Bingo Game Ideas

Bingo is a fun, easy-to-play game that's enjoyed by people at home, parties and in fire halls across the United States. Bingo can be played simply for fun or for cash or prizes. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional format or method of play, a variety of ideas are available.

Bingo can be played by just two people. Each player places her card out of site from the other to increase the suspense. The first player selects and calls a number that only the second player can mark if it shows on her card. The second player then chooses a number for the first player, and so on until a winner is determined.

For large numbers of people, divide the group into equally-numbered teams. The first team where all members attain Bingo is declared the winner. For added intrigue, create a tournament where two teams are pitted against each other, with each winner advancing to the next round..

Keep the kids occupied on a long car trip with a game of Car Bingo. Before the trip, create bingo cards with pictures or the name of various items seen along the highway like road signs, bridges or certain types of vehicles. If you're traveling through a rural area, you can use animals such as cows, sheep or even cats and dogs.

Instead of employing the traditional across, up-and-down and diagonal methods of attaining Bingo, use different patterns. For example, require the formation of nine numbers in a square to get Bingo. Other ideas include filling in the top and bottom rows, covering the entire card, attaining multiple Bingos on one card and the filling in of all numbers adjacent to the free space.

Instead of just selecting numbers and calling them out, make the players earn their card spots by asking questions. For example, if "B-13" is selected, those players who have that number on their card must then write down the correct answer to a question to be able to mark the space. You can use the questions from another game like Trivial Pursuit or make up your own.