A Practical Guide to Accurate Marking Techniques

Want to take your performance in fast-paced number-based activities to the next level?

There’s one tool more underrated than any other in a player’s collection.

Choose incorrectly, use improperly, or fail to maintain it… and it can literally cause you to miss that bingo call.

Luckily, doing it right is much simpler than you might think.

Allow us to explain:

You can dramatically increase or decrease your chances of winning with the proper daubers.

Prepare to have your mind blown.

A Complete Guide to Using Marking Tools Effectively

What Are Marking Tools?
Why Marking Tools Matter in Fast-Paced Tasks
Types of Daubers for Every Player’s Needs
How to Use Your Dauber Correctly, Every Time
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Marking Tools
Virtual Daubers and Using Them Online

What Are Marking Tools?

Perhaps you’re reading this guide wondering what are bingo dabbers — and what the heck they’re for.

Don’t worry — we’ll start with the basics. For beginners reading this bingo daubers guide for sports players, a dauber is a small plastic bottle filled with translucent, non-toxic ink. They are designed with a sponge tip that leaves a coloured stamp when pressed against a number on a bingo card.

Daubers are different from your average marker or pen. Designed specifically for bingo, they create a translucent ink spot that allows players to easily see the numbers beneath them. This helps them check their cards when someone shouts bingo.

Bingo daubers are also referred to as bingo dabbers, bingo markers, bingo blotters and (quite confusingly) dobbers.

Honestly, doesn’t matter what you call them…

They all do the same job, and that job is pretty neat.

Why Marking Tools Matter in Fast-Paced Tasks

Ok, now let’s dive into what makes bingo daubers so important.

Sports-themed bingo events tend to go pretty quickly. Numbers are called left and right, everyone is hyped up, and players typically have multiple cards opened at once.

Standard markers and pens don’t cut it. They smudge through card sheets, obscure players’ numbers and create lag that — at crucial moments — can cost you the game.

Bingo daubers are made to go fast. Stamp the card once and you’re done. No smudging. No hesitation.

Consider this…

Bingo is a $10 billion global industry attracting over 100 million players yearly, and consistent player activity has increased by nearly 10% year over year since 2018.

High roller tournaments. Competitive rooms. Streamlined games. There’s less room for mistakes when playing with lots of other serious players.

And if you can mark your cards between calls quicker than everyone around you — odds are you’ll win more often.

Especially during loud sports-themed bingo nights where games don’t let up for a single second.

Types of Daubers for Every Player’s Needs

Players should never buy the first dauber they see. Here’s the rundown of common options:

Standard Daubers: The standard option. Available in pretty much every colour you can imagine (blue, pink, green, orange, purple, you name it) and hold about 45 ml of ink. These run cheap and are reliable for occasional players.

Large Capacity Daubers: These bad boys hold 80–120 ml of ink. They last anywhere from four to eight full sessions on a single charge, making them ideal for tournaments or weekend-long sports events.

Novelty Daubers: Popular in the more competitive bingo communities. Soft tips shaped like footballs, stars, hearts — anything players can think of. It adds personality to each dab and makes the games feel that much more fun. Bonus tip: Some novelty tips are thinner and allow for more precise dabbing on tight-card formats.

Refillable Daubers: By far the cheapest option if you’re going to play regularly. Refillable daubers take custom colours, allowing players to fully customize their ink to match their favourite sports team during themed games.

As long as the ink is translucent and flows easily off the tip. If it drips, smears, or obscures the number you’re covering — toss it and buy another.

How to Use Your Dauber Correctly, Every Time

Think using a dauber is simple? Think again.

Here’s what most guides don’t tell you about correctly using your bingo dauber.

Spread your cards out. Once the game begins, ensure every card is laid out flat and clearly visible. Keep them separated so you don’t accidentally cover a number when dabbing.

Hold it right. Grip your dauber like a stamp. Not like a pencil. Daubers require less pressure than you think. Resting your finger lightly on the tip is all you need to stamp the card properly.

Stamp the card. Daubers are not pens. Press down firmly and remove your dauber. Dragging the tip back and forth can cause extra ink to bleed onto your card — giving you a headache later when checking for winners.

Work your way in one direction. If you have more than one card opened at once, always work from left to right. Building momentum as you stamp will help you keep up with the caller.

Test it. Some brands of daubers leak excess ink when first purchased. Use a scrap sheet of paper to ensure yours doesn’t do this before your next game.

Seriously. That’s all there is to it.

Cleaning and Maintaining Your Marking Tools

Wait until after your game? Don’t even think about it.

A dried out, leaky dauber is a player’s worst nightmare. Performing quick maintenance after every game session keeps your daubers in prime condition:

Replace the cap. Every. Single. Time. The ink will dry out if you don’t.
Store vertically. Keeping your daubers standing prevents ink from pooling into the tip.
Avoid direct sunlight and excess heat. Your happy place isn’t hot enough to damage your ink. Believe us.
Wipe down the tip with a damp cloth if excess ink builds up.
Refill ink when it gets down to the last third. Cleaning your dauber is easier with plenty of ink.

Refilling your dauber is easy. Unscrew the tip, pour in new ink, and screw back on. Handy tip: Keep a towel close by in case your new ink is foamy.

Daubers can last for dozens of game sessions if properly maintained. Two minutes of love and care after each round is worth it.

Virtual Daubers and Using Them Online

One major development in the bingo industry over recent years is the growth of online platforms. To date, online bingo represented 65% of total bingo sales in 2023 — a testament to just how big it’s gotten.

When playing online, players don’t get physical daubers. Instead, they are represented by a virtual ink stamp. Most sites let players customize the colour, tip size, and style before each game. Popular bingo platforms also feature a button known as autodaub which automatically marks every active card with called numbers.

Essentially wasting time dabbing each called number manually and replacing it with a computerized version.

Players who frequently toggle between in-person and online bingo games should know how each site implements these features. Virtual daubers also restart after each game round — so if your favourite platform offers autodaub, learn how to use it. It allows players to focus more on managing their cards than spinning the dauber between calls.

Final Thoughts: Using Marking Tools Effectively

Taking your sports-themed bingo game to the next level is easy with the right tools.

Understanding how to properly use bingo daubers will increase your chances of winning — and decrease your chances of losing. Here’s a quick recap:

Match the dauber to your needs. Do you plan on playing one game? Go with a standard. Have the whole night planned out? Get novelties.
Stamp, don’t write. Daubers are easy to use. Press firmly against the card. Never drag the tip.
Maintain them after every use. Takes two minutes. We promise.
Autodaub online when possible to focus on strategy, not execution.

The right dauber won’t win you a game of bingo. But using the wrong one at the worst time definitely can lose you a game.

Use these tips, buy quality equipment, and remember to clean up after yourself. The rest will fall into place.

As the old saying goes… little dab will do ya.