If you are a regular player of online bingo, then you know that there is some skill needed in this game. It is not purely a game of chance.

More than a million sites for free online bingo are already on the Internet. Most bingo Web sites provide games for beginners, plus tutorials and help sections, and more complex games for those with a more advanced skill set.

On some sites, online bingo players can choose from various “rooms” according to their skill level. The individual games may allow players to progress from level to level. The players may be awarded access to more chat icons as their play count gets higher; many online bingo sites let the players chat with one another as they play.

With the popularity of bingo online, some fake bingo sites have also cropped up. They will try to get you to give them your credit card number or other financial details for their nefarious purposes. So you can see that it is important for you to choose a site that is well run, and if you play for money, make sure the site’s gambling policies are fair and it releases payouts on time.

Virtual bingo is such a popular game that there are online bingo tournaments as well as regular cash draws and other prizes for players. Online bingo can even be used to teach kids letters and numbers as well as skills like listening, pattern recognition, and socialization.

Becoming more proficient at bingo will involve knowing the bingo lingo. Knowing the game’s specialized terms will help you fit right in with the online bingo community because much of the fun of playing the game online can come from chatting with other players and making friends.

When you play bingo online, you should stay sharp so you can mark your cards correctly and promptly. If you miss your opportunity to mark the numbers, you lose your chance to win the game. To increase your chances of winning, play multiple cards.

Some people set the online bingo software to auto-daub numbers for them or to auto-bingo when they match the winning pattern for the game, but they tend to be people who prefer to socialize and relax with bingo and are not necessarily playing to win. They may even be playing side games while they just watch the software doing the work for them on the Web page where their bingo cards are up.

Obviously it is necessary to learn the rules of the game and to abide by them. Game etiquette is also important because you will be playing with other people online and it is to your benefit to behave in the proper manner with them. However, your chances of winning are better if you play during off-peak times, when there are fewer people in the “rooms.”

One of the most important skills for success in online bingo is memorizing the patterns. The pattern for the game is your guide for the bingo jackpot, so do not forget it at any point during your game.

Playing online bingo can be fun, but if you really want to win, use the skills at your disposal. Then you will see that Lady Luck will side with you.

This is for those of you who play, or are thinking of playing, on-line Bingo. I’ve played both online bingo and live in Bingo Halls, and my preference is the latter. That may be flying in the face of the current trend- Bingo halls shutting down and on-line Bingo booming, but then I was never a dedicated follower of fashion as the Kinks might say!

The best things about real Bingo are the sights, the sounds, the smells (honestly!), and even the bloopers! Here goes-

The sights and the sounds: Many of the remaining Bingo Halls in the UK are majestic in their faded grandeur, and really do give you a sense of history (well, the 1950′s and 60′s). Many of the people you meet there are “characters”, quirky and with interesting accents and angles on things. You can’t get a slap on the back or give someone a beer on-line. The banter and comedy of the better (usually older) callers can be priceless There’s also a degree of skill needed here. You have to listen carefully for the numbers, and be agile enough to use your marker to quickly stamp the number called on your cards, before the next one is called. You can spot “newbies” losing it big time if they’ve bought too many cards!

The smells; ok, not always good if you’re in with someone unwashed at the next table, but some of these places do have a magic aroma- a mixture of damp plaster, polish, beer and popcorn, that cannot be captured on-line.

Finally the bloopers. I’ve seen them all. The container of balls falling off its pedestal and sending 90 balls skittering all over the floor, a person shouting Bingo and arguing that a certain number was called when everyone else, and the caller, begs to differ, and best of all, an inebriated caller who kept putting the numbers called back into the container to be called again until he was nearly lynched by the crowd, and a punter take over his job for the rest of the evening!