Playing online bingo with Coverall Jackpots
May 6, 2008
The well known game of Bingo is today being played online by large numbers of people across the globe. It has by all accounts turned into a multi billion dollar business, considering the vast subscriber base. The game is rendered all the more interesting with variations in the rules of the game or patterns to be made, all of which are easily followed by players.
Playing Bingo Online
Online bingo sites use a random number generator which ‘calls out’ the numbers in quick succession. Players keep pace by crossing out the numbers on their bingo cards. One of the patterns in bingo is called blackout or coverall. All it means is that players have to cover the whole card in order to win the game. Since Bingo is an inherently social pursuit, a chat feature is offered by most of the bingo sites enabling players to make new friends. They are also able to pick up new tips for enhancing their game and to improve the odds of winning, or they can simply engage in casual chit chat to pass the time. Some of the more talented chat room hosts are artful in fostering a sense of community and interaction amongst chat room members.
90 Ball Bingo
90 ball bingo is fast emerging as the most popular version of the bingo game, as opposed to the 75 ball variant that was previously in vogue. The cards are somewhat different in the 75 ball game when compared with 90 ball bingo. In the 90 ball game, the numbers on the cards are arranged in three rows with each row having 5 numbered squares. Numbers range from 1 to 90. The remaining squares are blank and there is no free square. In the 75 ball game, the grid is composed of 5×5 squares, all of which are numbered save the one at the centre.
Different Bingo Patterns
There are hundreds of different patterns being played out in bingo games in the different sites! One of the major advantages of using internet technology is that the costs and overheads involved in printing cards are absent. This frees the site providers to be as creative as they wish and has resulted in some innovative patterns.
The Blackout or Cover-All Jackpot Game
The Coverall game requires players to cross out every single number on the card. There’s a fixed payout for the prize winner, that generally decreases after the 48th number is called.
Static Patterns
The static pattern is the most common of all bingo patterns: these cannot be rotated or shifted on the Bingo card. Players get to win only when every cell that is highlighted in the game pattern image is marked on their Bingo card.
Crazy or Dynamic Patterns
Games where the pattern is permitted to be rotated in 90 degree increments are designated as ‘Crazy’ games. Unlike static patterns that do not allow the pattern to be shifted or rotated, Crazy games can be rotated by 90º, 180º or 270º for a winning pattern match. These can prove to be very interesting indeed yet can be more than a little confusing to the uninitiated. However, there’s no need to worry: everyone can participate because most of the sites have an ‘auto daub’ system that takes care of card marking (as well as calling out ‘bingo’ when a player has won). Some static patterns also have a ‘Crazy’ variation.
Conclusion
Coverall games may potentially carry big prizes with the coverall jackpots being even more attractive. Bingo is of course a form of gambling and should be treated as such: set yourself strict limits and stick to them. That said, a coverall 90 ball bingo game or even a jackpot game offers the excitement of a potentially large prize. A progressive jackpot is perhaps the most exciting of them all as the prize money increases every day or every week until it is won. Accepting that this is a game of chance and that winning is a bonus (albeit a nice one!), whiling away a few hours and chatting to fellow players in a well moderated chat room can prove to be a pleasant experience.
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