to set yourself a bingo budget.

Ask yourself how much you can afford to lose, then set this as your deposit limit each time you play.

All online bingo sites allow players to control the amount they spend these days too, so think about setting something up on your account. If you only spend what you originally set out to spend, then you are more likely to return for more.

Happy Playing

happy bingo hand screenshot
Credit: SebastianMuller/Flickr.com

It may sound a bit silly, but it’s sometimes counterproductive to play online bingo when you’re in a bad mood. If you’re feeling a bit down then you may be more likely to waste your money without thinking first.

This can lead to playing on the wrong games or buying too many tickets, and you may start to get fed up and give up the game altogether.

Generally if you play online bingo when you’re in a good mood,  you are more likely to stick to your budget and make better gaming choices. You’re also more likely to get involved with the social aspects of the sites too, which again will keep you coming back for more.

Don’t go chasing

fingers crossed screenshot
Credit: NinaG/Flickr.com

It’s very easy to get stuck in the feeling that you’re ‘due a win’ with online bingo. Whether you’ve been playing bingo games for 10 minutes or 10 days, there really is no magical rule that you will definitely win unfortunately.

You can increase your chances yes, but like I said earlier nothing is ever guaranteed.

The best way to play online bingo is to stick to your budget, and once your money has gone, stop there and come back next time fresh. You’ll stop chasing wins this way, and again be more likely to come back and try again another day.

Pick your favourite Online Bingo Site

thumbs up screenshot
Credit: GuidoVanNispen/Flickr.com

Have a look around and pick your favourite bingo sites. Most sites these days will have welcome offers and lots of free bingo games, so have a play and check out the vibe.

You’re more likely to enjoy playing if it’s in an environment that you like, and hence maximise your chances of winning.

Pick a site that has cheap games, smaller rooms, friendly chat rooms and lots of promotions to really enhance your experience. You can check out all our thoughts on lots of sites over on our online bingo reviews page.

Profit Or Fun

profit calculator screenshot
Credit: MikeLawrence/Flickr.com

When you’re playing online bingo, you should ask yourself if you’re doing it for enjoyment or for profit. If you want to make a profit and really win big, then you should spend your money wisely and choose the right games.

For example if you only have a £10 budget, then you shouldn’t spend it all on £2 bingo tickets straight away. Within 5 games your money has gone, and then you’ll have less chances of winning in the long run. If you go for smaller stake tickets however, then you can slowly build up your bingo balance.

You may not win big jackpots on the cheaper games, but it’s a way to keep topping up your balance so you can play more games. If you spend a few times playing this way, then you may have won back your initial deposit and more, which you can then stake on higher cost games.

Practice Makes Perfect

playtech mobile bingo screenshotIf you’re a newbie to the online bingo world, then test out the sites that offer free bingo games. Have a go and learn how it all works, before you start spending all your money.

This is also a great way of seeing which sites you like best, and gives you the chance to work out which type of bingo games you prefer.

You can join in with some newbie chat rooms too, which will give you a sense of the community side of the site as well. The social aspect of the game makes the experience much more fun overall, so don’t forget to have a look at all the brand’s social media pages too.

Responsible play

bingo rules screenshot
Credit:orangemania/Flickr.com

Playing online bingo should be a fun and exciting experience. If the fun starts to go and you find you’re using the sites in the wrong way, then you should think about stopping using the bingo sites altogether.

There are plenty of hosts available 24/7 on most online bingo sites, so if you feel unsafe at any point just drop them a line.

There are also ways to limit your spending nowadays too, so get in touch with the site and set up spending limits if you feel the need. This will help with the whole enjoyment of the game, and keep you coming back to the site without any worries.

Is Online Bingo A Fix?

fixed keyboard key
Credit: MikeLawrence/Flickr.com

There are no doubt certain players out there who resort to typing ‘it’s a fix’ into the online bingo chat rooms when luck doesn’t go their way.

The good news is though that all online bingo sites operate under very strict rules and regulations, and it is lawful that they always adhere to fair play at all times.

As mentioned above, all bingo operates with a Random Number Generator, and there are licenses and legislation’s in place to ensure this is always the case. It’s almost impossible for online bingo games to be fixed, so this worry should never even cross your mind.

Unfortunately as I said, there’s no magical solution to winning online bingo games. If you aren’t winning on a particular site, then maybe try another one out and find the one you enjoy the most. Use some of the above advice in this article to help you along your way, and fingers crossed you start bagging those prizes soon.