The playing BingoMEGA window is divided into several areas. Each area shows certain information about the game or provides access to other features.
(You may want to maximize the Help window for better viewing.)
This is a picture of a BingoMEGA window whose size is reduced. The picture
is taken in a moment when the player is only one click away from winning
$150 with a bingo for the leftmost card.
Click an area on the image to jump to the description of the selected area.
You can also read the explanations in sequence by scrolling down the page.
The areas are described one after the other starting from the top left
corner of the window.
The area in the top left corner of the
playing window shows the pattern for the ongoing game.
The bingo pattern shows the winning combination of boxes that you need
to mark on any one of your cards in order to have a bingo and win the
prize. Patterns change from game to game two successive games may or
may not have the same pattern. The pattern shown during a game is valid
only for the ongoing game.
BingoMEGA uses two types of patterns: fixed and running.
Fixed. In a fixed pattern, the configuration of colored boxes does
not change within a game. You must check off from a card exactly the specified
boxes.
Running. A running pattern is one whose configuration changes within
a single game. You can check off any of the appearing configurations.
For example, if the running pattern is a horizontal line, you can claim
bingo when you check off any of the rows, in any of the cards.
The area to the right of the Bingo Pattern shows all bingo balls that are in play in the game; that is, all the numbers drawn to this moment. When a number is called, it starts blinking and continues to blink until the next number is called. Every ball, when called, appears first on the first position of the Last Balls area and after that on the Balls in Play area.
Use this area to make sure that you have not missed to mark a drawn number in your cards. When playing in manual mode you can double-click a drawn number, thus marking it on all of the cards that contain this number. The area has five rows, and each row is headed by a letter from the word BINGO. The numbers show up in the rows as follows:
B 1 to 15
I 16 to 30
N 31 to 45
G 46 to 60
O 61 to 75
The area at the top right corner of the playing window shows the prize and the jackpot for the current game. The prize may change with every new game or stay the same. Prizes are positively based on the number of cards registered for the game; the bigger the number of people playing, the larger the prizes tend to be. The jackpot usually increases gradually with every next game until someone wins the accumulated amount; then the accumulation of a new jackpot begins. The prize and the jackpot shown here are valid only for the current game.
The area below the Bingo Pattern, the Current Ball, and
the Balls In Play areas shows statistical information about the current
game. The Game Info area has the following elements:
Game ID shows the identification number of the game.
Pattern shows the name of the pattern in the current game.
Card Price shows the price of one card.
Game Price shows the price of playing the game. This is the
total value that you pay for playing in the current game. This amount
is equal to the card price multiplied by the number of cards registered
for the game.
Registered Players shows the number of all players signed up for the
current game, including yourself; that is, against how many people you
are playing.
Balls to Jackpot shows the number of balls remaining
to winning the jackpot. When the game begins, this number is shown in
red. The number gets smaller as every next ball is called. When the number
becomes zero, its color changes to green no one can win the jackpot
in the current game.
Balls Called shows how many balls have been called up to this
moment. When the game begins, this number is shown in red. The number
gets bigger as every next ball is called. When the Balls to Jackpot number
becomes zero, the red changes to green.
In the example here, six balls have been called; you can see their numbers
in the Balls in Play area above. See Balls
in Play
Game Status area shows information about the progress of the game.
When you log in during a game, it informs that you have to wait a little
(until the game is over) before you can start playing. During the time
of a game it displays "Game in progress" message. After the
game is over this area displays the time remaining until the start of
the next game.
The area below the Game Info area shows your credits in
US dollars. With the beginning of every new game for which you register,
the number of your credits is reduced with the price of the game. When
you win a bingo, the number of your credits is increased with the amount
you have won.
When you run low on credits, the number in this area becomes red alerting
you that an update might be necessary. If the number of your credits is
smaller than the price of an upcoming game, for instance, you have $2.50,
and the game price is $3.00, you will not be able to take part in the
game. If you fall short of credits, go to the credits page, by clicking
the Credits button, to update your balance.
The area below the Game Info Bar shows different ads that
might be of interest to you. If you want to visit the site in a commercial,
simply click in the banner. Your browser will automatically jump to the
respective site.
The Ad Banner changes its size and position depending on whether you are
playing or not. If you are playing, the ad banner is narrow, leaving space
for the bingo cards. If you are not playing, the ad banner is large covering
the area of the cards, too.
The area to the right of the Credits area shows the last
five drawn numbers in the order in which they were called. Every ball
shows two things: 1) the number that is drawn and 2) the column to which
that number belongs. For example, if the ball is G60 shows that the number
is "60" and you should look for that number in column "G"
(the fourth column in any card).
The last ball is the largest one. The subsequent ball replaces the first
ball on the first position and the first ball is displaced to the second
position. Every newly drawn ball takes the first position and displaces
the other balls one position right. When all five positions are taken,
as a new ball is drawn the fifth position is taken by the ball on the
fourth position, and the fifth ball disappears.
In the example here, five balls were drawn in the order: 17 3 46
28 44.
The Last Balls area is empty between two games.
Your cards for the game appear below the Balls in Play area in sets of threes. The cards are shown before the game begins so that you can change them if you like and register them for the game. All cards are generated randomly by the server. Each player receives a number of new cards every time he or she logs in BingoMEGA. The cards stay the same in all games that follow unless the player decides to change them. Each card must be changed separately. See How to Change a Card
The number of cards for the game is defined by the mode of play and varies from 3 to 50. The number of the cards is preset in the BingoMEGA Options dialog box and remains the same from game to game. You can change the number of cards before every game. See How to Change the Number of Cards
Use the scroll bar to scroll up and down to see all of your cards. You can use the mouse or the UP and DOWN ARROWS and HOME, END, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN keys on the keyboard.
This is a typical bingo card. Every card has three distinctive
features: card number, numbered cells, and border.
The card number identifies the bingo card uniquely. The card numbers help
you distinguish among the cards in play and track the progress of every
individual card. Card numbers are especially useful in automatic mode
in which the cards constantly change their positions.
Each card has five columns of five numbers each. The columns are headed
by the letters from the word BINGO. Every column may contain only numbers
from a limited set. The "B" column, from 1 to 15; the "I"
column, from 16 to 30; the "N" column, from 31 to 45; the "G"
column, from 46 to 60; and the "O" column, from 61 to 75. The
midmost cell of the card is labeled "Free"; that is, it is given
to you to check off and use to claim bingo; you can always use this cell
when claiming bingo.
The border of the card is an indicator of how close you are to claiming
bingo for that card. The color of the border shows the number of balls
remaining to bingo. The possible colors are five:
Grey. The game has not yet started, or it is only in the beginning. You are at least four balls away from bingo.
Red. You can win bingo in three balls'
Yellow. You can win bingo in two balls.
Green. You are very close, just one more ball.
Purple.
You have bingo.
In manual mode, the border becomes purple after you click the BINGO
button.
In automatic mode, the border becomes purple when you have bingo all
you have to do is click the BINGO button.
The area to the left of your cards serves
navigational purposes. It shows in its top right corner the number of
the cards with which you play and a series of small card images representing
all your cards. The small cards correspond to the real cards. The images
here have the same numbers as the cards in Your Cards area.
The positions of the small cards are not fixed. The closer to winning bingo
one card is, the higher in the area its representation is located. The
card that is closest to winning bingo takes the first position on the
first row; the other cards follow. A red rectangle around a set of three
small cards indicates which three cards are currently shown in Your Cards
area. If you click on any of the trios here, the red rectangle moves to
that trio and the real cards are shown in the area to the left.
The images change colors in the same manner as the borders of the real
cards do.
The area in the bottom left corner of the window contains several buttons that give you access to various features. These buttons and their functions are explained below.
Credits. Opens in your browser the credits page of the BingoMEGA site. Click this button to pay before playing, or to add to your credits if you have used them up while playing.
Account. Opens your BingoMEGA account. Click this button to change your account info. See BingoMEGA Account
Note: If you click this button while a game is running, you will exit the game and lose your cards. You will also lose the credits paid for the cards. You can go back to playing when you finish working with your account data and log in again.
Play. Click this button to register the cards for the upcoming game. Be sure to click the Play button several seconds before the announced start of the game. This gives the server enough time to register your cards and include you in the game. You can press the SPACEBAR or ENTER on the keyboard instead of clicking Play.
Note: When playing in full automatic mode you are automatically registered for the next game.
Pass. If you have
registered your cards but changed your mind and decided not to take part
in a game, click the Pass button. When you click the button, the
cards are unregistered from the game, and you won't play. If you click
the button too late, however, there might not be enough time for the server
to sign your cards off. This button becomes available for clicking only
when you have registered your cards.
You can press ESC on the keyboard instead of clicking Pass.
Note: The buttons Play and Pass are grayed when the game is running. You cannot click them.
BINGO. This button
does not need many explanations; click it to claim your bingo. The button
is available for clicking only when you are playing; if you are not taking
part in the game, the button appears darkened.
When playing in full automatic mode, you dont need to click this button,
the program claims bingo for you.
You can press the SPACEBAR or ENTER on the keyboard instead of clicking
BINGO.
Note: Claiming invalid bingo six times in a game leads to your suspension for that game. That is, if you click the Bingo button six times without having a bingo in any of your cards, the server will throw you out of the game.
Chat. Opens the Chat window. Click this button to chat with other players and bingo maniacs.
Options. Opens a dialog box in which you can edit the dauber color, the number of cards, the sound settings and the dauber mode. Click this button to select another dauber color, change the number of cards for the following game, or turn some of the sounds on or off. See BingoMEGA Options
Winners. Opens the Winners window which informs you if the jackpot or the prize were won and displays the name of the winning pattern, the number of winners and their names. There is a link to the html page with the best BingoMEGA players. The window stores the information from the previous games. Use the scroll bar to scroll up and down to find the information you are interested in.
Help. Opens the BingoMEGA on-line help. Click it if you do not understand something and need an explanation.
About. Opens a box that shows information about the manufacturer and your provider of BingoMEGA.
Exit. If you have had enough bingo playing, click this button to exit BingoMEGA. Think well before that, was it really enough!
Note: If you click this button while a game is running, you will exit the game and lose your cards. You will also lose the credits paid for the cards.
This area shows the current play mode. There are three play modes: Manual, Auto, and Full Auto. See Modes of Play.