Keno

Keno is a popular lottery-style game in land-based casinos and bars across the US. Gameplay is as simple as choosing your lucky numbers, placing a bet, and crossing your fingers during the draw. Match enough of your picks, and you get a prize.

This Keno guide explains the rules, how to play, and some basic strategies to help you win big. We’ll also show you the best online casinos with Keno for USA players and a few of our favorite game variants.

What is Keno?

Keno is a popular game of chance that falls under the banner of a lottery-style game due to how white balls with numbers on them are selected at random. The game is attractive to many players due to the ability to win a massive amount from just a little bet.

Keno started in China more than 2000 years ago. The original name baige piao, meaning “white pigeon ticket,” is also the predecessor to bingo and modern-day lottery drawings.

Before the game made its way to the US around 1840, tickets used the first 80 characters of a Chinese poem instead of numbers.

Today, Keno games are offered by casinos, restaurants, bars, and some state lotteries. You select a handful of numbers from 1-80, turn in the ticket with your wager, and wait for the next drawing to see if you match and win. Payouts depend on how many you select versus how many you hit and the house paytable.

Keno is very attractive to casino operators because it is now mostly completely automatic. You won’t find many casinos with actual ball drawings. It’s generally all done by computer these days. This means very little overhead for the casino operator and the ability for them to run games in a much quicker fashion.

Keno Rules

Keno is simple to play, and there are only a few rules to learn before you start. The game’s objective is to choose numbers, called spots, that you think will get drawn. The more of them you match during the corresponding drawing, the more money you win! Yes, it’s that simple.

Choosing only a few spots means you can hit one or two for a payout, but the max prize you can get is smaller. When you select several numbers, you have to land more of them to win, but you can get a larger sum of money as you match more balls.

When are Keno Drawings?

Land-based casinos and bars schedule Keno drawings in even intervals throughout the day. There are usually 10-15 opportunities to play every hour. Online, you can reuse your numbers quickly and start a new round with the click of a button.

Common Keno Rule Variations

In standard live keno, you pick up to 15 numbers between 1 and 80. However, at real money online casinos and certain establishments, you may see any one of several slight changes to the game. Let’s look at a few of the common rule variations you might see.

Video Keno

Video Keno terminals and online games let you pick your numbers on a screen. Then once you’re ready, the software draws all the balls instantly.

Bonus Balls

Some games have a bonus ball or special number. If you hit that, you’ll get an additional payout or multiplier depending on the house rules.

40 Ball Keno

Sometimes called instant keno, 40-ball games are quicker since they use fewer balls. You choose up to 10 numbers from 1-40, and they pull 10 balls.

Keno Gambling

When betting in keno, you’ll be able to choose how many numbers you’d like to select in a draw and how much you wish to bet. The betting denominations change from game to game and are generally lower in video and online casino keno.

In traditional keno, you’ll have to bet a more significant amount and wait for an allotted amount of time between draws to allow all players to collect winnings from a previous draw.

Generally, players will choose between 4 and 10 numbers and be paid out according to the initial amount they bet and the percentage of the numbers they hit. It does get quite complex when it comes to betting and determining what the actual odds & payouts will be. This information is easily available in the game’s pay table in video and online keno. In traditional keno, you can find an overview of this in the casino keno pay book.

Remember that making different bet options won’t change the house edge in keno and certainly won’t increase your likelihood of winning. The statistics and mathematics of the game stay the same irrespective of what bet options the player makes. It can add an extra level of excitement to your game, though!

How to Play Keno

If you’re seeking one of the simplest games to play in a casino, you can’t go past keno. It’s very easy to play, and once you’ve received your draw ticket, you can sit back and relax while the action unfolds on a screen in front of you.

Next, we’ll look at how to play keno from start to finish. There’s not much to it, so you’ll know your way around the game in just a few quick steps.

Playing Online Keno

If you’re playing online or on a video keno terminal, the game is much simpler and runs on demand. Here we will show you how to play at an online casino:

1. Sign Up and Go to the Cashier

   Select your favorite online casino and sign up to create an account. If playing for real money, you’ll, of course, first need to add credits to your casino bankroll by selecting one of the available deposit methods at the gambling site.

2. Pick Your Keno Game

   Go to the Specialties or Casual Games section. This is where you’ll usually find the available keno games at your favorite online casino.

3. Review Payouts and Bets

   Keno games will display payout and wager information on the game’s pay table. This will give you details on how much you can win compared to how much you wager and also information on winnings in relation to how many numbers you select for each draw.

4. Pick Your Numbers and Bets

   To play a draw, you simply pick numbers off a keno board and select a wager amount. You can also get your numbers via a quick pick which will automatically choose a certain group of numbers at random for you to use in the next draw. This can be done both in real live casinos and online. When you use the quick pick feature, you simply click on the number of balls or numbers you want to use and choose a bet amount.

5. Draw and Wait for the Results

   You then draw immediately, and the machine will select winning numbers randomly and automatically award you a win if you’re successful.

Playing Keno at Live Casinos

When you’re playing in a live casino, you’ll find keno games on video poker multi-game machines or standalone video keno machines, and also, the main keno game that will be running on TV screens around the casino.

In the old days, casinos had employees, called runners, who collected keno cards and returned with your ticket. This is mostly a thing of the past because people do not play with live keno tickets as much as before. And many players who do enjoy the game are playing on video terminals instead of using the live draws.

Here’s how you can play keno using live draws.

1. Find a Keno Card

   The first thing you need to do is find the tickets. Casinos usually have them in designated Keno lounges. Bars and restaurants keep them in a small caddy on the bar. Online games and video terminals use virtual cards with numbers you click to choose.

2. Fill Out Your Ticket

   Decide how many spots you want to play and choose your lucky numbers.

3. Define Your Bets

   If you plan to make way bets or multiple combinations, make sure to group, circle, and notate your tickets correctly. You can always ask for assistance. Each set of numbers you play requires a wager.

4. Turn in Your Ticket

   Hand your filled-out ticket to an employee. They will give your original slip back with a printed receipt that shows the drawing ID, bet ways, and number combinations. Hold on to the card you filled out if you plan to play the same thing in another draw.

5. Watch the Draw & Win

   Screens placed throughout the establishment will display the drawn numbers. Sit back and watch as 20 numbers come up one after another. After you match some numbers, take your receipt back to an official and collect your prize. Online games automatically put your winnings into your bankroll.

As you can see, the game is straightforward to play, and it only gets slightly more complex when you play with different bet types and combination tickets.

Keno Strategy

The best Keno strategy is to play the number of spots with the best odds of winning. It’s a game of chance, so there’s no skill you can apply to lower the house edge.

Some people believe they will have better odds of winning if they apply strategies like picking cold numbers, the bottom 40, or spots they think will show up more frequently. The truth is you can’t really follow a pattern in keno. Each draw is unique and resets the probability of any single ball coming up.

How to Win More Keno Games

Play Online Keno for Free

Play keno for free before playing for real money. This online Keno game is available at Las Atlantis. Depending on how many spots you select, the paytable and minimum matches you need to win change. 

Apply what you learned above and test different methods here before you wager real money.

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Are there Any Reliable Keno Strategies to Win?

As mentioned before, you won’t be able to implement any method or strategy in keno to result in a lower house edge or player advantage. It just isn’t possible. Due to the random nature of the game and the set payouts, you simply can’t do anything to make a win more likely.

This randomness, in correlation to the payouts for hitting a certain amount of numbers, is set up in a way so that the casino always holds a large edge over the player. That being said, you can implement some strategies just for fun and to make keno more enjoyable. Most games will have a list of hot and cold numbers. This list shows you which numbers are coming up frequently and numbers that haven’t come up much at all.

You could use this list to determine which numbers to pick in the next draw. Just keep in mind that every draw is independent and random, and the numbers that have or haven’t come up in previous draws have absolutely no statistical impact on what will come up in the next draw. Although, as mentioned, this can make the game more fun and many people implement number selection strategies in line with hot and cold numbers to keep things exciting.

Keno Online

Gamblers in the US have great options for playing keno online. Unlike land-based games, there’s no need to fill out a paper ticket with a pencil or wait for the next drawing.

You can wager real money, pick your lucky numbers, and enjoy instant video Keno games from your home.

Best Online Casinos with Keno

OUSC’s experts go to great lengths to find excellent online casinos for US players. Below are some of the top options we have reviewed specifically for keno.

RANK	ONLINE CASINO	KENO GAMES	BONUS	START
1	Wild Casino	KENO GAMES 3	BONUS 100% up to $5,000	Play Now
2	DuckyLuck	KENO GAMES 2	BONUS 500% up to $7,500	Play Now
3	Las Atlantis	KENO GAMES 1	BONUS 280% up to $14,000	Play Now
4	BetUS	KENO GAMES 4	BONUS 150% up to $3,000	Play Now
5	SportsandCasino	KENO GAMES 2	BONUS Up To $1,500	Play Now

Tips for Playing Online Casino Keno

Watch this video to get an inside look at online keno. You’ll quickly see some of the perks online gamblers get over land-based players.

Keno Games

Though the base rules don’t waver much, Keno games come in various formats. There’s the traditional version, power Keno, bonus features, speed options, and more. When you take online gambling into account, you have no shortage of exciting possibilities.

Popular Online Keno Games

Below we listed some of our reader’s favorite real money keno games at online casinos. You can win real money, play multiple tickets simultaneously, and enjoy simple gameplay with excellent animations and sound effects.

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Keno Variations

You’ll find different Keno game variations depending on the casino. Here are some other keno games that you might encounter online and how they differ from the original Keno version.

• Klub Keno

  Klub Keno is an online keno variation created by Betsoft Gaming. Fans of the traditional game are sure to enjoy Klub Keno. With its simple gameplay, bright graphics, and classic elements found in regular keno. The game’s object is to bet on a set of numbers and wait for the balls to be drawn. If you earn a match, you win.

• Keno Stud

  In this keno variation, the top prize will continue to increase until it’s awarded to a player. It’s also known as a progressive jackpot prize.

• Keno Vegas

  Online Vegas Keno is very similar to the version you can play in bars or brick-and-mortar Casinos. One significant difference is that you only select a maximum of 15 numbers. If you don’t want to pick numbers, the “lucky dip” feature online chooses them randomly. You can try this Keno variation at BetOnline casino.

Keno Glossary

To play live keno or even online keno, a player must know all of the keno terms or slang used when gambling.

Below you will find a complete list of keno terms and a description of each. As you learn and apply each of these keno terms, you will understand the game much better.

• Ball Game

  In keno, small white balls labeled from 1 to 80 are used to determine winning numbers in a draw. A ball game is simply referring to this type of keno, which is by far the most popular form of the game in casinos today.

• Draw

  A round in keno is referred to as a draw. In this draw, 20 numbers are selected randomly, generally by a computer. A draw can also refer to each individual ball that is selected or drawn from the traditional machine or by the computer.

• Draw Sheet

  A record of winning numbers from previous draws. They can be presented in paper form or via keno display monitors.

• Field

  Numbers that players mark and don’t circle on a keno ticket. The field can also refer to all the numbers on a keno board, this being from 1 to 80.

• Handle

  All the money that is wagered in a particular round of keno is the handle.

• Net Win

  The amount a player wins less the initial wager they made.

• Pattern

  When a player marks a ticket, it may form a particular pattern. Some players do this for superstitious purposes.

• Quick Pick

  A random selection of numbers is made automatically by the computer for the player’s ticket.

• Race

  A slang term for a single keno draw.

• Random Number Generator

  RNG (Random Number Generator) or RNGA computer program that’s used to determine which numbers are drawn in a computer-operated keno game and video keno. The RNG program uses a complex mathematical formula to ensure completely random results that are independent of previous draws. Contrary to popular belief, these are not rigged in any way and operate completely independently of what action the player has taken concerning choosing their numbers.

• Video Keno

  A type of keno game played individually at a computer terminal. Draws take place on demand, and the player selects their numbers and makes their wagers via a touch screen. Video keno will often have much lower bet limits and also offer better value for wins.

You’re Ready to Play Keno Online

This page gave you the basic rules and a little strategy for picking your Keno numbers. Next time you see the screens with the drawings at the bar or casino, go fill out a ticket and give it a shot.

Online casinos will mostly offer video keno and will usually offer better conditions for the player when compared to video keno in a live casino. The payouts may be better, and the house edge is lower as a result. Playing keno at an online casino is probably the best bet statistically for the player.

If you want to play right now, sign in at one of the Keno casinos above and head to the table games or specialty section. Start with low-limit wagers to get the hang of the software and enjoy more rounds!

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FAQ About Keno

Here are some of the most popular questions about playing keno online.