Although there are several different variations of bingo, both online and offline, 90-ball bingo is one of the oldest and remains the most popular to this day.
Giving out 3 prizes as standard as opposed to 1 that other variations, such as 75-ball bingo, it is good for those players looking for a win as often as possible to keep their bank balance ticking along.
Bingo is a very simple game to learn and play, and as it is solely down to the luck of the draw, there are no complex systems or rules to learn like in some games found online.
Each player purchases a number of cards, depending on their bankroll and the rules of that particular game. The cost varies from game to game and the majority of the money, less a fee that goes to the bingo site if playing online or bingo hall if playing live take as a fee.
Top bingo sites to play 90 ball bingo
| Bingo Room | Deposit Bonuses | Sign Up Bonus | Play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | CyberBingo | Deposit $25 Play With $150 | $20 + 60 Spins | |
 | Bingo Billy | Deposit $20 Play With $120 | $60 | |
 | Amigo Bingo | Deposit $20 Play With $140 | $50 + 50 Spins | |
 | Bingo Australia | Deposit $20 Play With $140 | $50 + 50 Spins |
In 90-ball bingo, each card consists of 15 numbers from between 1 and 90.
The card is split into 3 rows and 9 columns. The columns are in numerical order with numbers from 1 to 10 on the left column, 11 to 20 on the 2nd etc. Each row has exactly 5 numbers made up from the 9 different columns.
The image above shows 2 typical 90-ball bingo tickets. Note that each column has between 1 and 3 numbers, whilst each row has exactly 5 numbers. Most the time each ticket will have a unique number allowing the site/bingo hall to confirm the win.
The aim of bingo in any form is to become the first player to mark all the required numbers off a card.
When playing 90-ball bingo online a game starts at a certain time with however many cards have been sold at that point.
Numbers are chosen by an RNG – random number generator – and are automatically marked off each card that has that number. When playing offline, you either need to mark the numbers manually yourself or use a machine that many clubs now provide.
With 90-ball bingo, the first prize of each game is given to the first player to mark off any line. Every line on a card has 5 numbers from the 9 columns, a maximum of 1 number from each.
Play continues until someone gets a line at which point the game is paused as the winner is announced. The game then resumes from that same point with all players now looking for any 2 lines. Even if you didn’t get close to the 1-line prize you can still win the 2-line prize if you get a good run of numbers going.
When someone gets 2 lines of the 3 marked off on their card, the game pauses again and the 2-line winner is confirmed. The game then continues for a full house, which is all 15 numbers on a card. The first person to mark this off wins the full house prize which is the highest of the 3 prizes.
The screenshot above shows a play during a game, you will see that this player has several cards in play and their best 2 cards in the top left are 2 numbers away from winning the full house prize.
In 90-ball bingo, 20% of the total prize money will normally be paid to the winner of the 1-line, 30% to the winner of the 2-line prize and 50% to the first player to get a full house – all 15 numbers from their card marked off.
Once a game has finished, prizes are paid out automatically into your account when playing online, winnings are normally bought to your table when playing offline.
There are often chat games available during play when playing online bingo which can add regular amounts to your bank balance, check out our section on this for more details.
90-Ball Bingo Strategy
As bingo is purely a game of luck and no skill is involved, it is difficult to put together a strategy for how to improve your chances of winning.
The evening time tends to be the busiest which means there will be more players and fewer chances of winning. However, on the flip side, it also means that prizes will be higher as more people are paying into the prize pool. If you are in it for the money, the evening would be the best time for you whereas if you are playing just for the enjoyment of it or for the social aspect, the morning/afternoon may be better as it gives you a better chance of getting a prize back and of keeping your bankroll ticking over.
There are often some high guaranteed games at peak times – especially at weekend evenings – which can lead to much bigger prizes so it is worth keeping an eye out for these.
Make the most of chat games as well, these are easy to play and can give small bumps to your bankroll too, the chat host will explain how to play before each begins.
Consider the ticket price and maximum tickets for each game too, the more tickets you buy for a game the better your chance of winning but the higher your exposure – cost – for that game as well. Depending on your bankroll, you may wish to consider playing low entry games and getting more tickets as opposed to entering higher buy-in games and playing lower amounts of tickets.
Finally, online bingo is a very social game so ensure you enjoy your experience of playing and chat with the other players/chat hosts if you want to make new friends!
90 Ball Winning Combinations
There are 3 patterns in the 90 ball bingo game that have it’s own prize if you win:
- 1 Liner – When all the numbers in a single row are covered
- 2 Lines – When all the numbers in 2 rows are covered
- Full House – All 15 numbers on the ticket are covered
90 Ball Bingo Rules
- 1. Every online bingo hall has their own set of rules so make sure your know these
- 2. Don’t play during peak hours because the more players the harder it is to win
- 3. Play with multiple cards to put the odds more in your favor
- 4. If you are playing on a budget play inexpensive games
- 5. Watch for special promotions and games such as monthly draws or prize giveaways
90 Ball Bingo Ticket
How To Play 90 Ball Bingo
When you buy a 90 ball bingo card it is marked with a 27 square grid of three rows and nine columns. The grid is marked with 15 random numbers, five in each row, making up 15 different numbers. When the game begins and the numbers are called you simply mark them off with your dabber if you are in a land-based hall. If you aren’t, and you are playing online, they are automatically dabbed for you.
How to play 90 ball bingo is pretty simple. It means you have a row of numbers marked off in one row. You also win when you have two rows of numbers and when you have a full house. The full house is when all the numbers on the card have been marked off and the prize for this win is the biggest on offer. It is usually the jackpot prize!
Sometimes prizes are guaranteed and other times they are part of a PJP or progressive jackpot. PJP’s usually reach large amounts and are the most worthwhile prizes to win. However, they can be more difficult to achieve a win on. There are often criteria which have to be met, criteria such as getting the full house in a certain amount of numbers.
90 Ball bingo is great fun to play and it is the favorite of the UK. Mostly because it has always been the most widely played in the UK, so it has transitioned to the internet well and has retained its popularity. UK bingo sites aren’t the only sites with this version though. How to play 90 ball bingo is very easily learned for the rest of the world and you can play this game no matter what country you live in.
Related How To Play Bingo Articles:
How to play 30 ball bingo
How to play 52 ball bingo
How to play 75 ball bingo
How to play 80 ball bingo
How to play Slingo
