AllGames Guide
Keno Basics
→ Free Casino Money to Play Keno
Keno is one of those games that you either love or hate. It's pretty much like the lotto. I've known many gamblers that love Keno like you wouldn't believe and I've known many who wouldn't be caught dead playing the game. There are two kinds of Keno—electronic and live.
Some casinos have Keno lounges where you can sit down and play Keno. It tends to be a relaxing time, and games are normally run every 5 minutes. The electronic version is played on a machine or online. All the action revolves around the Keno board, so let's talk about it.
Keno Board
The Keno board is where the action takes place. It has 80 numbers on it—numbered 1 to 80. The board is split horizontally in the middle. The first forty numbers make up the top half, and the second groups of forty numbers make up the bottom half. It's as simple as that.
Keno Play
Each game of Keno consists of the system/person drawing 20 numbers. For future reference know that when a number you picked comes up, it's called a "hit." As you watch games of Keno, you'll notice that it's purely random and the numbers drawn will be all over the place.
To play Keno, you need to select at least one number. You mark your selection(s) down either on a Keno ticket or on the computer. Typically, you can play 1-10, 15 and 20 number tickets. The more numbers you pick, the greater the payday if you hit them all, but the harder it is to do so.
You should know that it's possible to win without hitting all the numbers. Let's say you mark six numbers—this is called a "6-spot"—and play a game of Keno. At many casinos you simply need to hit 3 out of 6 to get your money back. Catching more numbers increases your payoff.
This brings me to an important notice. The payouts in Keno are not standardized in any way. Every single casino will have its own payout schedule. If you are going to play Keno online, make sure you shop around and look for the best deal for the spots you intend to play.
You might find a place that pays $1,000 for a 6-spot with $1 played and then find another place that pays $2,000 for a 6-spot with $1 played. It can be wild, so shop around if you can.
Can You Win?
Like I said earlier, Keno is just like the lotto. There are some nice paydays to be had, but the probability of you winning is low. Keno is a game of randomness and luck. Sure, there have been countless systems and predictor strategies developed, but at the end of the day, it's all random.
Still, knowing your absolute probability of winning any particular bet can help you decide what to do. There are 80 numbers on a Keno board and 20 of those are picked each game. Simple math tells us that each number has a 25% probability of being selected each game. But, betting on one number doesn't pay much of anything. So, what happens when you shoot for bigger payoffs?
Well, the probability of hitting a two-spot is 6%. By the way, when I say "hit," I'm talking about catching all numbers. Hitting a three-spot is even harder—1.4% probability. Remember, the six-spot we talked about playing? Your probability of hitting that baby is .00013%. Sure, it sounds like a hard bet to hit, but when you win thousands for a small bet, you'll forget all about it.
Here's the thing with the six-spot ticket. At most casinos, you need just three numbers to get your money back. You have a 13% probability of doing this with each ticket played. So, it's not all profit or ruin with Keno and that's why so many get addicted and come back to play again and again.
Trying Keno
You are ready to tackle Keno, but should you want more out of your experience, I'd recommend learning about Way tickets. They come in handy if you turn into a Keno playing machine. However, if you are just going to play one ticket per game, there's no need to venture down this avenue.
Are there any real strategies out there? Most Keno players that develop strategies fall into one of two groups. They play streaks. For instance, if they haven't seen a number or group of numbers for a while, they will play them. The other group plays clusters of numbers. For instance, they might play 1,2,11,12, because that's a block of four on the Keno board.
Whatever you do, Keno can be a fun game. If you play live Keno, you don't need to be present while playing. You can put your ticket(s) in for multiple games and go off and do whatever you want. Many players put in ticket and then go play other games. Playing while eating is one of the most common ways to play Keno.