http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club en allbingoclub allbingoclub Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:29:00 +0200 daily 1 The Bingo Season If you didn't know that bingo has a season, read on! Every Hobby has a Season  That is correct, every hobby and pastime has its season. Kite flying is best accomplished in the fall, ice skating and skiing are generally considered winter sports and swimming is clearly a summer sport. The season of book reading and bingo games is clearly the winter. Books are best read cuddled up in a warm blanket in bed or on a pleasant recliner. This is best accomplished at the end of a winter day as a way of warming the bones and resting up after a freezing outing. Bingo halls also seem to tend to more packed during the winter (although particularly rainy days seem to keep home all but the most loyal of players - this is clearly seen at bingo games held at a casino where a good shower can cut the customer level significantly). There are probably several reasons for this phenomenon to exist. Perhaps I will describe some of my theories for why this should be so in a later... Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:29:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-Bingo-Season/44/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-Bingo-Season/44/ The Social Gathering of Bingo The game of bingo, as I have many times claimed, differs from standard gambling games in that it has succeeded in developing into a gambling event designed as a social interaction. For this reason, bingo is often accepted and bingo games are held in states where other forms of gambling are considered illegal. Churches and similar institutions as well as various charities often use bingo games to raise funds for their maintenance. When the first bingo games went online, many bingo players were not attracted to the games because they lacked the social interaction that has become so strongly associated with the game. It is precisely for this reason that online bingo sites today put special effort into creating and maintaining a lively online community that is fun to interact with. Thus the online bingo halls of today are no less a social gathering than their brick and mortar forebears. 3-D Interactions The online bingo halls have moved with the times.... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:36:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Meetings/43/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Meetings/43/ Online Bingo Avowed bingo players like myself occasionally find that it is fun to indulge in some online bingo playing. Online bingo games can provide much of the regular brick and mortar bingo experience without requiring that you ever leave the comfort of your home. In addition, certain aspects of the online bingo games might actually be superior to the classic land based versions. Auto Daubing One of the most terrible experiences in bingo is realizing that you have missed an important number call. Such a miss could easily result in you losing a session you would otherwise have won. The online bingo games generally have an automatic daubing feature which immediately marks off every number called throughout the game. While some might argue that such a feature detracts greatly from the fun of the game, it does serve to prevent rather sad mishaps. Players who feel that their attention might not be at its peek would probably be wise to make use of this feature. Finding an... Sun, 24 May 2009 13:09:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Online-Bingo-Advantages/42/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Online-Bingo-Advantages/42/ A Brief Explanation Bingo players use a terminology all their own. As with many gambling games, this terminology has succeeded in leaking out of the world of bingo and has affected the formulation of commonly used expressions. I thought it would be nice to collect a few bingo expressions and terms and define them so that if any novice players come along this little list will help them find their way in the game. Winning (and Almost Winning) Terms: Bingo: This is the name of the game (derived from beano). This is also what you call if you succeed in being the first player to obtain a winning pattern. Calling bingo as soon as you realize you win is important since in some halls the first to call will be the one who collects in the case of a tie. Jumping the gun: This refers to calling bingo before an actual bingo has been achieved. Usually, this refers to an actual win that was called when the numbers appeared on the screen before they were called out by the caller. ... Sun, 17 May 2009 09:51:48 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Terminology/40/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Terminology/40/ Different Ball Amounts As all of us bingo players know, there are different variants of sums of bingo balls that can be used in a bingo game. Some of us prefer the more tame standard amounts of 75 balls while others prefer playing at bingo games with far more balls. Of course, from a theoretical mathematical point of view, the number of balls being used is theoretically irrelevant (when you consider the basic bingo game). The winner of the bingo session is still going to be the player who is luckiest and scores his winning pattern first. Nonetheless, even from a pure mathematical point of view there is some meaning to the increase in balls. A Mathematical Meaning When more balls are used, it means that it will probably take longer for any single player to reach a winning combination. This means that if there is a bigger jackpot to be won if someone scores in less than a given number of turns, the odds of this occurring are decreased. Of course, many bingo halls realize this and this... Mon, 11 May 2009 09:30:29 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/More-Bingo-Balls-or-Less/39/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/More-Bingo-Balls-or-Less/39/ Same old Wins Have you ever felt a bit bored with the standard classic win patterns? If so, then you should know that there are many more win patterns available than just the lines, crosses and the postage stamp. Different bingo halls offer a variety of special win patterns that include such exotic pattens as the candles, birthday cake, butterfly and bow tie. These special win patterns often reflect a specific game theme. This variety is very important for certain players. The Same Race While different game themes don't change the underlying concept of a bingo race, they do serve to create a pleasant change in how the games are played. This sort of change helps make the bingo games more fun. While some players don't like changing from the well known classic patterns, I think that the idea of a change is refreshing and adds a certain measure of much needed flavor to the game. The game challenge is further increased by the mild mental exercise involved in keeping track of the... Sun, 03 May 2009 08:52:09 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Patterns/38/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Patterns/38/ Online Bingo Rooms Online bingo rooms abound and I do occasionally frequent them to see what is new and try my luck at some of the games. I usually personally prefer the far more social interaction of the brick and mortar bingo events but the Internet is great for a spot of fun every once in a while. The next paragraph describes one of my most recent visits and a brief review of what it felt like. Bingo Hall I recently made a foray visit to a great online bingo site known as "Bingo Hall". The big thing at Bingo Hall is that they actually actively encourage the talk at the online chat room by playing all sorts of chat room games. These involve occasional declarations by the chat room mediator and the fastest response of the chat room participants. Not only is this a great way to liven up the time and win some extra cash, this really encourages the players to chat away with abandon. The net effect (after I got the hang of it) was interesting. On the one hand, there was... Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:16:58 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-Bingo-Hall/37/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-Bingo-Hall/37/ Different Cash Options As all online bingo players know, the money transfer service you decide to use for your online bingo games is sometimes an important factor in your online games. There are many different cash transfer options available and different players prefer different styles. In this, bingo differs somewhat from other online gambling games. The bingo game needs a method of transfer that can support the bingo style of playing. If a blackjack player visits an online casino and gambles, he may win a small sum (unless he is very lucky - of course) that he will want to cash out on. This means that if he paid for his game with a prepaid card, he might even be able to simply get his card refunded. Bingo is often not like that. If a player wins big in bingo (which is the goal of the game), a refunding will not be sufficient for the win. This means that more advanced money transfer services must be used. Bank Transfers and Other Accounts It is, of course, possible to simply make... Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:20:38 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Cash-Options/36/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Cash-Options/36/ Bingo Birthday Games This week was my highly esteemed wife's birthday. (Happy Birthday My Love!) Of course, since we are both avowed bingo lovers, I decided to try something I had read about on the Internet. Along with the standard surprise birthday party with family and friends, the birthday cake and the pile of presents, we had  what has been termed a bingo party. The idea is that you have a party where there is a collection of prizes and everyone ends up getting something in a sort of free for all bingo game. I can say that the game worked moderately well and was a lot of fun. I had to put in certain improvisations on what I had read about on the World Wide Web, and there were certain minor glitches. The Bingo Results  Everyone ended up with some small prize and almost everyone seemed happy with the minor treasure they had walked away with so that I can call the idea a success. I walked off with a pocket pen flashlight that I have always wanted and my wife ended up with a... Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:47:52 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/On-a-Birthday-Note/35/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/On-a-Birthday-Note/35/ A Belated Happy Birthday Although admittedly a little late, I too wanted to wish JackpotJoy a happy birthday. It has been six years of bingo fun since JackpotJoy first arrived on the scene and the nice promotional cash giveaway that they hosted this year along with all the special prizes were lots of fun to strive for. I sent them my picture but didn't win anything (maybe I'm just not handsome enough :)). The last six years have indeed seen a wonderful increase in bingo game traffic and I am proud to number myself among the hundreds of thousands of regular bingo players who have played several rounds at JackpotJoy (I even won some of the smaller prizes at various occasions). Good Bingo Promotions The competition stands to learn a lot from JackpotJoy's excellent promotional tactics. The cool promotional prizes helped boost their bingo traffic considerably and this was certainly felt in the bingo world. Prizes were higher and the number of players increased as well. Such... Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:50:44 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Belated-Happy-Bingo-Birthday/34/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Belated-Happy-Bingo-Birthday/34/ A Belated Happy Birthday Although admittedly a little late, I too wanted to wish JackpotJoy a happy birthday. It has been six years of bingo fun since JackpotJoy first arrived on the scene and the nice promotional cash giveaway that they hosted this year along with all the special prizes were lots of fun to strive for. I sent them my picture but didn't win anything (maybe I'm just not handsome enough :)). The last six years have indeed seen a wonderful increase in bingo game traffic and I am proud to number myself among the hundreds of thousands of regular bingo players who have played several rounds at JackpotJoy (I even won some of the smaller prizes at various occasions). Good Bingo Promotions The competition stands to learn a lot from JackpotJoy's excellent promotional tactics. The cool promotional prizes helped boost their bingo traffic considerably and this was certainly felt in the bingo world. Prizes were higher and the number of players increased as well.... Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:49:26 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Belated-Happy-Bingo-Birthday/33/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Belated-Happy-Bingo-Birthday/33/ A Bingo Winner is Honored I would like mention and thus to honor today the first ever bingo championship champion - Bobwiser. Congratulations to you, Bobwiser on your fantastic bingo win. As you drive away in your brand new car, we wish continued best of luck. Congratulations also to all the other top ten winners for their great luck and determination. Enjoy your wins and may your continued bingo luck bring you great wins and great joy! Congratulations to Paddy Power A special congratulations is also in order to Paddy Power Bingo for hosting this fun tournament! Thanks to their great hosting, promoting and funding this tournament was made possible. I also participated and I can tell you that it was great fun even though I didn't do very well. Just being part of such a sheer mass of bingo players made the event really special to me. Of course, like all the other players, I realized that winning anything of significance was going to be incredibly unlikely. Nonetheless I could... Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:51:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Congratulations-to-Bobwiser/32/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Congratulations-to-Bobwiser/32/ Have you Ever Dreamed about Bingo? Have you ever dreamed a dream about bingo? I have, several times. Of course, being an avid bingo player and frequenting many bingo halls on a regular basis may make me particularly disposed to dreams with such a subject. I tend to classify dreams as portentous, nonsensical or psychological. My tendency is to attempt to analyze every dream first for its logic and relation to past events, then for its hidden meanings regarding my own personal desires and wants. If I feel that these are inadequate, I seek portents in my dreams for what is to come. If I can't derive anything, I write the dream off as nonsensical. I believe that the bingo game can often be viewed as allegorical and that it contains within many possible metaphors. Personal Examples  I would like to bring some personal examples of bingo dreams and try to analyze them with you. Of course, I am aware that describing my dreams in detail means exposing myself to a great deal. That is why... Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:59:52 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Dreams/31/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Dreams/31/ Everyone has a Favorite Win Every bingo player has a favorite winning pattern that he has a special place for in his heart. Some people like the straight forward line or pillar. Other players prefer the flamboyant X which marks the most impressive win. Personally I like the little grouping in the corner which is commonly known as 'the postage stamp' (although such a pattern is not recognized as a win in all bingo halls). I think that the different preferred bingo winning patterns reflect different mentalities of bingo players. It would be interesting to compare mentalities of different players with their preferred bingo win pattern. Different People - Different Bingo Wins It would make sense to me that those players who prefer the straight-forward bingo win are those who are also more straight forward in their approach to life. These are the sort of people who 'call a spade a spade' and calling it a shovel is just needless word play. On the other hand, those people... Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:31:56 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/I-Like-the-Postcard/29/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/I-Like-the-Postcard/29/ The Paddy Power Mission  Paddy Power has earned a spot on my blog by sponsoring and hosting the European bingo championship. Making risk-based entertainment available and fun is the stated goal of Paddy Power an Irish-based gambling company. Paddy Power was created in 1988 by the merging of three existing Irish bookmaker companies. It is a particularly prominent company in Ireland and in the U.K. The invention of the Internet and online gambling has not left Paddy Power behind. They opened their website: http://www.paddypower.com which hosts a variety of online games. Famous for Specials Paddy Power is famous for a number of items of interest. The first and foremost is their various adds. These adds and commercials are known for being particularly funny and original. Another realm for which Paddy Power is famous for is the realm of novelty betting. Such wagers as who will be the next pope and which candidate will win at various elections are all bets covered by Paddy Power. In... Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:21:35 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Paddy-Power-a-Novel-Enterprise/28/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Paddy-Power-a-Novel-Enterprise/28/ Everyone is Waiting The big day is coming close! Everyone is waiting for the grand event of the European bingo championship. This year's big bingo championship even is not something that I, as an avid bingo player is going to miss. Of course, the big prize is the big hit but a prominent title like "European Bingo Champion" has a nice ring to it as well. I can feel that my luck is on the rise and my many years of bingo experience certainly give me an edge over any competition. My recent wins have also served as a clear indicator that my luck is doing well. Entering the Championship Tournament To enter the championship you need to pass through a mini qualifying tournament. These are held three days a week at the Paddy Power website (http://www.paddypower.com) starting from the beginning of June. In every mini tournament you can earn points. The top three players of every mini tournament will be selected to be the entrants in the grand finale. Prizes include a car, cash and free flights as well!... Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:01:36 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-European-Bingo-Championship/27/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-European-Bingo-Championship/27/ Bingo Conscience Some people perceive the charity bingo as primarily a charity donation (which may even be tax deductible!) where the fun of the game and any winnings incurred are completely incidental. This raises a significant problem when larger sums are won. Such a problem is exactly what some of my friends raised during my last big bingo win. Isn't winning such large sums a sort of canceling of the charity already given (since the win is deducted from the charity income)? My Standard Answer My standard answer to all such queries has already been voiced in my blog more than once. I don't think that there is anything wrong with winning at charity bingo games (otherwise, why play?). I see the winning as G-d's way of instantly awarding a good deed and encouraging more such good deeds. The charity fund does not see the win as impinging upon their funds because the win is part of the pre-calculated  expenses which are automatically deducted from the total income of the... Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:48 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Donations/26/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Bingo-Donations/26/ An Ancient Bingo Reference Although Bingo is always seen as a game that was developed fairly recently, I discovered that there is a reference to what may really have been one of the original bingo games of all times. This discovery is based on a number of assumptions. The first is that in ancient days, various forms of lotteries were used in order to divine the will of G-d (this is true today too - in certain cultures). Now I will describe to you avid readers what I have discovered. The Biblical High Priest The Bible describes the clothes of the high priest which officiated in the Tabernacle which was built by the Israelites in the desert. One particular item that was worn by the high priest was known as a "Hosen". The hosen is depicted as a vest like item of clothing which had twelve precious stones embedded in it. I recently saw a picture of this item of clothing and the resemblance to a bingo board was incredible (although with less rows and lines - of course). I later... Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:51:26 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-High-Priest-s-Personal-Bingo-Board/25/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/The-High-Priest-s-Personal-Bingo-Board/25/ Having Won Leads to Contemplation  I told you in a previous entry that I just won about 3000$ at a charity bingo event. Winning at bingo always leads the winner to contemplate the meaning of his winnings. There are several issues here which are open to discussion. The first of these is that the money spent at the game was supposed to go to charity. Does this mean that winning a prize means that your donation was declined by Heaven? I don't think so, if I did I probably would avoid playing at bingo charities because then I could never be happy with a win. I see the win rather as a Heavenly reward for donating charity wholeheartedly. What About the Cash? The next question that is immediately raised is what should one do with the money that is won. There are several possible solutions to this question and it is highly dependent on the individual preferences of the winner as well as the sum involved. In my particular instance, I dedicate a few dollars every month to participating... Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:46:37 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/So-What-Will-I-Do-With-the-Money/24/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/So-What-Will-I-Do-With-the-Money/24/ A Bingo Blog Hey, this is my bingo blog so it is only natural that I should share bingo experiences. This is doubly true if I get to share winning experiences. Last night is not my regular bingo night but there was a local bingo game that I was invited to anyway. It was some sort of charity fundraiser for a pair of orphans who just got married and don't have any relations that could help them out on their initial foray into the real world. Well, what can I say? I am a sucker for bingo as well as good causes! Anyway, the event was held in a hall someone had donated and all proceeds were supposed to go directly to the newlyweds. The big prize was supposed to be 3000$. Which seemed reasonable. Based on the number of cards sold and the other prizes as well as the crowd size, I figured that the event would make about 10 thousand dollars so the game seemed a fair one. I Win! I play the bingo games to win - like everyone else - but I join them for the fun and excitement. The rules here... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:47:37 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Hey-I-Just-Won/23/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/All_Bingo_Club/Hey-I-Just-Won/23/