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Guides & rules

Blackout Bingo: Rules, Tips and Variations

Published August 6, 2026

What is blackout bingo?

In blackout bingo, also called coverall, a player wins only when every square on the card is marked. It's the longest pattern and the classic final round of a bingo night.

How long does it take?

On a 5x5 number card, a blackout often needs a large share of the 75 numbers before anyone wins. With word cards, the game length depends on how many words are in the calling list.

Ready to play? Make custom word or number bingo cards and print them free.

Make bingo cards

Speed it up

Use a smaller grid, a shorter word list, or allow two squares per call. You can also set a call limit: if nobody wins within 50 calls, the closest card wins.

Blackout variations

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