“26 pick and mix,” “66 clickity click,” “tickle me 65,” were some of the bingo phrases announced by British hosts Lee-Stuart Evans and co-host Kieran Faul, Friday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., during “Bingo With a Brit” on WebEx. The event was sponsored by the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus and had about 34 attendees.
In contrast to American bingo, a British bingo card is set up with six separate three by seven rectangles stacked on top of each other. Instead of letters, the first column has a random set of numbers between 1-9, the second with 10-19 and so on for five more columns until 90. Some boxes will have empty spaces. If all your numbers in the first row are called then you win the first round. Then, with the same board, you have to win two rows in the second game. In the last round, a player must win a full house (all three rows) of one box.
Evans mentioned that when British people play they often get angry when another player is about to win. It is a common tradition during British bingo for the host to say a rhyme or pun after the number, according to Evans. Besides the ones mentioned above, other examples can include, “29 rise and shine, 83 time for tea, 35 jump and jive, 25 duck and dive, 54 clean the floor.” According to an article titled, “Bingo Calls,” written by William House, a site known for facilitating gambling and games, rhymes were created in the 1950s because the game can become time-consuming so rhymes helped lighten the mood.
Shona Evans, a student activities program coordinator at the Stamford campus, who coordinated this event said the idea behind this event was just to do something outside of the box with her husband who is the host, Lee-Stuart Evans. Shona says Evans can be a goofball but has also taught first-year experience classes and spoke at TEDx events.
“He’s a great storyteller and blogs about all sorts of adventures … We came up with this as something fun to do. We wanted to strive to create an environment where folks feel like they can be themselves and have fun. This seemed like a good fit and something we could do with the university”
Shona Evans, Student Activities Program Coordinator, UConn Stamford
“He’s a great storyteller and blogs about all sorts of adventures,” Shona Evans said. “We came up with this as something fun to do. We wanted to strive to create an environment where folks feel like they can be themselves and have fun. This seemed like a good fit and something we could do with the university.”
According to several participants, this was not the first time UConn has hosted “Bingo With a Brit,” but it is always fun and entertaining. According to Shona Evans, the series will continue with the next “Bingo With a Brit” session on Mar. 6.
“This is my first time playing; it was a fun way to spend a Friday evening,” Ashton Stansel, a six-semester political science and journalism double major, said.
“This is my fourth bingo, it’s always fun and upbeat,” Cheryle Elliott, a second-semester photography major commented.
“I played all of the bingo with a Brit events last semester. Nothing can be improved really I find it a lot of fun,” Taylor Czmyr, a second-semester actuarial science major, said.
