Blackout Bingo (Coverall)
Blackout means every square on the card: all 24 numbers and the free space. It is the longest bingo game and usually the last of the night, with the biggest prize. Halls also call it coverall or a full card; on 90-ball tickets the same idea is the full house.
How to play
Players daub every number called until one card is completely covered. The first full card calls bingo. As the game runs long, callers often keep a steady pace and read out the last few numbers again for anyone who missed them.
How long a game takes
A single 75-ball card needs almost every ball: on average 73 of the 75 calls before it is covered. A room fills a card sooner, but not by much: in our simulation the first blackout came after 65 to 68 calls with 30 cards in play, and after 62 to 65 with 100. That is why it closes the session.
Variations
Blackout in N calls pays a jackpot only if someone covers a card within a set number of calls, say 50, and a regular prize after that. Progressive blackout raises the call limit each week the jackpot is not won.
Checking a winner
Every square counts, so a blackout claim is the slowest one to check by reading a card aloud. With BingoInk cards, enter the card number in the winner check and pick blackout: it shows the card marked and how many squares are still open.
More patterns
- Four corners: Just the four corner squares. Four numbers can win, so it is fast and good for a warm-up.
- Postage stamp: A 2x2 block of squares in any corner, like a stamp on an envelope.
- All bingo patterns, with pictures.