1-20 bingo cards
A 1-20 bingo card is a 4x4 grid of 16 numbers taken from the 20 values 1 to 20 and placed in any square. It is a kindergarten and grade 1 number-recognition game. About 101 quadrillion different cards exist; with 30 in play, the first line comes around call 6.
6 | 16 | 8 | 19 |
4 | 10 | 12 | 3 |
15 | 20 | 14 | 9 |
13 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
4x4 cards, 16 numbers each. Caller sheet included.
Free: up to 30 different cards per set. Pro: up to 1,000.
Free sets stop at 30 different cards. Your 30 cards are ready to print or download now.
Pro ($19 one-time) opens soon: up to 1,000 different cards per set and 2 or 4 cards on a PDF page. No payment is taken now.
Caller sheet
Every call in a shuffled order. Tick each one as you read it out; the same share link always gives the same order.
Updated
How 1-20 cards are laid out
Numbers are not tied to columns: each card takes 16 of the 20 numbers at random and places them anywhere. A card covers 80% of the values 1 to 20, so most calls mark something on most cards and games are short.
In our 400 simulated games with 30 cards, the first straight line fell at call 6 and the first full card (blackout) at call 18, out of 20 possible calls from 1 to 20.
How to make 1-20 bingo cards by hand
- Draw a 4x4 grid for each 1-20 card.
- Write 16 different values from 1 to 20 in any order. Each card leaves out 4 of the 20, which is what makes cards differ.
- Each 1-20 card now holds 16 of the 20 values. Compare new cards with the ones you have made, since two identical cards would win together.
- Write 1 to 20 on 20 slips (or print the caller sheet) and draw them one at a time.
How many different 1-20 cards exist
| Different cards | about 101 quadrillion |
|---|---|
| Exact count | 101,370,917,007,360,000 |
| Scientific notation | 1.01 × 10¹⁷ |
| How it is counted | An ordered choice of 16 numbers from 20: 20 × 19 × … × 5. |
| Numbers per card | 16 of 20 |
Exact chances: what is marked after 5, 10 and 15 calls
Chance that the numbers you need from 1 to 20 have all been called by each point, and the expected call at which the last of them comes up: k × (20 + 1) ÷ (k + 1).
| Goal | By call 5 | By call 10 | By call 15 | Expected call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One number you need | 25% | 50% | 75% | 10.5 |
| A given line (4 numbers) | 0.1% | 4% | 28% | 16.8 |
| Full card (16 numbers) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 19.8 |
How many calls until the first bingo
400 simulated games per row with cards from this page's generator; a card wins on any full row, column or diagonal. The range covers 8 games out of 10.
| Cards in play | Median calls | Range (10th-90th percentile) | Share of the numbers called |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 card | 11 | 8-14 | 55% |
| 10 cards | 8 | 6-9 | 40% |
| 30 cards | 6 | 5-8 | 30% |
| 100 cards | 5 | 4-6 | 25% |
How many 1-20 cards per person
One card per player is enough for 1-20 games, because each card already holds 80% of the values. In our runs a card on its own needed 11 calls for a line, while the first line among 10 cards came at call 8, among 30 at call 6 and among 100 at call 5.
So for 1-20 bingo, 10 players with 3 cards each, or 15 players with 2 each, should expect a winner around call 6 of 20; a class of 30 with one card each gives the same figure.
The spread between one card and thirty is only 5 calls when the caller draws from 1 to 20, so extra cards per player add little speed.
What is in the 1-20 set
- 10 even and 10 odd numbers between 1 and 20.
- By length: 9 with one digit and 11 with two digits; mixing lengths is good place-value practice.
- 8 prime numbers in the set: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 and 19.
- Square numbers: 1, 4, 9 and 16 (4 of 20).
- Multiples of ten: 10 and 20, a quick landmark for players scanning their card.
- Numbers with a repeated digit: 11 (1 of 20).
- Spoken: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.
1-20 caller board
All 20 numbers in order, 10 per row. Cross each one off as you call it.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
How to play 1-20 bingo
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Make the cards
Generate cards above (free up to 30 per set, all different) and print one per player; a single card already finds a line in about 11 calls.
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Prepare the calls
Print the caller sheet: 1 to 20 (20 numbers) in a shuffled order.
-
Call and mark
Read each number twice and cross it off the caller board. Expect the first line around call 6 with 30 cards.
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Check the winner
Ask the winner to read back their line; every number must be on your board. A blackout needs all 16 numbers; with 30 cards that took 18 calls in our runs.
Frequently asked questions
What numbers go on a 1-20 bingo card?
4x4 cards, 16 numbers each. Numbers are not tied to columns: each card takes 16 of the 20 numbers at random and places them anywhere.
How many different 1-20 bingo cards are there?
101,370,917,007,360,000 (about 101 quadrillion). An ordered choice of 16 numbers from 20: 20 × 19 × … × 5.
How do you make 1-20 bingo cards?
The generator above is already set to 1 to 20: choose how many cards you need and print or download them; every card in a set is different and the caller sheet lists every value from 1 to 20. To make them by hand, follow the 4 steps above.
How many cards should each person get?
One: each 1-20 card already holds 16 of the 20 values. With 10 cards in play the first bingo comes around call 8, with 30 around call 6 and with 100 around call 5; more cards per player mainly makes the game shorter.