Online and Offline Bingo Odds
How do you boost your chances of winning at bingo? One of the simplest solutions is to understand the game’s odds. When you know about probabilities and payouts, you can make better decisions that can help you lose less money — and possibly win more — in the long term. This article covers bingo odds in detail. Before reading it, check out our article on how to play online bingo if you’re not familiar with the rules.
Fundamentals of Bingo Odds
Bingo is a simple game where you mark off numbers on a ticket as they’re called or revealed. To win, you have to be the first to fill one or two lines, complete patterns or match all numbers.
There are several key factors that affect the odds of winning at bingo. Since it’s a multiplayer game, the number of other players is one of these. There’s also the total number of tickets being played. The more other people there are taking part and the more tickets they’ve bought, the lower the chances are that yours will win.
Lastly, there’s the type of bingo. There are quite a few versions of the game, each one using a different range of numbers. All these factors mean that the odds of bingo can vary greatly from one version to the next.
An In-Depth Look at Specific Odds
This section looks at the odds of getting a blackout, which is where you’re the first player to match all numbers on your ticket. This gives you the game’s biggest cash prize.
In a game of 90-ball bingo, there are typically 15 numbers on each ticket. If there are 100 tickets in play and you’ve purchased 5 of them, you have a 5% chance of winning. This is assuming each ticket has an equal chance of winning, since the numbers on them are completely random.
Winning in 4 Numbers
The odds of winning bingo in 4 numbers are simple: they’re 0. With 4 numbers called, this isn’t enough to fill a single line, let alone get a bingo blackout.
Winning in 5 Numbers
The same applies to the odds of winning bingo in 5 numbers for bingo blackouts. However, it is possible, though incredibly unlikely, that you’ll mark off one row after 5 numbers have been revealed. The odds of this happening are 0.00000007.
Winning in 15 Numbers
As for the odds of winning bingo in 15 numbers, they’re extremely low: roughly 2.18 to the power of minus 16. The chances of you marking off two rows with 15 numbers called are also very slim. However, the odds for one row are somewhat better at 0.00020498.
The chances of marking off all numbers increase as more numbers are called. For example, the odds of bingo blackout in 44 numbers are 0.00000502, which is still very low. However, the odds of bingo blackout in 48 numbers are slightly higher at 0.00002387.
Winning in 50 Numbers
Even with 50 numbers called, it’s very unlikely you’ll mark off all numbers on a single ticket. The odds of winning bingo in 50 numbers are 0.00000491494. The chances of marking off one row are 0.13400121, while for two rows they’re 0.00523950.
The odds of bingo blackout in 52 numbers, interestingly, are nearly double at 0.00009786. When you look at the odds of blackout in 60 numbers in the table below, you’ll see they’re over 11x higher at 0.00116155.
| Number of Calls | Probability |
|---|---|
| 4 | 0 |
| 5 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 |
| 50 | 0.00000491494 |
| 55 | 0.00025984 |
| 60 | 0.00116155 |
| 65 | 0.00452826 |
| 70 | 0.01575434 |
| 75 | 0.04978664 |
| 80 | 0.14490167 |
| 85 | 0.39271166 |
| 90 | 1.0 |
As you can see, the more calls there are, the closer your ticket will get to reaching a blackout. The chances of marking off all numbers are still quite low. In fact, once there have been 86 calls, statistically speaking, you only have odds of 0.47567891, or just less than 50%, of getting a blackout.
To get the figures we’ve provided, you have to use a combinations calculator and follow a specific formula:
Combin (n/15) ➗combin (90/15)
For this formula, n is the number of balls drawn, i.e. 50. The 15 refers to how many are needed to get a blackout, and 90 is how many numbers in total can be drawn.
To give an example, we use a combinations calculator and put 50 as the number of objects and 15 as the sample. The result is 2250829575120.
Next, we put 90 as the number of objects and 15 as the sample, with a result of 45795673964460816.
We then divide the first number by the second to get 0.00000491494… This figure is the odds of getting blackout after 50 calls in a game of 90-ball bingo.
When giving examples, we’ve looked at the odds for games of 90-ball game. Bear in mind that the odds for other types will be different.
Calculators like the one we’ve linked above can be helpful for determining probabilities and statistics. The internet has lots of useful guides and resources covering just about every aspect of bingo.
Using Online Tools for More Info
If you’ve been asking yourself, ‘What are the odds of winning bingo?’, you’re best off using a combinations calculator and the formula above. Alternatively, search online for odds and check out one of the many guides. There are plenty of websites offering detailed guides on the odds of winning online bingo. They also have information about the odds for real-life bingo games.
A simpler approach is to look at your chance of winning based on ticket numbers. Use any basic calculator and divide the number of tickets you have by the total in play. Then multiply this by 100 and this is your win chance as a percentage.
The guide to probabilities in 90-ball bingo at Wizard of Odds
Easy Ways to Boost Your Odds at Bingo
While it is a luck-based game, there are several things you can do to improve your chances of winning.
- First, you should pick a game with as few other players as possible.
- Second, it’s a good idea to purchase as many tickets as your budget will allow.
Having said this, playing multiple cards has some disadvantages, along with the obvious advantage of giving you more chances to win. If you’re playing real-life bingo, it can be hard to mark off numbers when you have a large number of tickets. This isn’t true for online games, as the computer does all this for you.
The cost is also something to consider, especially if you haven’t got much money to play with. However, if you’re lucky enough to win, you could end up making a profit.
To Sum Up
Bingo is a simple game, yet it has a lot of complex statistics behind it. Thankfully, you don’t need to worry too much about large numbers or consult a chart before playing. Just remember this: the more tickets you have and the fewer players there are, the better your chances of winning are.
References
- “Bingo Probabilities.” DurangoBill.com, https://www.durangobill.com/Bingo.html. Accessed on July 12, 2014.
- “90 Number Bingo – Analysis.” WizardofOdds.com, https://wizardofodds.com/games/bingo/analysis-of-90-number-bingo/. Accessed on July 12, 2024.
- “Combination Calculator.” StatsKingdom.com, https://www.statskingdom.com/combinations-calculator.html. Accessed on July 12, 2024.
