Bingo (Scrabble)

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For other uses of the term bingo, see bingo (disambiguation).

Bingo is a slang term used in Scrabble when a player uses all seven letters in one play. Any player who does this receives an extra 50 points on top of what the word would normally score. In the United Kingdom, this is more often called a bonus (the term sanctioned by Mattel, the game's manufacturers there), but is usually called a bingo by the rest of the English-speaking world, especially the United States.

Bingos are an important part of achieving high scores in Scrabble. While a beginner might be lucky to score even one during a game, experts frequently score three or more. Much advanced strategy revolves around making bingos: blank tiles are hoarded, unwelcome letters are played even for low points, and flexible letter groups like SANTER are built up until an easy bingo is formed. This strategy is often at direct odds with another, that of placing high-valued letters on premium squares.

A common misconception is that the bonus received for using all seven tiles is multiplied if a double-word or triple-word score is used. This is not the case: a 9-point word using seven tiles played across a triple-word score is worth 77 points (3 times 9 plus 50 points for the bonus).

[edit] Bingo examples

These facts are according to the SOWPODS dictionary as amended in 2006.

The highest scoring 7-letter bingos in SOWPODS are SQUEEZY and QUARTZY. The tiles total 28 points and each word scores 126 on the first move.

The highest scoring 8-letter bingo is QUIZZIFY (with a blank Z). Placed on two triple-word squares it scores 419.

The highest scoring 8-letter bingos without a blank are BEZIQUES and CAZIQUES, which amount to 392 points when played across two triple-word squares.

The lowest possible score for a bingo is 56. This is achieved by playing 5 one-point tiles and two blanks. The word must not be doubled or tripled, no one-point tile may be doubled or tripled, and the word must be played around or onto a single one-point letter.

The highest scoring 15 letter bingo is theoretically OXYPHENBUTAZONE (an anti-inflammatory drug most often used to treat arthritis). With 8 letters already placed between three triples, the word can score 1778. There are no reports of a triple-triple-triple ever being played in a competitive game, as it requires very unlikely circumstances.