We often get tickets or players in chat, asking why some people seem to win more often than others.
First of all, let me say that the mathematics of bingo probability is unbelievably complicated, so I’m going to keep this simple. It won’t be exact but it should be close enough for you to get the general idea.
Let’s take a look at the chances of winning:
In a game with 5 players, each holding 2 cards, there are 10 cards in play. Each player has a 20% chance of winning because he or she holds 20% of the cards that are in play. Next game, every player buys 6 cards each, so there are 30 cards in play. Each still has a 20% chance of winning (because 6 is 20% of 30).
Simple enough so far.
Now, if there are 5 players and one player has 6 cards, but the others only have 1 card each, there are only 10 cards in play. The player with 6 cards has a 60% chance of winning (6 is 60% of 10). The other players each have only a 10% chance of winning. If all 5 players buy the same number of cards for the next 10 games, statistically the player with 6 cards will win more often.
But that kind of buying pattern doesn’t happen very often, so let’s look at another, slightly more realistic, example:
Chocs, Midgey, Poppy, Snuggles and Womble decide to play 20 games of bingo.
Chocs and Midgey each buy 1 card per game, Poppy buys 5 and gets one free per game, and Snuggles and Womble each buy 10 and get two free per game. There are therefore 32 cards in play.
Chocs and Midgey have a 3.13% chance of winning each game.
Poppy has an 18.75% chance of winning each game.
Snuggles and Womble each have a 37.5% chance of winning each game.
Statistically speaking, over 20 games, Chocs and Midgey may not win at all. Poppy, Snuggles and Womble should all win. We would expect to see Snuggles and Womble winning the most games.
Because bingo isn’t as neat and tidy as that, what we actually see usually follows the pattern but it can vary slightly.
As I said earlier, the mathematics of bingo probability is unbelievably complicated and it depends on a whole stack of factors. But basically, although you can win with one card, you increase your chances of winning if you buy more than one.
Be lucky!
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How many of us have glanced at an edition of People’s magazine or OK! in the supermarket checkout line or have been watching a celebrity TV show when a famous celebrity has screwed up? Even to those of us who are embarrassed to admit it (myself included), celebrity news is alluring.
Just the other day an article on Times UK Online caught my attention: “Top 10 Most embarrassing Celebrity Moments” – so what did I do? I read it of course!! Then shared the news article with a few friends of mine and now I’m sharing it with you.
It’s hard not to be attracted with all the buzz and gossip that surrounds famous people. Here’s a test – see if you agree with the top 10 most embarrassing celebrity moments (ooh #1 is really embarrassing) … if there are other celebrity mishaps that weren’t included on that list that you think should have been, please let us know and preferably send a link:)
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