How to Play Keno

Keno is one of the most popular lottery style games available online as well as on land. The game of keno can be found at almost every online casino as well as at restaurants, bars, casinos and other gaming facilities around the world. Keno actually dates back to the days of Ancient China, where a dynasty general came up with an idea to raise funds to pay for the army (further taxing the people was not an option). It did not reach the United States until the 1800s. The game was modernized and is now enjoyed by thousands of players every day.

Beginners may be confused as to how to play the game of keno, but it is really very simple. Below you will find a complete guide on how to play keno.

Online Keno
Learn and play keno online at Bodog.

How to Play Keno
The game of keno is very simple. Players will choose one or more numbers between 1 and 80, with a maximum choice of 10, 15 or 20 numbers, depending on where and how you play. Each number chosen is called a “keno spot” and the amount of numbers the player chooses is the amount of keno spots the player will have. For example if the player chooses 5 keno numbers then the player will have 5 keno spots.

Twenty numbers will be randomly chosen during the keno game either, by balls drawing random numbered balls (much like bingo) or randomly generated numbers from a computer. Live keno will see balls drawn from a keno booth while an online version or video version will have a random generator chose the numbers.

Players will then check and see if their keno spots match the numbers that were selected. If the numbers match then the player may have a win. Since the maximum number of keno spots you can choose varies between 10 and 20, how many spots you need to hit in order to receive a payout can vary as well. Hitting just a few numbers does not always guarantee a win. Choosing 5 numbers, for example, requires at least 3 of those numbers to hit in order to collect. The more numbers that hit, the more you win.

Online Keno
Learn and play keno online at Bodog.

Winning at Keno
Since keno is a game of chance players cannot be guaranteed a win. Online casinos and land gaming facilities offer different payouts so what the player will win will vary on where they play the game of keno. Players can choose to bet a small amount per game or they can bet more if it is available. Of course if you bet the maximum and win then you will earn a larger payout. Sometimes a casino will offer a $1 wager on keno and if the maximum numbers are picked players can win as much as $50,000.

Keno is not a game of strategy. All numbers are chosen at random, so there is now way to pick certain numbers, or a specific amount of numbers, that will increase or decrease your odds of winning at Keno. Many players will choose to use numbers that have meaning to them, such as family member’s birthday or special event dates, but the chances of winning the game of keno will always depend on where you play.

Some casinos offer Keno payouts that reduce the house edge to as low as 4%, which is low for keno, but still a bit high compared to other casino games, like Blackjack, where a strategy can reduce the house edge to below 1%. Worst case scenario, you could play keno with a house edge of 66%! That’s insane, but such keno games do exist. The best advice you can take when learning how to play keno is to read the pay-table!

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