Full House

Full House is a bingo term used to describe the marking of all available numbers on a bingo ticket. The term is used primarily in the 90 ball bingo game which has been played in the United Kingdom for many decades. In these games, bingo tickets have three rows (or lines) of nine columns, with five numbers spread across each row, and prizes are awarded for one complete line, two complete lines and all three complete lines, which is of course the Full House. The prize for the full house is always bigger than the prizes offered for one or two lines.

In some bingo games the abbreviated term “House” may be used instead of Full House. The word “House” can sometimes also be called by players instead of the word “Bingo!” to bring a claim to the attention of gaming officials.

Although the term full house is primarily used in the 90 ball game, as outlined previously, it is sometimes also used in the 75 ball bingo game, which has traditionally been more popular in the USA than in the UK. However, the marking of all available numbers on a 75 ball bingo ticket is much more commonly referred to as a “coverall” or “blackout”.

In many bingo games, a progressive jackpot is available in addition to the regular bingo prizes. These progressives can reach substantial levels because they increase in value with every bingo game until they are eventually won by a player who succeeds in getting a full house before a specified number of balls have been called.

The number of balls that can be called has a direct effect on how often a progressive jackpot is won, and it is not uncommon for online bingo sites to have two progressives – one that pays out a smaller amount more frequently and another that pays out a much larger amount far less frequently. Of course, in addition to any progressive jackpot prize, winners also receive the usual prize for making the full house in accordance with the regular rules of the game.