Ball 29. Sawdust, a cold wind, and a tent full of people leaning over cards. By one well-known story, a travelling toy seller saw a game like this at a carnival near Atlanta in 1929, where players covered their numbers with dried beans and shouted “Beano!” — and someone got so excited she shouted “Bingo!” instead.
The caller here just said plain numbers. The fun was in the marking. A boy at their table, who said everyone called him Beano, marked with beans, then buttons, then bottle caps when the beans ran out.
“The call can be plain,” Beano said, “if the table is happy. Bring what you have. A game doesn’t need anything fancy — just people who are listening.”