Before logging to an online Bingo webpage you should first make sure that you have learned the rules of online Bingo. Straight Bingo and Point Bingo are the two types of online bingo you can play online. Even if these two types of the game are very similar, there are some differences. Bingo is played with a card with numbers between 1 and 75 distributed on it, called the Bingo card. The numbers on the card are randomly allocated in 5 rows and 5 columns, and the central section on the Bingo card is blank.

Straight Bingo

The purpose of Straight Bingo is to cover the numbers on the Bingo card following a preset pattern that may be a column, a row or a diagonal pattern. The drafted number, also said the called number, will be displayed on the computer screen, and if you have this number on your Bingo card you will have to cover it. The person that calls the numbers in Bingo is called the Bingo caller or the master.

During the Bingo game players must pay much attention to the numbers that have been called to be able to mark them on their Bingo card with the dauber. When a player completes a pattern the caller must first validate the numbers on the Bingo card using special check cards and table, and then proclaim the winner. In online Bingo this process is made much easier as most sites offer the auto-dub feature that automatically covers the called number if you have it on your card. Since all Bingo cards in the online Bingo game are unique, every player has the same chances of winning.

When the game begins and the caller starts calling out the numbers they will be displayed on the computer screen, and you will have to mark them on your Bingo card. If the card does not have the called number it is called a “no play” card. The game ends when the first player covers one of the patterns mentioned earlier. Since sometimes players commit errors, before ending the game the winning Bingo card first needs to be verified by the caller to ensure it is correct. In case there is an inaccuracy the player must quit the game. Many online Bingo players use the auto-dub feature because it eliminates the possibility of a player error. After each winning a new session begins, and for each new round you will be given a new Bingo card.

Point Bingo

The method of playing Point Bingo is the same as the Straight Bingo however the object of the game is different. To win the game the player must reach or pass 1,000 points. The first player who covers a complete row pattern, column pattern or a diagonal pattern accumulates points earning the sum of this completely covered row. Each player has a number that matches their name, and the Bingo caller notes the score at the bottom of each player's number.

Some Bingo patterns can earn the player bonus points. If the winning pattern is a diagonal pattern that passes through the blank section on the Bingo card it is called the “Central Bingo” and the player will be assigned double of the score for that Bingo. In case the player completes Bingo by covering a complete row of five and column of five at the same time with the last number, this is called the “Double Bingo”, and the player will score the sum of the two patterns with an extra 100 points bonus added to the score.