Bingo is an exciting game that is played in most parts of the world. The game is quick and fun and best for winning multiple prizes. Playing a session of bingo is a way of spending a good time like none other.
To play and win in bingo, players must absolutely know about winning patterns and combinations in Bingo. A single line is the easiest combination across all game variations.
Single Lines: The Original Winning Pattern
Over the years, the different variants of the game including the 75-ball American bingo, the 90-ball British bingo, and many others, have led to numerous quirky and funny patterns being drawn to win prizes. However, the single line pattern is the most common and also, the most original of all. Drawing a single line is considered valid for most bingo variations today.
Types of Single Line Patterns in Bingo
In bingo, pattern means that area of the playing card that needs to be covered to win the game. This pattern must include all the numbers that are being called over the course of the game. The single line is the most basic pattern, which can appear in three ways.
Horizontal Line
The horizontal single line is basically one straight line from one side of the card to the other end of it. In the UK bingo, the horizontal single line must cover all the numbers appearing on any of the 3 rows of the card. In the 75-ball US bingo, there can be 5 horizontal single lines that can be drawn, and completing any one can get the player the designated prize/money for single-line wins. Horizontal single lines can be completed quite easily and quickly in some games.
Vertical Line
A vertical single-line pattern covers all the numbers appearing from the top of the card to the bottom of it. In the 75-ball US bingo, there are 5 vertical single lines that can be covered by the players. The lines without the blank space in the middle are called a single line hard way. Vertical single lines are winning patterns in the 90-ball bingo too. Here, the player needs to cover all the numbers appearing on any of the 9 columns of the bingo ticket. Of course, the lines having two or more than two numbers are considered patterns.
Diagonal Line
The diagonal line pattern is applicable for US bingo and a few other variants such as the 80-ball bingo but it cannot be drawn in a 90-ball UK bingo ticket, as such. A diagonal line would cover all the numbers appearing in a diagonal shape in two ways. One is a line from the top right-hand corner number down to the left-hand side corner most number and two, from the top left-hand corner number to the down right-hand corner number. Diagonal lines are considered winning patterns, offering considerable prizes or money for the player.
Bingo Single Lines: FAQ
Here are a few questions about the single line pattern in bingo answered in brief:
What is a single line in bingo?
A single line is just one line covering all the numbers being called out in a game of bingo. A single-line pattern can be drawn faster than creating most other patterns.
Is one line a winning pattern in bingo?
Yes, one line or a single line is a winning pattern in almost all variants of bingo.
Are all bingo variations won with a single line?
Yes, a single line win is considered valid in all the bingo variations
Is a vertical line better than a horizontal line?
Drawing a vertical line is easier in the UK bingo with 90 balls because there are 9 columns on the bingo ticket and covering any of them with at least 2 or more numbers can let the player win prizes for completing one line. In the US bingo variant, however, drawing a horizontal and a vertical line pattern takes the same time for the player.
What happens if two players get a single line at the same time?
Yes, two players can get a single line at the same time, and depending on the rules of the game, either both can have equal prizes (prize/money designated for completing a single line pattern) or the prize can be split between them, if possible.
A single line pattern in bingo is the easiest winning pattern in bingo – but it’s also the one you often think you can get in a game but you never do!