Obviously, bingo is a numbers game, but as we pointed out last week, those jackpot numbers can be astronomical!
Most of the major progressive jackpots around town are based on hitting a blackout or coverall card. And the largest jackpots are typically based on the least number of balls being drawn. This makes sense, since the fewer chances you have of covering your card, the greater the odds, ergo the greater the payoffs!
In order to determine where you want to play, it might be helpful to be able to calculate the odds of a particular coverall jackpot. This might allow you to narrow down your playing choices.
In addition to the number of balls drawn, the number of cards will help determine the odds of winning. Of course, you can’t get a count from the casino of how many cards are in play. But you can guess, based on the players in the room, and how many cards (average) each person is playing.
Given those figures, simply check the accompanying table. For instance, playing a 55-ball coverall when there are 1600 cards out results in a probability of .154 or 15.4%. It’s best to use the numbers as a comparison, to see where the jackpots should hit most frequently.
WHERE TO PLAY
Arizona
Charlie’s West (258-5102)
Times: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 a.m., 1,
3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Boulder Station
(432-7777)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Castaways
(385-9123)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Ellis Island
(733-8901)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Fiesta (631-7000)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Gold Coast
(367-7111)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Jerry’s Nugget
(399-3000)
Times: 11 a.m., 1, 3, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Mahoney’s
(399-1111 ext. 160)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m.
New Frontier
(794-8200)
Times: 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7 p.m.
Palace Station
(367-2411)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Plaza (386-2110)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Poker Palace
(649-3799)
Times: 7:15, 9:15, 11:15 p.m.
Sam’s Town
(456-7777)
Times: 7:30, 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m., 1 a.m.
Santa Fe Station
(658-4900)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Suncoast
(636-7111)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Terrible’s
(733-7000)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m.
Texas Station
(631-1000)
Times: 9, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 p.m.
Western
(384-4620)
Times: 8, 11 a.m., 2, 7, 9 p.m.