Army Street Bingo

I came here for the first time today, and WHAT A TREAT! My friend and I have never been to a bingo hall before, and we were completely confused by the rules, plays, and culture. The cashier guy gave us a double sided piece of paper with information, but who wants to read all of that, when you want to just jump in and play. Then, a lady behind us in line, named Pam (who everyone seemed to know), told us to sit by her and she helped us, and became our bingo guru. Pam even called the Chinese restaurant next door to order some food for us that was delivered complete with plates, utensils, and napkins! The other players were older, wiser, faster, and luckier than us (maybe because of their lucky charms and wacky compulsions). It wasn’t packed, loud, or tense. I would highly recommend this bingo hall. Good prizes, reasonable buy-​ins, free parking, and very entertaining environment.

I just don’t like the people who play there. they are really mean, but the co-​workers are really cool.

first time there I was lucky and won the first game on paper, but was not familiar with the machine– nothing like the machine in vegas, you need to keep and eye and input the correct numbers for the correct game, to ensure a chance to win? (Lucky for me I won on paper, as my machine I assume was totally done by a computer-​not). Anyway with the machine and 1 – 6 packs of paper you get most games for $ 35, that is what most locals get and the side games will cost you $$$, it was fun, have not won since the first time and I have been there 2x. Some of the sellers at the windows are not so helpful, as they never informed us how the bingo machine worked, we were told after the first game by one of the locals sitting next to us?
Parking is tight, but can be found on private lot and/​or street, not the best area to go to at nite, so get in and get out after bingo. The staff on the floor selling the side games are very helpful, but buy carefully as the losing $$ adds up, lol. Don’t expect a short game, as you might expect to be there for 3+ hrs…

got noting else better to do?! come by armt street bingo and grab a quick game… plenty of parking and security, plus there a corner store right next if you feel hungry for a snack or food… also we have snack and vending machine inside the bingo hall… im there on friday and sunday night, maybe you can finally meet me and win some money :)

NEW PHONE NUMBER 415 920 1730
Thursday and Sunday nights have been added back!!!
Quickies are the new form of early birds… three games for three dollars and payouts are determined by how many people are participating at bingo…
There’s plenty of side games. They have flash games (buddy balls, bulldog bingo, etc). They have dab games/​BAM (grand slam, cowabunga, fire dog, 4 corners, blazing, speedo, money train, etc). Some nights have those 50 cent cherry pull tabs. And there’s specials (4−5−6, 7 line, army slam and grand slam)!!!

To follow-​up May-Ling’s comments:
It was like a Tourette’s filled-​room! … But quite quirky and worth a good laugh! If only the whole experience didn’t last for 3+ hours, I would have given this place another star.
However, this place has some redeeming qualities that, in hindsight, I’ve now come to realize. After trying bingo here, I went to Gilman Street Bingo (
) to check it out there. I would definitely recommend Army St. Bingo a thousand times over.
The pluses:
1) PAPER CARDS! — I can’t say enough about the use of paper cards and bingo dabbers. This IS the reason to play bingo… not the electronic machines that take the fun, anticipation, and yes, thought, out of bingo.
2) THE ORGANIZATION — for as much confusion that may-​ling and i experienced, it was much more organized than my experience at Gilman St. For one, there is a handy call sheet that describes all of the games and the type of bingo that you need. Yes, it’s slightly confusing, but at least you have the pictures as a reference. Also, the caller was more descriptive about the game that was being called (e.g., describing the pattern or giving details about the pull tab game) and the payout for the game. This was not true at Gilman St.
3) THE ATMOSPHERE — while there’s no official snack bar and you have to go to the deli next door to buy dabbers, things just seemed to work like a well oiled machine at this place. They have two rooms for smokers and non-​smokers. The staff are helpful and know the regulars. It’s a pretty calm atmosphere with the occasional wise crack… fortunately, it’s not library or church quiet… as baby bear would say, «it’s just right.»
So far, my bay area bingo experience has differed a lot from my bingo days in Texas… but it’s still fun and enjoyable. The minimum price to play is considerably more, but it’s double the game play (appx 14 games for $ 14 dollars). Definitely go on a weekend so you can still have the rest of the day to re-​coup from BINGO BUTT!
Happy dabbing!

i’m not sure how to rate bingo halls, so this might change. since our experience was really confusing and WAY long (games started at 12:30 and we left there around 4pm), i can’t rate it too highly.
when it’s your first time here, expect total confusion. first of all, guide yourself by the address, because the exterior of the building says nothing about bingo or army street. we stood in line like sheep and quickly tried to read all of the sheets of paper taped to the wall to figure out what to get. the website doesn’t say much and all we were going on was that bingo starts at 12:30pm.
i got 2 packs for $ 14 (the minimum), and i paid a dollar for something (still not sure what) and was told to go to the next window to pick them up. it’s cash only. daubers, which are mandatory, can be purchased at the convenience store next door. my friend’s cashier was a little more thorough and sold her the early bird set for $ 6. when we found out that 5 early bird games were what started at 12:30, i added that to my set.
even though the early bird games start at 12:30, people have already staked out their spots by this time, so it’s good to get there during the early birds. bingo calling is fast, which i like. my friend described the experience in general like ‘being in a room full of people with turret’s.’ it’s pretty accurate, as constantly staff are selling pull tabs (like lotto tickets, but more complicated). they sell by yelling the name of the game (wham bam, california criss cross, pay day, you get the idea…) and when customers want to buy, they yell out the name, too. so in addition to the fast bingo calling, there’s constant noise.
bingo was fun here, and i’d go back again. if it’s your first time, you might want to get there early and sit next to someone who looks nice enough to explain things to you. some of the pull tab games are confusing, and so are the specials. for 4 of the games (specials), you had to buy the cards for even more money, as the payouts were higher than the regular $ 250/​game. even when we weren’t playing those, it took us almost the entire game just to figure out what people were trying to get.
either way, bingo culture is always fun. the staff knows all of the regulars and there are many funny comments to eavesdrop on if you keep your ears open. bring cash and try not to spend all of your money on pull tabs. good luck!