Pirates Bingo
In movies and television, pirates are usually depicted as a pretty fun-loving bunch. They sail the seas, they drink lots of rum, and they plunder treasure from around the world. We imagine it was quite the life, though it can’t possibly have been nearly as romantic and enjoyable as it is generally depicted.
We’re also fairly certain that pirates weren’t particularly big fans of bingo. But despite this historical truth, Patagonia Entertainment has used these swashbucklers as the central theme of one of their popular line of games. Pirates Bingo is a straightforward, easy-to-understand online gambling game that is based on bingo-like action, where filling out your cards can make you a lot of money very quickly. This is also among the simplest games in this collection, featuring fewer patterns and streamlined game flow when compared to similar offerings.
Walk the Plank
Pirates Bingo starts, like most gambling games, with players having to make a bet. In this case, you’ll be able to play up to four cards at a time, each of which will be played for the same amount of money. By default, all four tickets are activated; you can turn them off individually by clicking on them (clicking again will toggle them back to being on). At the bottom of the screen, you can also set your total bet size. As in other Patagonia games, credits are generally valued at 0.25 units of whatever currency you may be playing in.
The tickets used for this game are not entirely standard ones, though they are most similar to those used in 90-ball bingo, and the format here can be looked at as a simplified version of that strain of this popular pastime. Each of your cards will have three lines on it, each of which is made up of five numbers. The goal of the game is to complete as many lines as possible, hitting all five numbers in order to earn prizes.
Once you’ve set up your bets, you can start the action by hitting the play button. This will begin sending balls down the shoot and into a holding area in the bottom of the screen. As the numbers are revealed, matches with your cards will be checked off, with a brief pause should you complete a line. Once all 34 numbers have been revealed, the game will stop.
At this point, the player must make a choice. If you choose, you may stop the game at this point by pressing the NO button, which will end the action immediately and grant you the prizes you’ve earned so far. However, you also have the option of requesting an extra ball to be drawn. These balls can help you earn prizes, but they come at a cost. At the top of the screen, you’ll see a cost in credits for the next extra ball that you can buy. If you’re willing to pay that amount, you can hit the extra ball button to be given an extra number.
Once that ball is revealed, you’ll then have the same options again: to stop or buy another extra number. The price will often change on each offer, as this is computed dynamically based on the current possibilities present on your cards. You may choose to take an extra ball up to 10 times, at which point you’ll be forced to stop; you can also stop anytime you like, ending the round immediately.
Your prizes on each round will depend on how many lines you complete on each ticket. The prizes increase dramatically, making two or three lines far more valuable than one. The payout scale is as follows:
- One Line: 4x
- Two Lines: 100x
- Bingo (Three Lines): 1,000x
In addition, you also have the possibility of winning a jackpot prize. In order to be eligible for this payout, you’ll need to have played all four tickets, each for a minimum of three credits. Should you do this, you can win the jackpot if you complete an entire card within the first 34 balls – in other words, without purchasing any extras.
Finally, there are a handful of additional features you might want to be aware of before starting the game. If you’re tired of your cards and want to generate new ones, the new tickets button will take care of that for you. The settings menu also hides a turbo button that can dramatically speed up the pace of the game, perfect if you’re looking to get more action in during a short period of time.
Staying Out of Stormy Waters
As In other games of this type, there’s not much strategy involved when you play Pirates Bingo. You can’t control the numbers that come, and hitting a jackpot or completing lines is just a matter of luck, and no more. We don’t have any hard numbers, but it is likely that this game has a relatively high house edge; some other Patagonia bingo games feature a return to player of around 85%.
One place where you will have to do a little thinking is in the decision to purchase extra balls. While it’s possible that there could be times when this is a good idea, the price is rarely right: the game’s pricing model is designed to be enticing, but ultimately just expensive enough for the casino to make money off your purchase in the long run. If you want to take a shot at a big full card payout, go ahead, but you’re likely overpaying for the privilege.
As Simple As They Come
Pirates Bingo is a simple game, even by the standards of the casual, specialty bingo-based games you’ll find throughout the online casino world. There are no special bonus rounds, and the number of patterns you’ll be shooting for is minimal. That means that players have very little to keep track of, making it ideal for those who just want to win or lose as quickly and simply as possible.
The pirate theme isn’t explored very much, but that’s partially because there isn’t much design space to work with on such a basic title. While the extra ball purchases add some decision making, that’s not likely to be enough to keep players who enjoy strategic elements interested for very long. That relegates this offering to something that’s only going to appeal to those who want little to think about while they play, and who don’t care much about theme. Those players certainly exist, but for most people looking for this sort of gambling game, there are probably better choices, including several similar options made by Patagonia Entertainment.
