2024-04-05

Bingo Calls Guide

Bingo's reputation as the favourite pastime of Brits is not losing steam in the online casino era. Younger generations are happy to play their bingo games online and still get to know the iconic bingo caller phrases that come alongside the game.

Just like other casino games, slang infiltrates the game’s vocabulary and within a list of bingo calls. There are some funny bingo calls and well-known phrases. However, if you’re looking to find out what a 22 bingo call is or the bingo call for 77 before you head into the Pink Casino 90 Ball Bingo or 80 Ball Bingo lobby, why not take a look at our bingo number names and start mastering British bingo calls.

What are Bingo Calls?

Before playing online bingo, players need to be aware of bingo calls and how they can potentially impact the game. Bingo number calling has become somewhat of an art, especially in bingo halls across the country and the world, with many people learning all the calls by memory.

Many Bingo rules and the game itself have survived the test of time, with the game developing from routes in Europe before becoming the modern game played in online casinos. However, the aim of the game is the same. It requires players to mark off numbers on their bingo tickets from a total of 90, 80, 75 or even 30 balls.

The suspense of waiting to see if the winning combination of numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal sequence will land is enhanced by creative phrases that announce each drawn number, a practice popularly known as bingo calling. In traditional bingo halls, a bingo caller is more appropriately viewed as a master of ceremony, responsible for animating players through their exceptional communication skills, announcing numbers, and identifying winners. Some online bingo games stick to a format with pre-recorded audio, or in the case of a live dealer game, a croupier verbally communicates the rhymes.

Bingo calls are one of the hallmarks of the game. These witty and fun expressions can bring about a smile on any bingo participant. While bingo calls are mainly associated with traditional bingo, many online gaming sites that provide bingo games add pre-recorded audio of bingo calls for most, if not all, numbers. However, this is not always the case with fully automated bingo games online.

Origins of Bingo Calls

The current lexicon of bingo calls traces its roots to the mid-20th century London, especially during fundraising bingo games for the army fighting in World War II. At that time, rhymes were often used to transmit messages, and the trend spilt over into bingo.

One driving factor for bingo players adopting rhymes was the issue of distinguishing similar-sounding numbers, such as the case of 14 and 40.

By using creative rhymes, players can more easily follow the game. Most bingo calls are inspired by the numbers. For example, 22 is called Two Little Ducks because the number 2 visually resembles a duck.

Other terms’ providence is difficult to ascertain because of the passage of time. However, the practice started to evolve with a new set of nicknames spreading until a codified form of terms became available.

The bingo lingo infuses additional excitement into this social game. Although learning the entire dictionary is not mandatory to play the game, having a grasp of the phrases makes the game more fun.

The Most Popular Bingo Calls

Most players believe bingo is the most important term in bingo calls, considering it's used to announce a winner. A curious fact, in the earlier years of the game's history, beano was the preferred term for bingo. However, some things do not change, and the influence of British culture is evident in bingo calls. A few popular calls include:

Kelly’s Eye for 1: Derived from military slang, the kelly's eye bingo call is a reference to Ned Kelly
Dancing Queen for 17: Homage to the legendary Swedish pop band Abba
It's a Bullseye!" for 50,
Old Age Pension for 65: Represents the age at which Brits stop working.
Cup of Tea for 3: British people like tea and it rhymes nicely.
Fish, Chips and Peas for 33: Inspired by the traditional English fish supper, 33 in bingo can be quiet a tasty number.
Brighton Line for 59: There are two schools of thought, either representing the original train number from Brighton to London or the telephone area code for Brighton.
Two Fat Ladies for 88: The number resembles two fat ladies.

Rhymes gained popularity because they were statistically more likely to appear. Research reveals that 4, or to use the appropriate term, "Knock at the door," and "Tom Mix," which stands for 6, are most commonly called bingo numbers. Although the statistical analysis does not support the belief that 7 or "God’s in heaven" is a lucky bingo number, players stick to that perception and tend to consider "Unlucky for some" a dreaded call, because it symbolises the number 13. Bingo players are also eager to hear their date of birth or other number with personal significance called when playing.

Some terms go out of fashion, while others do not budge. The new century brought fresh bingo calls adequate for modern circumstances, displacing traditional bingo calls. Modern players introduce more up-to-date terms, such as number 1, being referred to as “One Direction” after the famous music band, but these rhymes are not universally accepted. Additional modern rhymes to emerge in recent years are “Selfie Time” as the code name for 9 or “Chill with Netflix” for 56.

Bingo Calls

If you're playing a 75-ball or 90-ball bingo game all the bingo call nicknames are the same. The repertoire of rhymes is consistent, although slight variations are encountered due to pop culture, most players will be able to keep up by mastering the basic nicknames. Here’s a complete list of each bingo call you should know:

1 – Kelly’s eye
2 – One little duck
3 – Cup of tea
4 – Knock at the door
5 – Man alive
6 – Tom Mix
7 – Lucky seven
8 – Garden gate
9 – Doctor’s orders
10 – PM’s den
11 – Legs eleven
12 – One dozen
13 – Unlucky for some
14 – Valentine’s Day
15 – Young and keen
16 – Sweet 16
17 – Dancing Queen
18 – Coming of age
19 – Goodbye teens
20 – One score
21 – Royal salute
22 – Two little ducks
23 – Thee and me
24 – Two dozen
25 – Duck and dive
26 – Pick and mix
27 – Gateway to heaven
28 – In a state
29 – Rise and shine
30 – Dirty Gertie
31 – Get up and run
32 – Buckle my shoe
33 – All the threes
34 – Ask for more
35 – Jump and jive
36 – Three dozen
37 – More than eleven
38 – Christmas cake
39 – 39 steps
40 – Life begins
41 – Time for fun
42 – Winnie the Pooh
43 – Down on your knees
44 – Droopy drawers
45 – Halfway there
46 – Up to tricks
47 – Four and seven
48 – Four dozen
49 – PC
50 – Half a century
51 – Tweak of the thumb
52 – Danny La Rue
53 – Here comes Herbie
54 – Clean the floor
55 – Snakes alive
56 – Shotts Bus
57 – Heinz varieties
58 – Make them wait
59 – Brighton Line
60 – Five dozen
61 – Baker’s bun
62 – Turn the screw
63 – Tickle me
64 – Red raw
65 – Old age pension
66 – Clickety click
67 – Stairway to heaven
68 – Saving Grace
69 – Favourite of mine
70 – Three score and ten
71 – Bang on the drum
72 – Six dozen
73 – Queen bee
74 – Hit the floor
75 – Strive and strive
76 – Trombones
77 – Sunset strip
78 – 39 more steps
79 – One more time
80 – Eight and blank
81 – Stop and run
82 – Straight on through
83 – Time for tea
84 – Seven dozen
85 – Staying alive
86 – Between the sticks
87 – Torquay in Devon
88 – Two fat ladies
89 – Nearly there
90 – Top of the shop

Don’t expect to learn these terms by heart in one or several readings. It’s just not how things go. Instead, visit Pink Casino, access the lobby, and start playing. It is only through practical experience playing bingo that you can memorise most bingo calls.