1-45 bingo cards
A 1-45 bingo card is a 5x5 grid of 24 numbers around a free center, with B 1-9, I 10-18, N 19-27, G 28-36 and O 37-45. It gives a quick game on full-size cards with only 45 possible calls. About 158 quintillion different cards exist; with 30 in play, the first line comes around call 13.
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 15 | 22 | 29 | 42 |
7 | 11 | 26 | 32 | 37 |
4 | 18 | FREE | 33 | 39 |
2 | 12 | 23 | 30 | 43 |
9 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 38 |
5x5 cards with a free center, 24 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 1-45 cards are laid out
Columns have fixed ranges: B 1-9, I 10-18, N 19-27, G 28-36 and O 37-45. The middle column gets 4 numbers because the center is free; the others get 5. A card covers 53% of the values 1 to 45, so about one call in 1.9 marks a given card.
In our 400 simulated games with 30 cards, the first straight line fell at call 13 and the first full card (blackout) at call 41, out of 45 possible calls from 1 to 45.
How to make 1-45 bingo cards by hand
- Draw a 5x5 grid for each 1-45 card and write B, I, N, G, O above the columns, with FREE in the center square.
- Fill each column from its own range: 5 from 1-9 under B, 5 from 10-18 under I, 4 from 19-27 under N, 5 from 28-36 under G and 5 from 37-45 under O, never repeating a number.
- Each 1-45 card now holds 24 of the 45 values. Compare new cards with the ones you have made, since two identical cards would win together.
- Write 1 to 45 on 45 slips (or print the caller sheet) and draw them one at a time, calling the column letter with each number.
How many different 1-45 cards exist
| Different cards | about 158 quintillion |
|---|---|
| Exact count | 158,047,980,715,376,640,000 |
| Scientific notation | 1.58 × 10²⁰ |
| How it is counted | Each column is an ordered choice from its own range (15,120 for B, 15,120 for I, 3,024 for N, 15,120 for G, 15,120 for O); multiplying the columns gives the total. |
| Numbers per card | 24 of 45 |
Exact chances: what is marked after 11, 23 and 34 calls
Chance that the numbers you need from 1 to 45 have all been called by each point, and the expected call at which the last of them comes up: k × (45 + 1) ÷ (k + 1).
| Goal | By call 11 | By call 23 | By call 34 | Expected call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One number you need | 24% | 51% | 76% | 23 |
| A given line (5 numbers) | under 0.1% | 3% | 23% | 38.3 |
| A line through the free center (4) | 0.2% | 6% | 31% | 36.8 |
| Full card (24 numbers) | 0% | 0% | under 0.1% | 44.2 |
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 | 25 | 18-33 | 56% |
| 10 cards | 16 | 12-21 | 36% |
| 30 cards | 13 | 9-17 | 29% |
| 100 cards | 11 | 8-14 | 24% |
How many 1-45 cards per person
Start with one card per player; keen players can take two or three. In our runs a card on its own needed 25 calls for a line, while the first line among 10 cards came at call 16, among 30 at call 13 and among 100 at call 11.
So for 1-45 bingo, 10 players with 3 cards each, or 15 players with 2 each, should expect a winner around call 13 of 45; a class of 30 with one card each gives the same figure.
That spread (12 calls between one card and thirty) is large for a 45-number game, so giving keen players 2 or 3 cards each speeds things up noticeably without changing the chances for anyone holding the same number of cards.
What is in the 1-45 set
- 22 even and 23 odd numbers between 1 and 45.
- By length: 9 with one digit and 36 with two digits; mixing lengths is good place-value practice.
- 14 prime numbers in the set: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 … 43.
- Square numbers: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 and 36 (6 of 45).
- Multiples of ten: 10, 20, 30 and 40, a quick landmark for players scanning their card.
- Numbers with a repeated digit: 11, 22, 33 and 44 (4 of 45).
1-45 caller board
Every number that can be called, by column: 45 in all. Cross them off as you call so you can check a winning card in seconds.
| B (1-9) | I (10-18) | N (19-27) | G (28-36) | O (37-45) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 19 | 28 | 37 |
| 2 | 11 | 20 | 29 | 38 |
| 3 | 12 | 21 | 30 | 39 |
| 4 | 13 | 22 | 31 | 40 |
| 5 | 14 | 23 | 32 | 41 |
| 6 | 15 | 24 | 33 | 42 |
| 7 | 16 | 25 | 34 | 43 |
| 8 | 17 | 26 | 35 | 44 |
| 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
How to play 1-45 bingo
-
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 25 calls.
-
Prepare the calls
Print the caller sheet: 1 to 45 (45 numbers) in a shuffled order, each with its column letter (B 1, O 45).
-
Call and mark
Read each number twice and cross it off the caller board. Expect the first line around call 13 with 30 cards.
-
Check the winner
Ask the winner to read back their line; every number must be on your board. A blackout needs all 24 numbers; with 30 cards that took 41 calls in our runs.
Frequently asked questions
What numbers go on a 1-45 bingo card?
5x5 cards with a free center, 24 numbers each. Columns have fixed ranges: B 1-9, I 10-18, N 19-27, G 28-36 and O 37-45. The middle column gets 4 numbers because the center is free; the others get 5.
How many different 1-45 bingo cards are there?
158,047,980,715,376,640,000 (about 158 quintillion). Each column is an ordered choice from its own range (15,120 for B, 15,120 for I, 3,024 for N, 15,120 for G, 15,120 for O); multiplying the columns gives the total.
How do you make 1-45 bingo cards?
The generator above is already set to 1 to 45 with a free center: 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 45. To make them by hand, follow the 4 steps above.
How many cards should each person get?
One or two 1-45 cards. With 10 cards in play the first bingo comes around call 16, with 30 around call 13 and with 100 around call 11; more cards per player mainly makes the game shorter.