Bingo Calling For Beginners
Created | Updated Oct 13, 2008
On the surface, bingo appears to be such a simple game. Everyone knows the basic premise: one person, armed with a set of numbers, calls out randomly selected numerals until a player shouts out that they have filled their ticket. And to the player, this is the case. However, for the caller it is far more complex. This entry hopes to introduce new callers to what is required, help those more experienced to refine their styles and explain some of the less logical number nicknames to players.
Setting the Scene
Before you get down to the business of selling tickets and calling the numbers, it is worth a brief introduction. You need to establish how many games you will be playing, whether you will sell tickets before each game or in a 'book' for the whole session1, and whether you will be playing for the 'line', 'four corners', or just for the 'house'. In the formal setting of a professional hall, these protocols will already be established and you will probably receive training in their way of doing things.
In truth, your audience will dictate how you go about it. For example, you would probably go round and sell the tickets to a small elderly group as it is generally quicker and easier, but in a youth club you'll want them to queue up and calm down.
Tips For Calling
- Don't rush. If you're not used to being in front of a group of people, the tendency is to talk quickly, stutter garbled numbers and quickly develop a dry mouth. Speak as clearly as you can and try to be a little melodic in tone. Having a drink to hand helps too.
- Make sure you give the numbers a good shake-up now and then; this, most callers will tell you, is more for effect than for actual randomisation. For some reason, everyone will believe that you are a very fair and trustworthy caller indeed.
- Whenever you call consecutive numbers, give a slight shake of your head and 'tut' almost inaudibly. Most players will believe that if you call consecutive numbers, it's your fault for not 'mixing them up' enough and will occasionally shout something to this effect at you. This tactic pre-empts the players and will leave them, like you, blaming bad luck or poor equipment.
- You can avoid most problems by being clear at the start. For example, it is a generally accepted rule that if you do not call 'house' on the number that completes your ticket, you forfeit your prize. In an informal setting, it is important to make this clear as some participants may not have played before. People can get quite nasty and will blame you for 'not explaining that bit'.
- Occasionally, you might get misprinted tickets with sixteen numbers on instead of fifteen or a number printed twice. How you handle this is up to you, but again if you explain at the start that it is up to the player to ensure their ticket is valid, you can avoid the problem entirely. Ask them to check that each ticket has fifteen different numbers arranged in three rows of five, and if any are not correct change them before the game starts. This happens more often than one would expect, particularly with cheap books.
What Are 'Nicknames'?
Many numbers have a 'nickname', a phrase that is called along with the number to clarify what has been called and inject an occasional sense of fun into proceedings. This may be as simple as 'four and nine, forty-nine2' or as obtuse as 'two and six; bed and breakfast, twenty-six'.
Broadly speaking, nicknames fall into two categories: those with rhyme and those with reason. The number twenty has two nicknames which illustrate this. It is known as 'one score', as a score is twenty, and as 'getting plenty', because it rhymes with twenty. Which you prefer is down to personal taste, and most callers use a mixture of both. Many find the rhyming ones more difficult to remember; for example '34 – ask for more' could just as easily be the nickname for 54, but if you know that a bullseye in darts scores fifty then 'it's a bullseye! Number 50' is easy. There are a very few numbers which have both rhyme and reason, a few that raise a smile, and one or two sad lonely numbers that have no nickname at all.
Note that many professional halls do not encourage callers to use nicknames. This is because technically until the caller actually says the number itself, players can still claim on the last number. For example, the last number was 33, the caller then says 'all the twos, two little ducks...' but before he can say '22' someone calls 'HOUSE!' It is ambiguous then whether the number being called on is 22 or 33; according to the letter of the law only 33 can be claimed on, but most people will naturally shout as soon as they know they have won. Someone claiming on 22 in this case would not win.
Essential Nicknames
The main nicknames you need to remember are the single digits (one to nine, 'on its own'), 'twin' numbers (eg, 44) and the multiples of ten ('blind'). Getting these is half the battle. You will be forgiven for forgetting some obscure rhyming slang for number 43, but every player will know that number one is known as Kelly's Eye and tut every time you forget to say it. Master these before your first calling.
On Its Own...
Calling these numbers follows the format 'On its own, nickname, number 'x'. These are suggestions of the most common nicknames for the single digit numbers.
Kelly's Eye3; Bingo baby; at the beginning.
One little duck4; me and you; Doctor Who.
I’m free; one little flea5; Debbie McGee.
Knock on the door; the one next door.
Man alive.
Lucky for some; lucky; one little crutch6.
One fat lady7; garden gate.
Doctor's orders8.
All the...
These should be called as 'All the x's, nickname, xx'.
11. Legs eleven. With a crowd with a good sense of humour, 'Kelly's legs' can be used if number one has already been called.
22. Two little ducks (crowd may answer by shouting 'quack, quack'); dinky doo.
33. All the feathers; two little fleas; 'all the trees, Sherwood Forest, 33'.
44. Droopy drawers. (With a little imagination, it could be the legs of two loose women, one heel flat against the wall.)
55. Snakes alive.
66. Clickety-click.
77. Sunset strip (from a late 1950s-early 60s TV show).
88. Two fat ladies. Crowd may answer by shouting 'wobble, wobble'.
Blind....
Call the following as 'x-0, nickname, blind x0'.
10. Tony's Den9; Cock and Hen.
20. One score; getting plenty.
30. Dirty Gertie; flirty thirty; Burlington Bertie.
40. Two score.
50. Bullseye; half a century; or 'five-oh, five-oh, it's off to work we go'.
60. Three score; five dozen.
70. Three score and ten.
90. Top of the shop; as far as we go.
Miscellaneous nicknames
There are many variations on a theme. Making up your own ryhming slang is considered completely acceptable; and use the duck / flea / crutch / fat lady combinations as much as you like, especially if they happen to rhyme ('Duck and a flea, twenty-three'). However, as noted before, there are some numbers players really like to hear. If you can remember these, it's a bonus.
12. A dozen; monkey's cousin.
13. Unlucky for some; baker's dozen.
14. Valentine's Day (14th February).
15. Rugby team.
16. Sweet sixteen; never been kissed.
17. Dancing queen11; often been kissed.
18. Key of the door; coming of age.
19. Goodbye teens.
21. Key of the door; Royal salute12.
23. Lord's My Shepherd13.
26. Bed and breakfast14; Half a crown15.
39. The famous steps; all the steps16.
41. Life's begun.
42. The famous street in Manhattan.
45. Halfway house; halfway there (to 90).
57. Heinz varieties; all the beans.
59. The Brighton Line17
64. The Beatles' number (crowd may sing 'When I'm 64').
65. Old age pension18
76. Was she worth it?19
83. Ethel's Ear20
89. Nearly there; all but one; one away (from 90).
You'll notice that there aren't many nicknames for the higher numbers, and this is where a bit of improvisation comes in handy. If you've had a few nicknameless numbers come out in a row, being able to flip out a 'Stitch in time, seventy-nine' sets you out from the crowd.
