Bingo-Inspired Games

Whether you prefer in-person or online bingo games, a wealth of different variations of this popular pastime have inspired additional games, all of which have a caller, some type of tiles or markers, and a grid, in common. If you’re looking to expand your repertoire, and try your hand (or should we say paw?) at something new, here’s a list of alternative games inspired by our favourite numbers game.

Pokeno

If you thought playing bingo games with numbers was fun, try playing a similar type of game with a deck of cards instead! A portmanteau of the words “poker” and “keno”, Pokeno takes all the fun of casino table games and puts a bit of a bingo twist on it. Simply put, instead of checking off numbers on a grid, you place markers on different pictures of playing cards on a grid.

You can also play many different variations; for example, if you play a poker variation, you’ll get extra points for marking off a royal flush of cards (namely, an ace, king, queen, jack, and a 10 in the same suit). As with any card game, the player with the highest number of points wins!

20 Express

Those with nostalgic memories of steam locomotives might enjoy this one, as it involves filling up train “cars” on a sheet of paper with numbers, which are called out by the designated player, who picks up a differently numbered tile for each round. Each player gets a sheet of paper with 20 empty “cars”, that they fill with numbers as they choose.

And here’s where it gets strategic! The aim of the game is to get as many “series” as possible – in other words, a sequence of numbers in consecutive order, or as close to this as possible. So, you need to think about where to put your numbers, as you want the lowest numbers to the front of the train, and higher numbers towards the end, to ensure that you have as many series as possible.

Once the 20 spaces have been filled, all the series are added up, and the player with the most wins (which will probably give you just as much satisfaction as when you fill up a card in online bingo!).

Slingo

Combining more than one type of game with another is clearly a hot trend, and this is no more apparent than with another one of our most popular games, Slingo. This game brings everything you love about checking numbers off a grid together with the excitement and suspense of online slots. It’s a mash-up extraordinaire!

There are many versions of Slingo bingo, some of which are based on popular game franchises, such as Rainbow Riches and Fishin’ Frenzy! These games are easy to play, as all you need to do is click a button to draw a ball with a number on it, which then gets marked off the grid. But this time, you only have a certain number of tries.

The game is also made more exciting with the additions of the devil and the joker, which can block a row, or allow you to choose an extra square, respectively. If you get five numbers in a row, vertically, diagonally or horizontally, you get a “Slingo”, which is the same as marking off a line on a traditional ticket.

Criss Cross

We’ve covered some interesting variations already, but now we move onto games with dice! In Criss Cross, instead of calling out numbers, you roll two dice with a variety of symbols on them, including the well-known nought-and-cross symbol.

Instead of marking off playing cards, filling in spaces on your ticket or pressing “play”, in this game you need to fill in the symbols from the dice on your paper grid. They have to be placed strategically to maximise your chances of getting combinations, like five in a row. The sheet provides you with all the scoring options, so it’s up to you to organise your grid to your best advantage!

Criss Cross is similar to another dice game, Knister, which has the same premise but uses regular dice with numbers instead of symbols.

Karuba

If you like treasure hunting in ancient realms, and have enjoyed Aztec and other similarly themed slot games, you might appreciate this puzzle-solving game, which is played both individually and in a team at the same time.

But, instead of writing on a sheet, you’ll be playing with a board game setup. Each player has their own board and temple pieces, which they need to “get” to by the end of the game. Every player is also given a stack of tiles with numbers on them, which have different “pathway” markings on them too. There is a designated caller, who will call out a number, and on each turn, each player takes the relevant numbered tile and places it on their chosen location on the grid.

The object of the game is to place a clear pathway of tiles across the board and have each of the characters on the board get to each of the different coloured temple icons on the other side of the grid. In true Indiana Jones fashion, the player who gets the most number of temples wins!

Get your grid on with all kinds of bingo games at Kitty Bingo

The list above has no doubt given you lots of inspiration for other games to play, but know that you can always rely on Kitty Bingo to provide you with the classic favourites – and much more besides.

Whether you prefer to play bingo, spin the reels with slots, or enjoy an online combo of them both (Slingo), you can find a whole range of titles to sink your claws into when you register to play on our site!