The game begins when the caller cries, “Eyes down!” Indeed eyes are down, and concentration is intense, as the random numbers are called. In bingo halls, an electronic random number generator selects the numbers.
Calling consists of a repetitive and simple rhythm: all the fours, forty-four; two and seven, twenty-seven. Some numbers had traditionally special calls, for example: two fat ladies, sixty-six.
The first winner is the person who marks off five numbers horizontally, known as a line. The next win is two lines on an individual ticket, before the game continues to the full house, the winner being the one who first marks off all fifteen numbers on their ticket.
To win a line or a house, a person must shout immediately after their winning number is called. The last number called must be on the winning card. If the caller has called another number, the shout is invalid, and the person cannot win in that particular game.
There are no rules as to what a person shouts in a bingo call. Some people shout, “Line!”, when they have won a line and, “House!”, when all fifteen numbers have been called. Others just shout, “House!”, regardless of the size of their win.
At any rate, a shout attracts the attention of an assistant who will check the ticket’s numbers. This used to be done by the assistant checking every number with the caller, but nowadays, large bingo halls use modern technology to speed-up the process. Each ticket has a security code that can quickly be checked through the system.