Welcome to St. Timothy's Friday Night Bingo! Where all the cool grannies go. And me. It's a pretty steep buy-in at $20 a Bingo board but that's also your entrance fee. Everyone pays to enter/play. This ain't no spectator sport. If you want extra boards it goes up $5 per board up to 3 extra boards at $35. And of course you can buy the special games and pull tabs for an additional charge, usually $2 each. Their website says the first game starts at 7:30 (and runs til around 10pm-ish) but I got there around 7:15 and they'd already started and were on the 3rd game. What? I'd recommend getting there no later than 6:30 to nab a seat because by the time we'd arrived on what was considered a slow night, there were only a handful of seats out of several hundred left to snagged. You can buy nominally priced concessions like little Cheetos bags, candy bar, hot dogs, or cheesy nachos with the cheese from a vey homestyle crock-pot. They pass around complimentary muffins and there's also coffee and hot water available. It's very much a church potluck style of dining but you are able to bring your own food in as well. We saw people with entire casserole dishes being cut up and people who brought entire pizzas, or supplies to make their own sandwiches. Next time I'll 100% be toting along a pizza and 1000 different snacks to share with my new Bingo friends. Most of the attendees are 70+ years of age and they mean business. They are lean, mean, Bingo machines and they've all come to win those prizes, ranging from $250 all the way up to $750. These prizes are nothing to scoff at. My only skepticism was that the Bingo games are held within a church but turns out it's not in the actual church, just on church property, and there was nothing Jesus-y about it beyond that many of the players know the others from going to that church. The whole thing is set up is actually inside of a church's grade school basketball gymnasium with rows of folding tables and chairs and the main bingo callers on the stage. There's a monitor set up to view the upcoming bingo numbers and a main board above the stage to keep track of all called numbers. From what I learned, the whole thing is a family-run operation and the regulars... which were pretty much everyone but me, know everyone there. It was really nice and had fun, midwestern blue collar vibe, which I very much miss. I didn't end up winning anything but it was a fun experience and definitely one I'm looking forward to again. Finally, a good Friday night activity in Silicon Valley! read more

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So, to be honest, my friends and I were a little skeptical because this place only had two, dated reviews, but we were looking for a fun Friday night activity. The two glowing reviews led us to St. Timothy's school gym that was packed with bingo players. Parking was super easy because it's a school with lots, so it was not problem. Then we just walked in and paid $19 for our cards and power ball number. You do have to be 18 to play. We were 30 to 45 minutes early, and the place was mostly already at it's game time level. People were ready to go. The doors opened at 5 p.m., and they serve coffee and hot tea and offer a concession stand and soda machine. Then, during bingo play, they offered donuts -- yes, free donuts. The actual bingo portion required a dauber, which they sold many options for $2 or less. We got mini ones for $1.25, and they even offered a rainbow of colors at that level. They worked great. The playing part was a little trickier. They hand out a schedule with some rules, so definitely read through that. Then, basically just follow along and ask your neighbors if you get confused. People were more than willing to help. In addition, you can play special games for a few dollars a round if you want in on all the action. The crowd is older, but were definitely welcoming to three girls in their 20s. Then you just daub and yell out BINGO! and wave it in the air when you win, which my friend won $250. How exciting! They cash amounts vary depending on the game and the pots are split between people if multiples win. It was great, fun, cheap entertainment really. For $19, we passed almost four hours of time, and in our case, made our money back plus some. I would definitely go again. I am really glad we took a chance and went. I am also glad they will have an updated review now! If you are interested at all in trying bingo, it's a great venue for it. Good luck! read more

St. Timothy's Bingo - My purple card that matched my mini dauber I purchased at bingo. It's very handy that they sell so many options at the event. - Bingo Halls Near Me - San Mateo, California

Friday night fun anyone? Well St. Timothy school and church holds a bingo every Friday (sans Good Friday). The volunteers there are really nice and will help you if you are a newbie. This was my first bingo experience a few years ago and now I am a bingo whore! Oh wait... should I say whore in a review that is associated with the church? hmmm... I have been going every friday now for years and it is a fun night enjoyed by all. Even better when you win money... woohoo!!! I have now noticed more and more young people at bingo... it isnt for the senior citizens anymore. Just think... come to bingo with $20... leave with $250. Bingo ends at 10pm so you have plenty of cash for late night fun. Their food stand includes pizza, hot dogs, nachos and random other goodies. Plenty of coffee to keep you awake and a ton of places to sit since it is held in the school gym. There are three parking lots... church parking lot, school front lot and school back lot. Security on site too so when you win the powerball (which has gone as high as $4,000!!!!) you are safe to get to your car. More info on their facebook page if you look up St. Timothy's Bingo. read more

St. Timothy's Bingo - I won $1199!!! Woohoo... - Bingo Halls Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This was really quite the enjoyable experience. My girlfriend took me here, and I once I got past the feeling that I a pretender intruding on old people fun, I found myself really focused on my bingoing and started buying into the bonus games. It was extremely exciting and tense when you start getting close to bingo, but its not just in your head. You feel the tension building in the whole room because odds are that there are 4-5 other folks who are also closing in on the magic bingo. You hear a collective exhale every time someone calls bingo at a distant corner of the room. Its disappointing but sort of a bonding moment as you half smile at other bingoers at your table, empathizing with them as you all tear out the losing bingo sheets and move on the the next game. BINGO isn't necessarily a straight line or diagonal. Depending on the game number, you might need to form a specific shape or pattern to get bingo that game. If you don't understand, most of the people around you are friendly folks who don't mind giving you a tip. The different bingo games, make it less stale, and will make some games longer than others. First off, the buy in is $20 for a single bingo gamebook, add another $5 for every additional gamebook. You will find most people are running with at least 3-4 extra books, and it might look intimidating at first, but once you learn how to bingo you can probably handle more than one. As it was my first, I went with one book, but could probably have kept up with 2. Secondly, you will need a little dabber pen, so you can mark the numbers as the bingo numbers are called. They cost $1.50 to $2.00 and you buy them at the cafeteria window to the right of the stage. They have some snacks you can buy there as well, and coffee on each table free of charge. On the night I was there, they also gave everyone some oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies. I partook cookies and coffee. Prizes range from 250-750 and if there are multiple winners, you'll need to split it up. Most of the bonus games are $2, so it'd be worth it to bet on one or two of those if you only went with one booklet. read more

Great place for bingo! Everyone is friendly and helpful from the players to the volunteers. The games are plentiful, and the callers are always clear and attentive. ...Not sure what else really matters for a review of a bingo place. I love it, and when I decide it's time to play some bingo, St. Timothy's is where I usually go lately. read more

I won't be going to this Bingo again!!! It's a very NOISY place. Tonite 9-23-16, a lady bingoed twice and another man bingoed four times. I've been playing bingo all my life and I know that is FISHY, FISHY... They give free coffee and cookies! read more

To be completely honest, I didn't want to yelp St. Timothy's bingo hall because I didn't want more people finding out about the awesome Friday night fun we have here. Most people spend their Friday nights getting wasted at the bar while I like to head on over to St. Timothy's with a sippy cup filled with a half bottle of wine. I bring my bag full of daubers and put my game face on as I plan leaving each time with 250 smackaroos in my pocket. I have won at least three times here and usually take my hard earned cash straight to Yuppie Bar after for some hard alcohol and a game of Liars dice. The staff and people here are all very friendly and have no problems giving newbs help when they have any questions or have no idea what is going on as I have been in that position many times. We always set aside a little cash for the snack bar where we like to indulge in a chilli cheese dog with no bun. There chilli is pretty darn good. Anyways if you are looking for a good time and want to steer away from your typical Friday night, go out on a whim and take your grandma for a game of bingo. You won't regret it. read more

I love it! This bingo is rare in that you can buy one single pack (most places have a 2 pack minimum) the single pack deal is inexpensive and perfect for beginning bingo players who are learning the games and don't want to be overwhelmed in keeping up. The staff are all super nice volunteers, there is always free coffee and donuts, cookies or muffins and you are really better off here than in some bar on a Friday night! Bonus, you might get lucky and win $250, $500, $750 or more! read more

Definitely fun for a night out, but probably better with a larger group. It was just my partner and I who went. They have a concession stand that sells pizza, soda, nacho and cheese, all at cheap prices. There are some serious bingo players here, but everyone was super nice and helpful. Cards came to about $20. read more