1-15 bingo cards
A 1-15 bingo card is a 3x3 grid of 9 numbers taken from the 15 values 1 to 15 and placed in any square. It practices reading numbers past ten on small nine-square cards. 1,816,214,400 different cards exist; with 30 in play, the first line comes around call 4.
5 | 7 | 4 |
14 | 13 | 10 |
1 | 11 | 15 |
3x3 cards, 9 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 1-15 cards are laid out
Numbers are not tied to columns: each card takes 9 of the 15 numbers at random and places them anywhere. A card covers 60% of the values 1 to 15, so about one call in 1.7 marks a given card.
In our 400 simulated games with 30 cards, the first straight line fell at call 4 and the first full card (blackout) at call 12, out of 15 possible calls from 1 to 15.
How to make 1-15 bingo cards by hand
- Draw a 3x3 grid for each 1-15 card.
- Write 9 different values from 1 to 15 in any order. Each card leaves out 6 of the 15, which is what makes cards differ.
- Each 1-15 card now holds 9 of the 15 values. Compare new cards with the ones you have made, since two identical cards would win together.
- Write 1 to 15 on 15 slips (or print the caller sheet) and draw them one at a time.
How many different 1-15 cards exist
| Different cards | 1,816,214,400 |
|---|---|
| Exact count | 1,816,214,400 |
| How it is counted | An ordered choice of 9 numbers from 15: 15 × 14 × … × 7. |
| Numbers per card | 9 of 15 |
Exact chances: what is marked after 4, 8 and 11 calls
Chance that the numbers you need from 1 to 15 have all been called by each point, and the expected call at which the last of them comes up: k × (15 + 1) ÷ (k + 1).
| Goal | By call 4 | By call 8 | By call 11 | Expected call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One number you need | 27% | 53% | 73% | 8 |
| A given line (3 numbers) | 0.9% | 12% | 36% | 12 |
| Full card (9 numbers) | 0% | 0% | 1% | 14.4 |
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 | 8 | 5-10 | 53% |
| 10 cards | 4 | 3-6 | 27% |
| 30 cards | 4 | 3-5 | 27% |
| 100 cards | 3 | 3-4 | 20% |
How many 1-15 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 8 calls for a line, while the first line among 10 cards came at call 4, among 30 at call 4 and among 100 at call 3.
So for 1-15 bingo, 10 players with 3 cards each, or 15 players with 2 each, should expect a winner around call 4 of 15; a class of 30 with one card each gives the same figure.
With only 15 values (1 to 15), 9 per card, any two 1-15 cards share most of their numbers, so with 30 cards a line falls by call 4. For a whole class, play for a full card instead: in our runs the first of 30 was full at call 12.
That spread (4 calls between one card and thirty) is large for a 15-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 1-15 set
- 7 even and 8 odd numbers between 1 and 15.
- By length: 9 with one digit and 6 with two digits; mixing lengths is good place-value practice.
- 6 prime numbers in the set: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13.
- Square numbers: 1, 4 and 9 (3 of 15).
- Multiples of ten: 10, a quick landmark for players scanning their card.
- Numbers with a repeated digit: 11 (1 of 15).
- Spoken: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.
1-15 caller board
All 15 numbers in order, 10 per row. Cross each one off as you call it.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
How to play 1-15 bingo
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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 8 calls.
-
Prepare the calls
Print the caller sheet: 1 to 15 (15 numbers) in a shuffled order.
-
Call and mark
Read each number twice and cross it off the caller board. Expect the first line around call 4 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 9 numbers; with 30 cards that took 12 calls in our runs.
Frequently asked questions
What numbers go on a 1-15 bingo card?
3x3 cards, 9 numbers each. Numbers are not tied to columns: each card takes 9 of the 15 numbers at random and places them anywhere.
How many different 1-15 bingo cards are there?
1,816,214,400 (1,816,214,400). An ordered choice of 9 numbers from 15: 15 × 14 × … × 7.
How do you make 1-15 bingo cards?
The generator above is already set to 1 to 15: 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 15. To make them by hand, follow the 4 steps above.
How many cards should each person get?
One or two 1-15 cards. With 10 cards in play the first bingo comes around call 4, with 30 around call 4 and with 100 around call 3; more cards per player mainly makes the game shorter.