Blackout Bingo

Blackout bingo, or coverall bingo, is a type of pattern bingo most common online, although it is sometimes played in live bingo halls as well

Blackout bingo can be played either using the 75-ball, 80-ball or 90-ball system, and the object of the game is to cover all spots on your bingo card.

Playing Blackout Bingo
When you are playing blackout bingo the main prize of the game is awarded to the first player to mark all the spots on the bingo card. Usually there are awards as well for other patterns, like the diamond or a single row, but the one all players want is the coverall, or the blackout pattern.

Many online sites use the blackout pattern as their jackpot, since a regular bingo game is often finished before anyone manages to clear all numbers on their card. If the blackout is used as a jackpot award, the player usually need to hit the blackout within a pre-set limit of draws in order to qualify for it.

75-ball game Blackout Bingo
In the 75-ball game each card contains at least one 5x5 box containing 25 spots. The middle spot of every card is blank, and counts as a marked number. Thereby, there are 24 additional spots for the player to fill before the whole card is completed. Realistically, a blackout pattern can be cleared within 24 draws, but it usually takes a whole lot more numbers to be called before anyone manage to clear the whole card.

80-ball game Blackout Bingo
As for 80-ball bingo, there are 16 numbers to be cleared in order to achieve the blackout bingo. Remember that there is no center spot already marked in this game. In consequence, you will have to clear all spots in the 4x4 box in order to get the blackout.

90-ball game Blackout Bingo
The 90-ball game card has a considerably different design compared to the other bingo cards. Because of the three row, nine column layout, the blackout bingo plays out a little differently than other bingo games. Only five out of every nine spots in the rows are numbered, which means that there are only 15 numbers to be marked in order for you to clear the whole card. In the 90-ball game, marking off all numbers on the card is referred to as making a "full house".

Winning Blackout Bingo Online
Traditionally, when playing blackout bingo players claim their winnings by shouting "bingo" or "house". When playing online, you don't have to claim your winnings by yelling - the software will take care of this for you. But on the other hand, is it really bingo without the yelling?

Remember to look for online games with a blackout jackpot since this feature will improve your chances of winning.