Managing Your Money

In bingo, as in almost any form of gambling, the true secret to winning may be in controlling your losses. This advice may be even more valid for bingo because of its obvious attractions as a game: it’s simple to play, and there’s always a winner-except in coverall, where the big prize is likely to cause players to forget about the odds that nobody will win.

The first rule, then, would be not to gamble more than you can afford to lose. That’s a good basic guideline for any type of gambling, but experience shows that gamblers tend to forget the basics when they start getting into the game. Set a limit-and keep to it.

Another guideline is to pace your spending according to the potential winnings. For example, if the prize for a regular game is $50, you should not spend more than $50 playing for the whole session. If you do, even if you win, you’ve lost.

With many casinos in stiff competition for the bingo buck, it pays to check out what they have to offer. There are bingo newsletters and general gambling magazines that keep up on casino action. So you might find, for example, that Casino Player might rate the Palace Station Casino as the best bingo operation in Las Vegas, with Binion’s Horseshoe and Sam’s Town getting honorable mention. You should always understand the reasons behind any ratings, of course. The hours of operation, for example, might not matter to you as much as the minimum buy-in or the payout–the higher the payout the better.

(Note: although “buy-in” can refer to the purchase of a single game card, the word can have a different meaning in some casinos. For example, one casino uses the word to mean “the single purchase of a predetermined set of bingo cards, which usually includes two 6ons (12 cards) for each of the 15 regular games, a Super Jackpot 3 on (3 cards on a strip), a Late Game Jackpot 3-on, and a single chance at the Do-lt-Yourself Jackpot.” Whew! And we won’t even mention what’s in that casino’s Double Buy-In!)

Finally you should also keep in mind that bingo can be addictive. Some players are hooked on playing the game no matter what the prizes and the odds. Some players automatically buy their usual half-dozen or dozen cards every game. As we’ve said before, if you like bingo for the social atmosphere and the action, that’s great. But if you want to win more than you lose, then you should avoid getting hooked on any aspect of the game. Play smart.