Definition
Full House
Also known as House
By Abhinav VasudevanReviewed Editorial policy
In short
A full house is marking every number on a bingo ticket, the top prize in 90-ball bingo. It typically takes between 55 and 75 calls and accounts for most of the prize pool.
A full house is every number on one ticket. All 15 in 90-ball. It is the final and largest prize in a game.
In 75-ball the equivalent is called a blackout or coverall.
Where it sits in the game
90-ball games award three prizes in sequence: one line, two lines, then full house. Play continues after each claim.
The full house is typically 60% to 70% of the prize pool, with one line and two lines sharing the remainder. A game’s advertised prize is nearly always the full house figure.
Call distribution
| Calls to full house | Roughly |
|---|---|
| Under 40 | Rare |
| 45–55 | Uncommon |
| 55–70 | Typical |
| 70+ | Common in small rooms |
The number of calls needed depends heavily on how many tickets are in play. With thousands of tickets, some ticket will complete early; in a quiet room the same game runs much longer.
This is why progressive jackpots are tied to call counts. A typical structure awards a large jackpot for a full house within a stated number of calls, often 40 or fewer, with the threshold increasing by one call each day it is not won.
Shared wins
If two players complete a full house on the same call, the prize is split equally. This is common in busy rooms and is the main reason advertised jackpots are frequently paid at a fraction of their headline figure.
Online, the split is calculated automatically and both players are notified. In a hall, simultaneous claims are verified against the called numbers before the prize is divided.
The origin of the phrase
“House” comes from housie, an older name for the game still used in Australia, New Zealand and India. Calling “house!” was the traditional claim, and “full house” distinguished a complete card from a line.
Common questions
What is a full house in bingo?
Marking every number on one ticket, all fifteen in 90-ball. It is the final and largest prize, typically 60% to 70% of the pool. The 75-ball equivalent is called a blackout or coverall.
What happens if two people get a full house together?
The prize is split equally. This is common in busy rooms and is the main reason advertised jackpots are frequently paid at a fraction of their headline figure.