Pioneer Bingo

I normally play bingo in the Longview area and since I’m here on business with my husband I decided to find the closest bingo hall there was a play during the day. I found Pioneer bingo in Arlington that plays from 12 to 4 PM. I decided to go to the second session which starts at 1:45 PM,
When you first walk into the door you actually walk into the smoking section which is a very large area and is heavily smoky with many people sitting there smoking while you’re trying to buy your bingo cards. That is extremely disappointing because there’s no way you could leave without smelling like cigarettes. The non-​smoking is located next to the cashier and there’s no door to separate the two rooms. I was extremely disappointed to find this out but decided to stay anyways and play. But non-​smoking room is fairly small maybe there was 15 of us that’s out in the room.
To play they give you three bingo faces per card which is five dollars and they sell him in two, three or four packets and each additional pack it is worth five dollars. There was nine games that varied from $ 200-​$ 600 and pay outs.
The reason I gave this place a 2 was one because of the cigarette smokes it doesn’t separate the two rooms very well and secondly the bingo players in there are not very friendly at all. I ran into two women that were very rude to me for being a first-​time player to play there. I’ve never had to deal with that at any bingo hall I’ve ever gone to. So that was really discouraging when I first started to play. It really made me feel uncomfortable even playing there but after a while there was a couple ladies at my table and they started to be nice to me so that helped a little bit towards the end. They do play several pulltabs throughout the games so that’s additional ways to win their dollar per card.
I probably will go again just because I’m here for another for five days and the pricing is not that bad at all. They do not play any machines here so your chances are better.

My boyfriend and I pass by this worn down Bingo lot all the time and noticed that the big «BINGO» sign by the street was updated. So, I guess this place is still alive? We finally decided to give it a chance on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon.
We arrived at about 1:10p and there was a Bingo game already going on. We weren’t aware of the times, but we were approached by a really friendly guy (perhaps owner of the vicinity) who did a great job of explaining every Bingo detail to us.
In essence, the location has 2 main sessions throughout the day. The first one begins at 1:00p and the second one promptly follows the first session at 2:45p. You are welcome to enter the location between each session time, but you may not get your money’s worth when purchasing Bingo cards. You can purchase 3 stacks of Bingo cards (each stack contains 10 games) for $ 20. This is a total of 30 game boards because each paper in the stack will have 3 Bingo game boards. This is the best deal. If you’re feeling lucky, there’s plenty of employees who walk around with last minute Bingo cards for about $ 1 – 2 each. These last minute Bingo cards can be played with the current ones that you have.
I’ve never played actual Bingo for money before, so I felt that the process was a bit confusing and had a slight learning curve. There’s a man on the main counter (middle of the main smoking room) who calls out numbers, but he also puts up the next two numbers on the television screens around the room. You can’t yell «bingo» for your card until he validates your last winning number by saying it aloud. The key is marking the numbers on the television screens before he calls them out; that way, you have all your numbers marked and you’re ready to yell «bingo» when he says your winning number.
Each Bingo card game will have a different theme on how to win. There’s sometimes a wild number, or you’ll need the board corners and also two lines. I feel that this changes things up each round and gives everyone a fair chance. Some patterns are easier to look for than others, so mark carefully and pay close attention to the letters and numbers!
Between each Bingo card game, there are also «mini» Bingo games that are on small cards. These can be purchased from the employees who walk around the room. I consider Bingo to be the lottery, but the mini Bingo games are the scratch-​offs. You can purchase several of these mini Bingo games for only a few dollars and you wait for the guy at the counter to call the winning numbers. Basically, you look for a 5 number match with these smaller cards.
The main area is a smoking area, which is the larger room that you first enter to purchase your Bingo cards and markers. There’s a smaller non-​smoking area next door, but it’s almost the same as the smoking room. In all honesty, it doesn’t matter where you sit because entire location smells the same. There’s also a small concession stand in the far back that serves finger foods, sandwiches, and salads.
As for the prizes, they are all cash prizes that vary from $ 100-​$ 750. They take out a 10% tax, but they also pay you in cash when you win. It’s also courteous to tip a few dollars to the man who gives you your money. The payout is great for an experience that is cheap and also enjoyable.
Overall, it’s a great place to spend an afternoon. Since it was our first time, my boyfriend and I just bought 3 Bingo cards ($ 20) and 2 markers ($ 2 each). In total, it was $ 24 for 2 hours of fun for the both of us. I would definitely come back and happily spend $ 40 on cards because we already get to keep the markers for future use and it’s more fun to keep track of 6 Bingo cards at once (and increases your chances of winning!). I give it 5 stars because there’s really nothing else like this in Arlington. It also pacifies me until the next time I get to Winstar! It is a game that’s purely based on luck, so maybe you’ll win!

It’s a fun little place to go if you want to test your luck. I go with groups of people and it get’s intense. They go pretty fast and keep you on your toes. The price isn’t bad. They have a lot of regulars.
It’s $ 2 for a bingo marker, $ 6 for 4 games with 12 cards each, $ 10 for 4 games with 18 cards each. You can buy additional cards and games, too. Each game has cash prizes. They have cash prizes from $ 100-​$ 750, and they pay you right then and there.
The main area permits smoking, but there is a smaller room that is for non-​smokers. You can still smell it and will come out smelling like it regardless. They also come around with a cart selling food and drinks, but you can also bring your own.
This place isn’t bad, I could do without all the smoke.