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The Secret Highs and Lows of Playing Bingo

Highs and lows of playing Bingo
Range of emotions playing Bingo

Bingo, whether played at a land bingo hall or on a online bingo website, is a game of great emotion. There is, of course, elation, but sometimes we will experience disappointment, nervousness, frustration, and more as we wait to see if our lucky numbers are called. Those who have never played may not understand, but regular players are sure to know exactly what we are talking about.

With that in mind, here is a brief look at some bingo experiences the uninitiated will simply never be able to comprehend.

Resentful Admiration of Talkers

Many of us just don’t understand how people can talk during a bingo game. Surely, all of their attention is needed to keep track of the numbers and make sure they are properly marking them off. However, we are not beyond admitting that part of us is impressed by their ability to multitask.

Celebrating Non-Wins

You’re playing bingo, and someone has already won the 1L prize, everyone is focused on who will get a full house. Therefore, why are there people shouting out in celebration upon completing another line? That prize has gone, stay focused and stop wasting all of our time!

The Pressure to Stay Focused

Staying focused while playing bingo

Non-bingo players will never understand how stressful bingo can be. If you are new to the game, prepare to be shocked. You need to concentrate on making sure you don’t miss anything; the last thing you want to do is miss out on a prize. After experiencing this, you will understand exactly why we don’t understand the aforementioned talkers.

Judging Toilet Calls

Imagine you are in the middle of a game, you think a prize might be on the horizon when suddenly, nature calls. You are now faced with an age-old bingo dilemma. Do you ask your friends to take over for you while you run to the toilet (something all but the best of friends are likely to resent), or do you risk waiting? It is not an easy decision, and you may well end up praying for the caller to get a move on.

Wishing Things Were Slower

For many, bingo is primarily an evening activity. This means that you may well be coming to the game tired after a long day of work. If you are feeling a bit sluggish, you are likely to find yourself internally wishing that the bingo caller would just take things easy. The numbers seem to be flying past, you feel as if you can’t keep up, and part of you wants to just throw in the towel. Of course, you would never do that, but the mental anguish is real.

Where Are The Numbers Coming From?

When you arrive at a bingo game, it can take a little while for your ears to tune into the voice of the caller. Until you do so, you are likely to zone in on any voice you hear articulating numbers, which can cause great confusion. Even worse, the bingo caller may change between games, which means you have to start the whole tuning in process from the beginning again.

Evaluating Friendships

We mentioned before that there are scenarios where you may ask your friends to take over for you. When you are asked, don’t be surprised if you feel a moment of pure hatred for your supposed friend. Can’t they see that you have your hands full keeping track of your own numbers? Having to hunt down numbers on two sheets is far from easy, and if you agree, your friend should recognise that it may well be a sign of true love.

Struggles with a Leaky Dabber

If you are new to bingo, a dabber is a marker that is used to mark the numbers on your bingo card. However, while it is a vital accessory, it can make life hellish if it begins to leak. You could find yourself with ink all over your hand and all over your card, making it impossible to see the other numbers. Worst of all, any attempts to clear things up just seem to spread the ink further.

Bingo dabber

Forgetting Your Lucky Dabber

Leaking is not the only problem that dabbers can cause. Just as traumatic as having a leaky one is realising that you’ve left your lucky one at home. Rationally you may know that it will make no difference, but you will spend the game convinced that you are going to lose.

Fighting Criminal Intent

We are all human, and if we are honest, we are all a bit jealous of the jackpot winners. However, sometimes this jealously can be magnified. Imagine if they beat you to the big prize by a single number. In these instances, we have to take some deep breaths and resist the urge to mug them. Of course, you would never do it, but in your mind, it has likely happened.

Irrepressible Optimism

A sure sign that you are a true bingo fanatic is if you head into every bingo session convinced that you are going to win. This may have happened hundreds of times before without you ever winning, but as soon as you set foot in the bingo hall, that lucky feeling overtakes you.

To Eat or Not to Eat?

There is no doubt that playing bingo can be hungry work. The problem is deciding when the best time to eat is. Do you risk leaving and miss your lucky game or do you take a bigger risk and ask your friend to take over in your absence? The problems don’t end there. If you do order food, you are likely to internally curse the waiter when he/she arrives with your food and disturbs you and those around you. That isn’t the end of it. You then have to decide whether it is worth eating your food in the middle of a game and risk missing something or if it is better to wait but allow the food to go cold.

From Optimism to Despondency

At the beginning of this post, we mentioned that bingo can be hugely frustrating. This is never truer than when waiting for just one more number. Sometimes it feels that you spend the majority of your life waiting for it, and eventually, you begin to believe that it will never arrive. Perhaps only slightly less depressing than this are evenings when you always seem to be at least six numbers behind everyone else. Sometimes it truly feels as if you simply can’t win.

The Pure Joy of Winning

There is possibly no feeling on earth as joyous as winning a full house prize. You may have spent weeks, months, or even years convinced that it will never happen. However, at last, your perseverance and dedication to the game has paid off. You are the envy of all the other players, and you can head straight to the bar.

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Kat Anderson
Author: Kat Anderson
Dedicated to keeping the spirit of bingo alive. I think bingo sites translate tradition into a modern context and I aim to provide our readers with the latest from the world of online bingo, including industry news, launches, and promotions.

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