Getting to Know Real Money Keno and All Its Mysteries

It’s interesting to notice that many experts are willing to give thorough reviews of this game, but not all of them dare to try it. Catching 10 of 20 drawn numbers doesn’t seem like something impossible, but if we are to believe the stats- the probability of a player hitting all 20 numbers on a 20 spot ticket is 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,174,320.

Is there any great and proven successful strategy that works the best for real money keno?

We are so sorry to let you down, as there’s actually no strategy that guarantees loads of cash. On the other hand, we won’t leave you disappointed, as this guide aims to introduce you not only to the game’s history but all its laws and rules as well. Also, there’s something that might help with that “impossible” probability, and we’ll show you what to look for.

Keep reading for more!

The very essence of Keno

Simply put, this is a lottery style game played in land-based casinos in one of two major formats: live and video keno. Regardless of the format, it has the same course.

Players have to choose 1 to 10 numbers…

…from the given table of numbers ranging from 1 to 80, in the majority of types. After all, participants make their wagers, 20 numbers (or fewer in some varieties) are drawn at random. This is done either with a ball machine similar to ones used for lotteries and bingo, or with a random number generator (RNG).

Even though some parallels between this game and American bingo can be drawn, they actually differ a lot. Therefore, it’s more precise to refer to it as a lottery.

How to make a difference between Bingo and Keno?

Provided that you are an expert, the difference will be more than obvious, but those who are just getting started may have certain confusions and difficulties when trying to make out which one is which.

Both of them are random games of chance…

…and available in the online and “offline” version. Also, both of them are based on a lottery concept, in which numbers are randomly drawn and announced while contestants try to match the numbers on their tickets.

Furthermore, the way numbers are selected is the same in both games, with balls spinning and being “spit out” from a cage (a real or digital one). Also, they use numbered balls or RNG, depending on the format.

Neither of them…

…requires a special skill set, and has no complex rules, systems and strategies to be memorized. Socialization is also an integral part of both of them.

After so many similarities, the confusion is even bigger, but here’s how to be sure which one is which:

• Tickets and numbers- Keno players select their own card numbers (from 1 to 80) and mark them on cards, while bingo players purchase tickets with numbers printed on them, and these tickets are valid for a specific game or game session.
• Placing bets- Bingo players purchase cards that are valid for a single session only and the cost of the card represents the actual bet. Keno punters can vary their bets and their selected numbers can be used for several games.
• The number of winners- Also, in bingo, the numbers are drawn continuously until someone wins and there can be only one winner. In Keno, a set of numbers is drawn and players then check for matching numbers on their cards. There can be more than one winner.

Journey through the history of Keno

Talking about this game, some punters refer to it as the “Chinese lottery”, and that’s because the game was invented in and around Macau in the 1840s or a little earlier. Chinese immigrants who worked on the transcontinental railway system brought the game to America in the 1860s.

Even though the game came from China…

…the word “keno” has French or Latin roots (Fr. quine “five winning numbers”, L. quini “five each”). At first, it was called báigē piào, literally “white dove ticket”. In Cantonese it is pronounced baak-gap-piu in (on which the Western spelling ‘pak-ah-pu’ / ‘pakapoo’ was based). The Chinese played the game using sheets printed with Chinese characters, often the first 80 characters of the Thousand Character Classic, from which the winning characters were selected.

By 1866, it had already become a widely popular gambling game in Houston, Texas, under the name keno and quickly expanded across numerous land-based venues in the US. Later on, thanks to the rapid expansion of Internet entertainment, it’s found its place in online portfolios as well. It’s the simplicity that took made this one a timeless classic, both in physical and digital form.

But, it’s interesting to mention that…

…not all American casinos offer keno. Some states have laws prohibiting certain types of games. For example, Mississippi has a few casinos that offer keno, but you won’t find any actual keno parlors there like you would in Las Vegas. Missouri has a similar situation.

Nebraska is a good example of a state without the game–their gambling is limited to the lottery and Class II slot machines. New Hampshire doesn’t have ANY kind of legal casino games available. New Mexico only has a single casino, the Sandia, which offers the game live.

How to play real money Keno?

When a punter decides to play real money keno, he/she buys from 1 to 20 “spots”. Spots are like lottery numbers: when you own one, you win something if the number is drawn. Majority drawings have the numbers 1 through 80, allowing you to buy up to 20 numbers.

When the drawing happens, twenty numbers are drawn. Expecting to hit on 20 out of 20 numbers is what we can call a “mission impossible”. The odds of that happening are approximately 1 in 3,500,000,000,000,000,000–yes, 3.5 quintillion.

For the sake of comparison…

…no one in the recorded history of keno has ever caught 20 or 20 numbers, and no one is likely to do so in the next 100 years.

Despite these unfavorable stats, the top jackpot on most drawings activates when a player catches 15 of 20 numbers. Catching 10 numbers triggers a big payout, but even 3 or 4 catches is worth a respectable payout.

Creating a Personal Playing Style

Though these numbers are far away from encouraging, still, each player has his/her own freedom to come up with some unique system and implement it.

Some participants wager on numbers that were not drawn yet…

…hoping they would eventually come up, and those are often called cold numbers. The others place bets on numbers that had recently been drawn or appeared most times – these are the hot numbers.

The majority of punters have their favorite or lucky numbers (just like in Bingo), and always use the same combinations which they always select. Some like to bet on successive numbers or numbers in pairs such as 4 and 5 or 36 and 37 as numbers in this game often seem to come in successive order.

Although neither of these strategies carries mathematical advantages over each other, interesting trends and patterns are common thing in these lottery-based activities. In Keno the number sequence is random and contestants have no impact on the outcome, so what one can do is follow your instinct.

Where to Play Real Money Keno?

In case you are eager to experience the unique atmosphere of the live version, well, grab a pencil/crayon, a ticket, and find out where the drawing is held nearby. The next option is brick and mortar hub, which has a video lottery terminal with this game (video keno.

In case there aren’t any in your location…

…there’s always an online version. Although not as present as some other categories (slots, video poker, live…), still, it can be found in a solid number of web-based facilities.

When you go to an online casino’s lobby, you’ll find it placed in one of two categories. Often, it’s listed in the “Specialty Games” category (sometimes labeled “Arcade Games”). At other times, it’s available in the “Table Games” category. In other cases, the operator places the game in its own separate category. So you will have to search for it a bit.

Don’t be surprised if you encounter instant Keno…

…when exploring Internet venues. In this style of play, the game plays out much like a spin on a slot machine or a video poker machine does. A punter picks the numbers, clicks a button, and results appear instantly. Players devoted to their favorite numbers can save these settings.

Though this may seem like a more efficient option, when playing with a bad house edge, these saved settings and auto-play features are better avoided. Speaking of the house edge, the house edge for online version is around 5%, while brick-and-mortar keno parlors may carry anywhere from 15% to 40%.

As for the popular providers…

…that have this title in their palette of products, Real Time Gaming is definitely one of the most frequently seen names. Almost every RTG-powered venue has it listed in the portfolio.

Rival offers them, Microgaming, and Oryx Gaming as well, and 1×2 gaming has an interesting trio of titles, some of them themed as well, and many others in its catalog.

The ultimate strategy?

All there is left is to do your best to fin hubs which has the best house edge. This definitely doesn’t guarantee you will end up with pockets full of cash, but it increases the chances to score some decent amount.

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