My Mom and I visited this location yesterday, Saturday, Feb 2nd, 2019 for the first time. I hadn't…read moreplayed Bingo since Elementary School, and I'm 50, so I only know old school straight and diagonal plays. My Mom was clueless as well.
We got there about 4:30pm and from the moment we arrived at the Customer Service desk, the employees were offering to help us "learn" how they play the game.
We were given a sheet that shows pictures of the various styles of Bingo, so you can know what a winning card should look like. Paper cards were .50 cent or 1 dollar depending on the game. Attendants constantly came by the table to make sure we knew what "color" sheet was being played, and to explain how the "wild number(s) work. I only purchased one sheet each game, and was still confused as ever. Attendants had no problem walking over to our table to assist, even one person saying I forgot wild numbers. Darn, I probably unknowingly won that round! By the way, my Mom was not playing, she was telling me what numbers were popping up on the board, while I searched for them on my one-sheet card. (Yes, we were just that pathetic)!
Our Bingo-Life changed at 5:30pm. We got that electronic iBingo machine for 10 dollars, and I thought we had turned "pro" then. You just punch the wild number in, and press "enter" then the subsequent numbers are called. You press each number that's called and press "enter" and the machine fills all the numbers in. Also when new games are started, the machine is reset and ready for the next game. An Attendant came over and said to watch the screen for the next number in the right corner, that would appear, prior to it being called.
One mishap though...make sure to get that wild number in the machine at the beginning of each new game. I missed the wild number, and tried to add it later. I puched in "39" cause it was 9's, and it filled in the number 39 on like 60 cards..of course, that was wrong! The attendant came over and had to reset and correct my machine! They must have something in the callers box to alert them about customers embarrassing themselves in public! Me and those wild numbers..(I probably could've won that round as well)!
When you're one number away from Bingo, that number on your iBingo machine is displayed in blue, so you can know after that number is called to yell "BINGO." I didn't get to do that yet. But WILL be returning, so hopefully...
Sorry the review was SO long, but many are intimidated by trying something new. Customer Service is crucial and that crew at Westside Beach Bingo is AWESOME and really enhanced the place. Since compliments or complaints spread faster via word of mouth, i figured I would pass something good along, as well.
Ok, go rest your eyes...