Keno is a staple in live casinos as well as online casinos. With a house edge of 25% on average, and reaching above 60%, Keno is one of the most difficult games to win. However, with low stakes and huge payouts it maintains its popularity despite the high house advantage.
The game of Keno originated in China. It was brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century and has spread in popularity ever since. In many casinos it is known as Nevada Keno or Race Horse Keno, as Keno numbers used to be accompanied by the names of racehorses.
The game of Keno is easy to learn, as the rules are very simple. Read on to learn more about the Keno rules, strategy and more.
Keno Rules
Keno is a game of luck and numbers. It is played with 80 numbered balls and the objective is to guess which of these 80 balls will be drawn. 20 balls are drawn in each game of Keno. Players are paid out based on the numbers that they guess correctly.
If you are playing Keno in a live casino or Keno bar you will mark off your number selections on a ticket and give it to a Keno attendant. The Keno attendant will make a note of your selections before the balls are drawn. Once they are drawn you can check to see how many of the numbers you marked off were drawn and head back to the attendant for your payout if you are a winner. Pay tables differ from casino to casino. Additionally, some casinos offer a number of different pay tables for players to choose from. However, as a general rule of thumb, the more numbers that you guess correctly the more money you will win.
When you play Keno you can wager on as few as 1 number and up to 20, depending on where you are playing. Some casinos limit the number of selections you can make to 1 through 10 numbers, 12 numbers or 15 numbers. Usually players pay a specified amount for each number they bet on (i.e. $1 for 1 number; $2 for 2 numbers; $10 for 10 numbers, etc.).
Keno Odds
In the game of Keno, players are paid out based on the number of “catches” they hit, or the number of Keno numbers they guess correctly before the draw. Keno odds express how probable it is that a player will hit a specific number of Keno numbers. Approximate odds in Keno are as follows, when a player bets on 20 numbers in Keno:
- Player hits 0 correct numbers: 1 in 843
- Player hits 1: 1 in 86
- Player hits 2: 1 in 20
- Player hits 3: 1 in 8
- Player hits 4: 1 in 4.8
- Player hits 5: 1 in 4.2
- Player hits 6: 1 in 5.2
- Player hits 7: 1 in 8.8
- Player hits 8: 1 in 20
- Player hits 9: 1 in 61
- Player hits 10: 1 in 253
- Player hits 11: 1 in 1,423
- Player hits 12: 1 in 10,968
- Player hits 13: 1 in 118,084
- Player hits 14: 1 in 1,821,881
- Player hits 15: 1 in 41,751,453
- Player hits 16: 1,496,372,110
- Player hits 17: 90,624,035,964
- Player hits 18: 1 in 10,512,388,171,906
- Player hits 19: 1 in 2,946,096,785,176,811
- Player hits 20: 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,173,800
As you can see, it becomes virtually impossible for players to hit all 20 numbers in Keno. Hitting 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 correct numbers is much more likely according to Keno odds.
Keno Strategy
Keno is a game that is highly dependent on luck. Therefore, Keno strategy cannot be compared to skill games like blackjack or poker. However, there are still several tips and tricks that Keno players like to put to use because they believe it improves their chances of winning when you play Keno. None of these methods are proven to work. However, they can be fun to try out to see how they work for you.
A lot of Keno players keep track of the numbers that are drawn over the course of several Keno games. If there are numbers that seem to come up repeatedly then these players will bet on those numbers. On the other hand, some players choose to do the opposite and bet on numbers that haven’t shown up in awhile.
A lot of Keno players also like to pick the same numbers over the course of their time playing Keno. At some casinos you will have to purchase a new ticket before each new set of numbers are drawn. However, there are multigame Keno tickets available in which you can hold on to the same ticket for up to 20 games. There are also “stray and play” Keno tickets that are good for up to a year. You can leave the casino and come back anytime before the end of the year to check and see if your ticket has been a winner.
If you are playing a one-time ticket it is important to note that you will have to bring it to the Keno attendant for your payout if you win before the next game begins. Once they call the numbers for the next game your ticket will be void.