As bingo is strictly a game of luck, it's difficult for anyone to come up with a watertight strategy to win. The person who did probably wouldn't share their formula either!
The numbers are picked by a RNG (random number generator) if you're playing online or drawn by a machine if you're playing in-house. All the bingo caller is doing is adding some entertainment to the numbers he or she is given. This democratises no deposit bingo, making it completely fair for everyone. Anyone can win regardless of age or gender.
However, even though you can't guarantee victory every time, there are little things you can do to improve your odds very slightly.
Set a bankroll
Although this may not seem like a strategy to win, it's a sure-fire way to not lose all your money, and crucial to establish before playing.
A bankroll is the amount of money you set aside before starting. You should always agree with yourself the amount of money you can spare beforehand so that you don't end up getting into any financial difficulties.
Bingo can be addictive, and the lure of playing is strong. If you set yourself a limit, you know when the time comes to call it a day.
Playing off-peak
If possible, choose to play at off-peak times when there are fewer people in the bingo rooms. With fewer competitors, your chances of winning evidently increase.
Off peak times are between 8am and 4pm on weekdays. The majority of people are occupied at work and as a result, there will be less competition.
However, the bingo sites have thought of this too. It's quite common for them to reduce the amount of money that can be won during “off-peak” times when fewer players are online. However, if you're looking to scoop any kind of prize and not just the massive jackpots, play during the day.
More numbers mean better odds
Everyone knows that the more numbers you have in front of you, the better your odds. You have more combinations that could lead to the jackpot.
So another strategy is to buy multiple tickets or even multiple strips. Although the number of strips you're able to buy will very much depend on your budget, you can manage your outgoings by analysing the pricing that each bingo room advertises.
For many people, seeking out lower cost bingo rooms is a good idea, so that they can buy more strips, thus winning their money back more frequently. However, these rooms always have the most players in them.
Sometimes, it is actually more cost-effective to play in the higher cost bingo rooms with fewer tickets, as there are fewer players too. Therefore, there's not so much competition and your chances of winning are higher overall.
Know which game to play
Although this boils down to personal preference, knowing which game suits you best will give you an advantage.
There are lots of different variations of bingo out there, but the three main ones are 90 ball, 80 ball and 75 ball.
As mentioned, there's no specific one which is better to play, but trying them all out and deciding on which one you prefer will put you in the driving seat when the heat's on.
In the UK, you'll tend to find 90 ball and 75 ball bingo games are more common. The 75 ball offers you the ability to play with 24 numbers and the 90 ball gives you the opportunity to play with 15 numbers. It all comes down to whether you like fast games or long games, and whether you're adept at keeping on top of the numbers being called out!
Follow the laws of probability
It's a strange fact that although the numbers are called out randomly, you're more likely to get a sequence of completely random numbers than a sequence of ordered numbers.
British mathematical analyst Joseph E. Granville hypothesised that there will always be a totally even distribution of odd and even numbers, as well as high and low numbers.
Therefore, the best way of winning is to buy scorecards that have an equal distribution of odds and evens, high and low numbers, and numbers ending in each of the single digits 0-9.
Over the course of the game, there'll always be an even spread of numbers, so it makes sense to have a varied distribution of numbers on every card.
