Everything About Online Bingo Cards And Calls

Bingo is a globally loved game, and to play, you'll need bingo cards. For online bingo, you can use virtual cards provided by the site, or even create your own with a free bingo card generator. It's straightforward to use virtual cards; the generator will guide you through the process.

Another key element is the bingo numbers, often called 'bingo calls'. You might have heard terms like 'lucky numbers', 'winning numbers', 'game numbers', or 'call numbers'. These all refer to the list of calls that add so much character to bingo, which we'll explore further in this article.

Understanding Bingo Cards

Bingo cards are essentially the tickets you use when you play online bingo. There are mainly two types of cards you'll come across. One is a 5x5 grid, popular for 75-ball bingo, especially in the US. The other is a 9x3 grid, typically used for 90-ball bingo, which is a firm favourite here in the United Kingdom.

75-Ball Bingo Cards

These cards feature a grid of five columns and five squares each. The central square is usually a free space, while the others are marked with numbers. Each column is designated for a range of numbers, as follows:

• B: Numbers 1 through 15
• I: Numbers 16 through 30
• N: Numbers 31 through 45
• G: Numbers 46 through 60
• O: Numbers 61 through 75

90-Ball Bingo Cards

In the UK, these cards are often called 'tickets' and are used in 90-ball bingo, also known as 'Housie'. A ticket has three rows and nine columns. Each row contains five numbers and four blank spaces, arranged randomly. The numbers are distributed across the columns as follows: 1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80-90.

Brilliant Bingo Calls

Bingo calls are a huge part of the fun, giving each number a nickname! While there are 90 calls in a standard game, here are some of the most popular ones you'll hear in the UK:

1. Kelly's eye: A classic call, possibly a nod to the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, or perhaps military slang.
2. One little duck: Number 2, looking like a solitary duck.
3. Cup of tea: You guessed it, number 3!
4. Knock at the door: Rhyming slang for number 4.
5. Man alive: Number 5, a popular call.
6. Tom Mix / Half a dozen: Number 6, often called after the silent film cowboy.
7. Lucky seven: A universally recognised lucky number.
8. Garden gate: Rhyming slang for number 8.
9. Doctor's orders: Number 9, often a bit of a joke about medicine.
10. Prime Minister's den (Number 10): Rhyming call for number 10, associated with 10 Downing Street.
11. Legs eleven: Number 11, visually resembling a pair of legs. You might even hear a cheeky whistle when this one's called!
12. One Dozen: A simple call for number 12.
13. Unlucky for some: Number 13, considered unlucky in many cultures.
14. Valentine's Day: Number 14, the day of love.
15. Young and keen: Number 15. Another option is 'Rugby Team'!
16. Sweet 16 and never been kissed: A classic milestone birthday call for number 16.
17. Dancing Queen: Number 17, a tribute to the iconic Abba song.
18. Coming of age: Number 18, representing reaching adulthood.
19. Goodbye teens: Number 19, marking the end of teenage years.
20. One score: Number 20, an older term for two decades.
21. Royal salute / Key of the door: Number 21, referring to a 21-gun salute or the age of a 'key to the door'.
22. Two little ducks: Number 22, a playful visual for the number.
23. Thee and me: Number 23, often rhyming slang for 'you and me'.
24. Two dozen.
25. Duck and dive: This is simple to acquire if the number 2 is represented by a duck and the number 5 follows as a snake. A snake would make a duck dive for cover.
26. Pick and mix.
27. Gateway to heaven.
28. In a state/Overweight.
29. Rise and shine.
30. Dirty Gertie: Also Known as Dirty Gertie from Bizerte, this World War II song has endured ages to be played in bingo parlors all around the world.
31. Get up and run.
32. Buckle my shoe: This bingo call is an extension of the children's rhyme from number four. Jimmy Choo is a well-known shoe designer.
33. Dirty knee/All the threes/Fish, chips & peas.
34. Ask for more: Oliver Twist reference.
35. Jump and jive.
36. Three dozen.
37. More than eleven.
38. Christmas cake.
39. 39 steps: The Hitchcock picture The 39 Steps, from 1935, is being seen today.
40. Life begins: Another bingo call honoring a significant birthday when things start to get wicked.
41. Time for fun: Life has started.
42. Winnie the Pooh: This bingo call honors A. A. Milne, the creator of the honey bear fable and enduring favorite of British childhood, Winnie the Pooh.
43. Down on your knees.
44. Droopy drawers.
45. Halfway there.
46. Up to tricks.
47. Four and seven.
48. Four dozen.
49. PC: This bingo call is in reference to the 1946-53 show centered on the exploits of an unorthodox copper who invented the term "rise and shine." The Adventures of P.C. 49 are still being used as bingo calls years after they originally aired.
50. Half a century.
51. Tweak of the thumb: I love my Mum
52. Danny La Rue: a bingo call that pays homage to the Irish musician known for his passion for cross-dressing, Danny La Rue.
53. Here comes Herbie/Stuck in a tree.
54. Clean the floor.
55. Snakes alive: Linked to the Number Shape: Fifty-Five (and mentioned in 25, duck and dive).
56. Shotts Bus: Was She Worth It?
57. Heinz's varieties: Despite having many more recipes, Mr. Heinz chose to stop developing variants of his favorite number, 57, so that Heinz baked beans would only be sold in 57 different cans.
58. Make them wait.
59. Brighton Line.
60. Five dozen.
61. Baker’s bun.
62. Turn the screw/Tickety-boo: Often known as tickety-boo in bingo, it is army slang for everything being alright.
63. Tickle me 63.
64. Redraw.
65. Old age pension: This bingo call shows the customary retirement age in the United Kingdom.
66. Clickety click.
67. Stairway to heaven.
68. Saving Grace.
69. Favorite of mine/either way up: If players look at the numbers from the bottom up, they signify the opposite. This is also referred to as "Meal for Two," and order number 69 on a takeout or restaurant menu designates it as such.
70. Three scores and ten.
71. Bang on the drum.
72. Six dozen.
73. Queen bee.
74. Hit the floor.
75. Strive and strive.
76. Trombones.
77. Sunset Strip: This bingo call is based on an American detective series produced by Warner Brothers between 1958 and 1964, which was shown in prime-time on Saturday nights in the UK.
78. 39 more steps.
79. One more time.
80. Eight and blank: This one is straightforward to find, but you can also see it referred to as "Gandhi's Breakfast", since the number 8 is meant to symbolize a cross-legged, sitting Gandhi.
81. Stop and run.
82. Straight on through: Related to journeying, but also known as a "fat lady with a duck," which refers to the pictures the numerals may and have portrayed before.
83. Time for tea.
84. Seven dozen.
85. Staying alive: The Bee Gees' 1977 global smash that was featured in the motion picture Saturday Night Fever.
86. Between the sticks: Goalkeeper lingo used in football.
87. Torquay in Devon.
88. Two fat ladies: Two Fat Women Returning to the graphics, the number 88 resembles the curves of two curvaceous women.
89. Nearly there.
90. Top of the shop.

These are all the bingo numbers, so players can read them once and get to know about the origin. However, some calls are just simple, so there’s no explanation for them.

Learning Bingo Calls

Bingo calls can be easily learned as players can just learn them online by taking quizzes. Just google “bingo call quiz”, and that’s how players will be able to test their knowledge. If they can’t remember every single one, then by taking quizzes, players will be able to learn them much more effectively.

Bingo Calls Chart

It's simple to use the chart to discover the names of the bingo number calls and their origins; all you have to do is click on the numbered ball you want to learn about, and an Answer Box will appear with the information. Afterward, you can either click anywhere outside the Answer Box to get back to the main chart, or use the next and previous arrows inside the answer box to go through each number call explanation one at a time.

Conclusion

Bingo is one of the most played games worldwide, and bingo cards are used to play this game at top online casinos. Players can also generate online bingo cards with a free bingo card generator, as it is not hard at all. In the article, players will find a huge list of bingo calls that are difficult to memorize, but they can take quizzes to learn them.