Bingo procedure question

The following question comes to me outside of the forum. I've never been asked before and frankly don't know the answer. Here it is:

Quote:

At Las Vegas bingo games, when the caller calls numbers, they will consistently say “number” before certainty numbers (I.e “B number 9,” “G number 50,”), but not others (“G 57,” “O 63,” etc.).

That made me wonder... is there a bingo training school in town, or is the consistency just a result of there being a few big players with likely caller moves from one chain to another over time?

I tend to think the policy is to say the word "number" if there is just one digit between 1 and 9 in the number. Perhaps to make it clear there is not more to say. However, this is just a guess.

The question for the poll is what is the answer?

p.s. Choice number 6 in the poll should say "I should call my mother more often."

As a guess it might be to say it on certain numbers to avoid confusion. Similar to saying "YO" for 11 in craps to avoid any confusion with the rhyming 7. Forget superstition, we all know that is the real reason.

For demolition work they will skip "5" so it is not confused with "fire."

Radio dispatchers say "niner" I assume to avoid confusion with "mine."

In writing you will never find an "I" or "O" in the VIN on your car (excepting antique cars before the current system was put in place.)

A guess building on your guess but when you are on lockdown you gotta do something.

Quote: AZDuffman

Radio dispatchers say "niner" I assume to avoid confusion with "mine."

In writing you will never find an "I" or "O" in the VIN on your car (excepting antique cars before the current system was put in place.)

I have only heard "niner" used in aviation - and The Version I Heard Was, it was to avoid confusion with the German word "nein."

There was a time - for all I know, this is still the policy - when I and O were not used in IDs in the Navy. The 24 time zones have letters from A to Z, except for I and O; this is where "Zulu time" comes from.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

I have only heard "niner" used in aviation - and The Version I Heard Was, it was to avoid confusion with the German word "nein."

There was a time - for all I know, this is still the policy - when I and O were not used in IDs in the Navy. The 24 time zones have letters from A to Z, except for I and O; this is where "Zulu time" comes from.

Niner is used by lots of radio operators.

As to zulu time......

I made it a point to learn the phonetic alphabet because I had a job where I had to do enough phonetics to make it worthwhile. Actually I printed it out because I sat next to a girl who while nice just tripped over coming up with phonetics. I kept a copy for myself. Then I had to take a job dealing with the military all day and they made you used the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. I had it already memorized and we were better than half of the military guys we dealt with. Even today I sometimes get asked if I am a pilot or something.

So I had yet another gig where we had to use lots of phonetics. I had to use Zulu and the girl on the phone starts laughing her head off. She thought I made it up out of nowhere. At least she got the point. Sometimes when you use it right the person on the other end seems to get angry for some reason. But all that use I to this day can trip over Oscar and India because we never used them in car talk.

Now to avoid a hijack I again state that I think the bingo calls have some kind of reasoning like this. Does the NGCB have training requirements for Bingo? I was offered to call at a bingo parlor in NY once but declined. Those people were nuts and I did not want to mess up a call. That could be another simple reason now that I think on it. Slow the game down so no calls get blown. Methinks most bingo players are nuts.

might it be to keep the number of syllables at 4, so that things have a general rhythm to them. 4 syllables seem to have a nice soothing lilt to them, while the two or three syllable call outs seem more abrupt.

I play bingo regularly in Reno, however it’s been about about 8 years since I’ve played in Vegas. I have never heard a bingo caller say the word “number”, it’s just always been the letter and number. In the event it’s the cash ball or money ball, it’s common for the caller to announce that prior or after the number has been called. I guess it’s the discretion of the caller. I’ve heard a number of complaints about the caller not being very clear due to their English speaking ability. But it’s also a visual game too, you need to look at the ball on the video monitor too. Also a number cannot be called until 8 seconds has past. Might be a gaming or house rule. I yell out Bingo on the 7th second if nobody has yelled out Bingo before me. Yes, kind of a slow roll as the poker world calls it but I want to check if I’m the only winner vs splitting the prize.

Here in Vegas, I am familiar with the caller saying "number" before some numbers and not others. If the casinos were even open, it would be easy to just ask one of them.

Quote: Wizard

Here in Vegas, I am familiar with the caller saying "number" before some numbers and not others. If the casinos were even open, it would be easy to just ask one of them.

How many different places you play? I use to play regularly at the Rampart and Suncoast on certain sessions. Refuse to play at Stations omce they changed the coverall card rules.

I was a bingo caller for my synagogue back in the early 80s.

I’ve never heard of that number thing

On the flip side, I was taught that after calling G50 or G60, to say it again but as digits since 50 and 60 could easily be confused. Five and six, not so much.

51 and 61 etc could also be confused, but the column letter is a simple way to tell the difference. IE. G51 vs O61.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I was a bingo caller for my synagogue back in the early 80s.

I’ve never heard of that number thing

On the flip side, I was taught that after calling G50 or G60, to say it again but as digits since 50 and 60 could easily be confused. Five and six, not so much.

51 and 61 etc could also be confused, but the column letter is a simple way to tell the difference. IE. G51 vs O61.

Thanks. I'm even more sure that it is for the same reason as yours, but they just developed a different way of doing it here.

I imagine that it's done to avoid confusion between numbers and letters that sound the same; "B" sounds like "3" and so forth.

I’ve been to lots of bingo halls in Washington and none of them say the word “ number “ expect maybe once or twice. They do however say the ball twice. B-1 B-1, O-72 O-72 , I-16 I-16 etc.