KENO – Playing Guide and Rules to Playing Keno
Keno Strategy Guide and Game Rules – How to Play Keno Online or at Land Casinos: Keno is a game of chance with ancient origins. It is said to have originated in China as a form of lottery and to have helped finance the building of the Great Wall of China, but this can’t be documented. It certainly is an old game and has stood the test of time.
Though it may vary from casino to casino the basic game consist of 80 balls numbered 1-80 of which 20 are drawn. The Player places a wager before the drawing and chooses anywhere from one to fifteen numbers betting that some or all of them will match to some of the 20 drawn. The amount you may win varies depending on the House Rules, the number of picks made, and the percentage of correctly chosen numbers. It can vary from ½ of your wager being returned to a lottery sized, life changing win for picking all 15 correctly.
Many misunderstandings surround this game, one being the common perception that the odds are terrible and only fools should venture near the “bubble“. Though it’s true there are some fool hardy picks, there are also some very sound choices that can bring the expected Return to Player (RTP) up to over 94%. That number is better than most slots and far better than the worst bets on Craps or Roulette.
As House Rules vary significantly from casino to casino, to make informed wagers on a Keno game the savvy player must make use of a Keno calculator. (readily available online) It would be cumbersome and confusing to try to list the best possible picks for each casino’s game here as the data would cover several pages and trying to decipher it might take most of the fun out of the game for you.
We can tell you that picking 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, or 15 numbers on a Microgaming or Rival Keno game will give an RTP of over 94% and that 7 or 10 numbers will give you more wins on average than picking 14 or 15. We can also tell you that although the RTP is lower, and some casinos cap the maximum winnings at Real Time Gaming casinos, the volatility is much higher there and a perfect pick will win a lot more than it would elsewhere. Real Time Gaming is also notable in that you may wager as little as .01 currency unit per game where as on the other software mentioned the minimum bet is 1
Like any other game of chance where the player has no control over the outcome, one game is exactly the same as the next if the same numbers are chosen. Like the Lottery, many people like to choose the same numbers game after game assuming that their odds are better the longer they play. Though it can be fun to do, it is simply not true. 60 of the 80 numbers will not be drawn on any given play and the balls have no memory of the last event, also the current event has no bearing on a future event. The outcome is random each time.
Keno is easy and fun and can pay better than any other game in the casino on a single play. So if you are looking for that life changing win to bring down the house, want to dally along for a few minutes or hours at low bets, or simply want a refreshing change of pace when the rest of the casino seems to be stingy with wins, we suggest you give this time honored game of chance a try. You might be very glad you did!