Online Bingo News & Reviews

Industry commentators agree that the modern phenomenon of online poker really took off in 2004.  Up until that date the conventional game had managed to make use of the internet and software developments which allowed poker sites to start to expand online, but it was the phenomenal win of Chris Moneymaker in the World Series of Poker in 2003, when he successfully pocketed $2.5 million, that attracted so many people to the game.  The early online sites also used televised World Series’ games to promote their sites. Moneymaker’s success, which later became known as the ‘Moneymaker Effect,’ was so unique as he was the first player to qualify online for a place at the Live tournament.  His story rapidly gained popularity as he only started with a humble $40 buy in.     

Obviously, the ‘Moneymaker Effect’ contributed to the phenomenon of online poker.  Players, who previously wouldn’t have considered playing with unknown challengers in distant parts of the globe realised that serious money could be won through the game and the modern explosion, which takes advantage of differing international timelines and enhanced security with modern software, really started to boom.

Some online sites claim to serve over 120 countries in over 15 different languages.  Other online sites have expanded so that they now have their own satellite TV stations in conjunction with major international carriers.  The United States alone is estimated to make up 60% of the online poker market, though rules and regulations for US based sites have changed due to congressional legislation.  A lot of the online sites are now registered ‘offshore’ Malta, the Isle of Man and the Caribbean all host sites for online poker.

Poker stars come and poker stars go and one that has parted company from the stable of Team Poker Stars is  just a few weeks after they parted company with J P Kelly who was also part of their UK and Ireland team. Duthie is the CEO and founder of the ever-popular European Poker Tour.

The news first came to light on the Two Plus Two forums and it was that man, or should we say The Oracle, that is Kevmath who broke it to the poker community. He is quoted as saying, “I’ve heard from a source close to John Duthie, one of the main people behind the creation of the European Poker Tour, that he is no longer part of Team PokerStars,” Duthie is a well-known, respected and popular player on the poker circuit and has almost $2,780,000 in live tournament winnings. The departure of the 53 year old leaves Team UK & Ireland with only three representatives, Victoria Coren, Liv Boeree and Jude Ainsworth.

The Hippodrome Bingo club in Bishop Auckland which has more than 10,000 members is hoping to reopen before Easter having been forced to close following a major water accident which destroyed the club. While the unprecedented accident has left local bingo players with nowhere to play their favourite game, the club management are looking forward to a grand re-opening and inviting members back to the club.

This is really great news for the Durham club which had feared that due to the tremendous damage to the building and bingo equipment it would not open again to bingo lovers. The bingo club has two levels and staff became aware sometime later prior to the club opening that water was running down the walls from the upper level. The water had built up within the structure and it wasn’t long before parts of the ceiling and walls started coming away The building was closed as insurance investigators were called in to the site which was drenched in dirty water. The building was declared as unsafe in its current state due the fact that parts of ceiling keep dropping and significant damage was done to the electrics.

So you have decided to give online bingo a try.  Now you have to consider which sites you will play bingo at.  There are hundreds of them to choose from so you should have a method of narrowing down the possibilities that you can rely on.

Start by searching for online bingo sites using a reliable search engine of your choice.  This will present you with lots of big name websites that have bingo on offer around the clock.  Jot them down or open up each site in a new tab in your browser, so you can explore them all in more detail.

Next you should decide whether you want to play bingo for free or whether you will have a budget for your games.  This is important to focus on because there are sites that offer free games for you to enjoy.  However they may be limited in number and not all sites offer free games at all.  Deciding on whether you will have a budget or not will help you to narrow down the possibilities.

The next stage is to get a feel for each website on your shortlist by exploring what it has to offer.  How many bingo games does it have?  What do they look like?  Are they easy to play? Can you get assistance on the game rules if you need it?

The answers to these questions and many more will help you to figure out which sites you like the most.  Of course you will not get the best idea of what a particular site like xbingo.com is like until you try it.  But by focusing on these few questions and areas, you can narrow down the huge number of sites online today to the few that you might actually want to use on a regular basis.

Popular online gaming website Jackpotjoy has paid out £1,313 to their latest online bingo winner, Mrs Julie W, who scooped the amount after playing the website’s 90 ball version of the gaming classic.  For every ticket bought a proportion of the price goes into the progressive jackpot, which is awarded to the player who makes the first full house call within a certain number of balls being drawn. If no winner comes forward during the game then the amount rolls over.

Part of the attraction of online bingo is its simplicity; the cards are marked automatically as you go along, allowing you to keep more cards on the go and increasing your chances of winning. On hearing of her win, Mrs Julie W, said: “I am sending the bulk of this to Chernobyl. I host children every year that stay with me for a month at a time.” What a brilliant way to spend your prize money Julie! Many congratulations!

Poker is one of the most enjoyable activities in which the player can socialise, improve their mental faculties through constant stimulation, and also, potentially, win money.

There are many people who like to socialise by playing poker, and both the offline and online versions of the game are hugely popular. You can log onto an online site at any time of the day or night, and someone somewhere will be chatting to another player about one or more aspects of the game.

Winning money through poker can give you a huge thrill, but novices to the game should set themselves a limit and never try to chase bad bets with even worse bets. Sometimes, the best advice after a run of bad luck is for the player to give up and try again on another occasion.

It can also be very satisfying for a player to walk away from a poker table after a win, or a series of wins, especially when the player has employed a skilful strategy.

Bluffing in poker can be great fun. Once a player has mastered this skill, the enjoyment that can be gained from winning a generous pot with a weak hand, thanks to a strong bluff, can be exhilarating.

January is a great time to be in Australia it is after all the southern hemisphere summer, but more to the point it is also the time when the world’s best tennis players take to the court at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open; all while the world’s best poker players take to the felt at Crown Casino for the Aussie Millions. Throw in Australia Day, which is the equivalent of the U.S Fourth of July, and the buzz around the city is simply fantastic. The weather is warm and the beach is calling. People start to close their laptops for the holidays and open the lids on their barbeques instead. Once the New Year ticks over, the celebrations continue at full force in Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia.

Last year’s Aussie Millions was an iconic event on the global poker circuit. The $100,000 Challenge matched the record-setting figure of 38 players that was set only two weeks prior at the PCA. To follow that up, Crown then announced a last-minute addition to the schedule the Super High Roller. Twenty players coughed up $250,000 each to buy-in and the $2.5 million first-place prize went to Eric Seidel, which kick-started his incredible 2011 heater. So poker fans and casino lovers and tennis freaks, pack your bags and head for Melbourne!

The giant entertainment organisation the Rank Group, which is the parent company behind Mecca Bingo, Blue Square and Grosvenor Casino, has agreed a three year sponsorship deal with Fremantle Media Enterprises (FME), in association with Syco to be the official gaming partner of The X Factor television show. The deal is regarded by many as a tremendous coup for Rank who will have exclusive rights to develop an X Factor branded online bingo game, as well as slots and mini games around the X Factor brand. In addition to branding graphics, theme music and use of the logo in all marketing promotions and communications, Rank will also have promotional opportunities at X Factor events.

The X Factor is one of the UK’s most successful TV brands and there can be little doubt that this will enable Rank to promote to a new audience, as well as being able to increase their customer engagement with exclusive games and money can’t buy prizes, including tickets to The X Factor live Finals at Wembley.”

Bingo is a game that is popular around the world for its simplicity, the potential winnings, and the social aspect of the game. Many people enjoy getting together in a community hall or church to enjoy a game and maybe make a little money.  Bingo is even popular as an online game at sites such as Xbingo and can be played both online and offline in two different forms.  Ninety ball bingo, also known as UK bingo is played throughout Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, while 75 ball bingo, or US bingo, is the style played mostly in North America.

The Card

The card used in 75 ball bingo has a grid with 25 squares arranged in rows and columns of five squares each.  The first column can contain numbers between one and 15, the second column sixteen to 30, the third column thirty-one to 45, the fourth column forty-six to 60, and the final column, sixty-one to 75.

Winning

As in all games of bingo, players mark off numbers on their cards as the caller reads them off.  The caller reads numbers as they are randomly drawn from a bag, a ball machine, or an electronic random number generator.  When someone has a winning card, they call out bingo and the caller validates the card and gives out the prize.

There are several different ways to win in 75 ball bingo and they vary depending upon the bingo hall or online gaming site.  The most common ways of winning include marking off each number in a row or in a column, but this is quite an exciting form of bingo, and is available to play on XBingo.com.  Other ways to win are by getting a diagonal line of numbers or the numbers in the four corners of the card.  Some games will have more elaborate patterns of numbers for wins.  The method of winning is announced before the game begins.

The End of the Game

Unlike in 90 ball bingo games, there are no stages in the game.  It ends when someone wins or when all 75 numbers have been called, whichever comes first.

Interested? Play bingo online at xbingo.com.

Released on Friday 16th December, 32Red bingo’s Big Festive Giveaway is currently proving a massive hit with online gamers, with the company reporting an initial overwhelming response to its latest festive promotion. For 20 consecutive days from 16th December 2011- 6th January 2012 gamers will have the chance to win 20 fantastic prizes- ranging from £25 cash to a DKNY designer watch. However one lucky player will win the overall prize: a holiday voucher worth £500!

The daily leader board can be viewed via the 32Red Bingo website, along with the overall leader board, which lists those players who have previously bought the most tickets since the promotion began. The lucky player to finish highest on the overall leader board after the 20-day duration will win the overall prize: a £500 holiday voucher.