Keno has one of the most complicated processes for computing odds and probabilities. The payout odds in keno are capped, and one of the only ways to increase the payout is to increase the wager. Because the game offers so many options, the probabilities change from pick level to pick level, and from game variation to game variation. Keno is a fun, fast-paced draw game. Drawings are every 4 minutes., and you could win up to $1 million.! Here’s a quick and easy look at how Keno works. The Lottery draws 20 winning numbers every 4 minutes., and the goal is to match your numbers to the ones that are drawn by the Lottery. KENO-To-Go is a great opportunity for you to play up to 30 consecutive KENO games. All the rules and regulations are the same as the original KENO. You can leave the premises and check your ticket on-line. KENO BONUS gives you a chance to increase your KENO winnings by 3, 4, 5 or 10 times. The overall odds of having a multiplier number (3, 4, 5.
12
Keno Ticket
12 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:15.73 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
12 | 1:478,261,833.14 | $1,000,000* |
11 | 1:5,978,272.91 | $25,000 |
10 | 1:184,230.29 | $2,500 |
9 | 1:10,482.07 | $1,000 |
8 | 1:980.78 | $150 |
7 | 1:142.30 | $25 |
6 | 1:31.05 | $5 |
0 | 1:43.05 | $4 |
11
11 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:7.63 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
11 | 1:62,381,978.24 | $500,000** |
10 | 1:945,181.49 | $15,000 |
9 | 1:35,244.06 | $1,500 |
8 | 1:2,430.62 | $250 |
7 | 1:277.18 | $50 |
6 | 1:49.50 | $10 |
5 | 1:13.50 | $1 |
0 | 1:30.57 | $2 |
10
10 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:9.05 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
10 | 1:8,911,711.18 | $100,000*** |
9 | 1:163,381.37 | $10,000 |
8 | 1:7,384.47 | $500 |
7 | 1:620.68 | $80 |
6 | 1:87.11 | $20 |
5 | 1:19.44 | $2 |
0 | 1:21.84 | $2 |
9
9 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:6.53 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
9 | 1:1,380,687.65 | $40,000 |
8 | 1:30,681.95 | $4,000 |
7 | 1:1,690.11 | $200 |
6 | 1:174.84 | $25 |
5 | 1:30.67 | $5 |
4 | 1:8.76 | $1 |
8
8 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:9.77 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
8 | 1:230,114.61 | $15,000 |
7 | 1:6,232.27 | $1,000 |
6 | 1:422.53 | $50 |
5 | 1:54.64 | $10 |
4 | 1:12.27 | $2 |
7
7 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:4.23 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
7 | 1:40,979.31 | $5,000 |
6 | 1:1,365.98 | $100 |
5 | 1:115.76 | $20 |
4 | 1:19.16 | $3 |
3 | 1:5.71 | $1 |
6
6 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:6.19 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
6 | 1:7,752.84 | $1,600 |
5 | 1:323.04 | $50 |
4 | 1:35.04 | $7 |
3 | 1:7.70 | $1 |
5
5 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:10.34 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
5 | 1:1,550.57 | $450 |
4 | 1:82.70 | $20 |
3 | 1:11.91 | $2 |
4
4 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:3.86 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
4 | 1:326.44 | $100 |
3 | 1:23.12 | $4 |
2 | 1:4.70 | $1 |
3
3 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:6.55 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
3 | 1:72.07 | $25 |
2 | 1:7.21 | $2.50 |
2
2 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:2.27 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
2 | 1:16.63 | $5 |
1 | 1:2.63 | $1 |
1
1 Spot Game | ||
---|---|---|
Probability of winning a prize in this game = 1:4.00 | ||
Match | Odds | Win |
1 | 1:4.00 | $2.50 |
How to Play
- Choose how many numbers (spots) you want to play by marking in the appropriate box.
- Select the amount of money you want to wager per game ($1, $2, $5, $10 or $20) by marking in one of the Amount Bet boxes.
- You can play up to 30 consecutive games by marking the appropriate box under Number of Games Played.
- Pick the numbers you wish to play from a field of 80 by marking in each of the boxes, keeping in mind the number of spots chosen above. IMPORTANT: KEEP MARKS INSIDE BOXES. Use only PENCIL OR BLUE BALL-POINT PEN to mark the betting slip. You may also let the Lottery computer choose your numbers by marking in the Quic Pic (QP) box.
- Mark the “Y” box if you wish to play KENO BONUS. If you play KENO BONUS the total wager amount will double.****
- Give the completed betting slip to an ON-LINE Lottery Sales Agent.
- The Sales Agent will give you a separate ticket as your receipt. IMPORTANT: CHECK YOUR TICKET! BE SURE THAT IT REPRESENTS THE NUMBERS AND DRAWING(S) THAT YOU WANTED TO PLAY AS IT IS YOUR ONLY PROOF OF PLAYING THESE NUMBERS.
- The Lottery suggests for your own protection that you sign the back of your ticket to identify ownership.
KENO BONUS
KENO BONUS gives you a chance to increase your KENO winnings by 3, 4, 5 or 10 times. To play KENO BONUS, mark the “Y” box on your bet slip. The cost of your wager will double. If you purchase the additional BONUS play for a drawing and win, you may multiply your winnings if a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) is drawn. The overall odds of having a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) are 1:2.3.
Multiplier | Odds | Example Winning Amount if KENO BONUS | |
---|---|---|---|
Not Played | Played | ||
No Bonus | 1:1.75 | $5 | $5 |
3x | 1:3 | $5 | $15 |
4x | 1:15 | $5 | $20 |
5x | 1:40 | $5 | $25 |
10x | 1:234 | $5 | $50 |
KENO BONUS is not available for the 10-spot, 11-spot, or 12-spot KENO games. A KENO BONUS wager is only valid when played in conjunction with a valid KENO wager.
Rules
- Bets are not effective until accepted by the Lottery’s on-line computer processing system prior to the drawing of the winning number and in accordance with Lottery rules. Bettors acknowledge that on-line Lottery sales agents are acting on behalf of the bettors in entering bets into the Lottery’s on-line KENO computer processing system.
- Present your completed bet slip to your Lottery Sales agent for processing. You will receive a ticket. CHECK YOUR TICKET IMMEDIATELY TO VERIFY THAT THE SELECTIONS ON YOUR TICKET MATCH THE SELECTIONS REQUESTED ON THE BET SLIP.
- Present winning ticket to any on-line KENO sales agent for payment of prizes up to and including $600. Claims for more than $600 will be paid by the Lottery Commission after claim form is filed. Under unusual conditions, fixed prizes may be reduced according to the rules and regulations. All cash prizes must be claimed within one (1) year following the draw date.
- Your ticket is a bearer instrument. Unless signed by owner, prize may be claimed by anyone in possession of winning ticket. SIGN YOUR TICKET IMMEDIATELY. Bettors agree to abide by Lottery Commission rules and regulations. Applicable rules are available for inspection by bettors by contacting the Lottery Commission at. 150 Mount Vernon St. Dorchester MA 02125
- *
- Maximum overall prize payout for matching 12 out of 12 is $2,000,000 for any single game. If there are more than two ($2) dollars bet on the winning numbers, the payoff for each one ($1) dollar bet equals two million ($2,000,000) dollars divided by the number of dollars wagered.
- **
- Maximum overall prize payout for matching 11 out of 11 is $2,000,000 for any single game. If there are more than four ($4) dollars bet on the winning numbers, the payoff for each one ($1) dollar bet equals two million ($2,000,000) dollars divided by the number of dollars wagered.
- ***
- Maximum overall prize payout for matching 10 out of 10 is $2,000,000 for any single game. If there are more than twenty ($20) dollars bet on the winning numbers, the payoff for each one ($1) dollar bet equals two million ($2,000,000) dollars divided by number of dollars wagered.
- ****
- KENO BONUS gives you a chance to increase your KENO winnings by 3, 4, 5 or 10 times. To play KENO BONUS, mark the “Y” box on your bet slip. The cost of your wager will double. If you purchase the additional BONUS play for a drawing and win, you may multiply your winnings if a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) is drawn. The overall odds of having a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) are 1:2.3. KENO BONUS is not available for the 10-spot, 11-spot, or 12-spot KENO games. A KENO BONUS wager is only valid when played in conjunction with a valid KENO wager.
Some experts like to say that there is no keno strategy, this is not true. There is always a way to get an edge in any game no matter how small. It may not generally be considered the sexiest game in the world of gambling, but keno has millions of devoted enthusiasts. And why not? It’s a consistently thrilling lottery-style game that’s easy to learn, readily available in a number of different formats, and one that can yield mega-dollars for those who master its many subtle intricacies. But let’s deal with the basics here.
When describing keno to beginners, some gambling experts compare it to bingo. This is at least partially apt, in that both are essentially numerical. Yet to take that comparison too far would be to underestimate the many unique traits that make keno so compelling. Unlike bingo, keno players have the freedom to choose the numbers for each card.
How to Play keno
- You decide how much you wish to bet on a particular round, and how many numbers you wish to choose. You can choose between 1 and 20 numbers, the payouts vary depending on how many numbers you pick and how many of them get drawn.
- You now get to pick your numbers as you would if you were playing a Lottery. As with most Lotteries, many sites will give you an option to get the numbers picked for you at random. The numbers in Keno go from 1 to 80.
- The game now starts and 20 of the 80 numbers are chosen at random.
- If one of your numbers is picked, this is known as a ‘Catch’. You get paid depending on the number of Catches you get during the game.
Example
In the example free play game above, you start with $1,000 free credits. You can change the value of each game, this can be from $0.01 to $10.00. Click on Quick Pick and 10 numbers will be randomly chosen. You can change these if you wish, remove some or add more. Note that each time you add or remove a number, the paytable changes, both in terms of the minimum number of ‘catches’ you need to receive a payout and the level of each payout.
Once you are happy, click either Play 1 to play 1 game with those numbers, Play 5 to play 5 consecutive games with those numbers, or Play 10 to play 10 games with them. Remember that each game will cost you the same amount, so if you choose $1 per game and then Play 5, you will pay $5 – 5 games X $1 per game.
You will then see 20 numbers of the 80 get drawn at random, these will be marked off on the main game area with a red cross, and that you have will be marked off with a yellow square and will show on the right-hand side.
After each game, all winnings will get paid automatically into your balance and once all games have been played, you can start again.
Keno Payouts
The payouts for Keno differ from casino to casino, so ensure you look around to get the best payout if Keno is your game of choice.
A standard payout structure is shown below (all amounts are payouts to 1):
Catch | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2 | N/A | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3 | N/A | N/A | 48 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
5 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 838 | 75 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 5 |
6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1,660 | 422 | 100 | 44 | 24 |
7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7,000 | 1,670 | 362 | 146 |
8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 10,000 | 4,700 | 1,000 |
9 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 10,000 | 4,500 |
10 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 10,000 |
Keno Odds
When playing a 20 spot game, so you choose 20 of the 80 numbers available, the odds are as follows:
The odds of picking 0 correct numbers is around 1 in 843
The odds of picking 1 correct number out of 20 is around 1 in 86
The odds of picking 2 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 20
The odds of picking 3 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 8
The odds of picking 4 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 4.8
The odds of picking 5 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 4.2
The odds of picking 6 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 5.2
The odds of picking 7 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 8.8
The odds of picking 8 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 20
Check My Keno Tickets
The odds of picking 9 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 61
The odds of picking 10 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 253
The odds of picking 11 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,423
The odds of picking 12 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 10,968
The odds of picking 13 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 118,084
The odds of picking 14 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,821,881
The odds of picking 15 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 41,751,453
The odds of picking 16 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,496,372,110
The odds of picking 17 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 90,624,035,964
The odds of picking 18 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 10,512,388,171,906
The odds of picking 19 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 2,946,096,785,176,811
The odds of picking 20 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,173,800
The odds of getting all 20 numbers are a virtually impossible one in over 3.5 quintillions! As you can win by selecting significantly fewer numbers though, there are good returns to be had if your luck is in. As a result, when playing Keno, it is important to research the paytable to ensure you are getting the best possible returns for guessing between 2 and 8 numbers correctly as these are the payouts that you are most likely to win.
Keno Strategy
There is no magical Keno strategy that will guarantee you a win but there are many tips you will learn here to give you the best possible odds.
Although you can win higher amounts if you pick more numbers, the odds of winning reduce as you need more Catches in order to win.
As the numbers are chosen using a Random Number Generator, each of the 80 numbers has just as much chance as the others of being drawn, there will always be some Players who have numbers that they consider to be lucky though.
Generally speaking, the odds in Keno are about the same as those in Slots. There are better games with a higher chance of winning than Keno.
Keno cards have a total of 80 numbers, but the player is granted an additional level of personal responsibility by being able to choose as many (or as few) numbers as he or she desires. And it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out how to fill out a card: all you do is a circle or otherwise mark each of your chosen numbers with a good old #2 pencil as you used back in school (assuming you were born before the computer age). If this is the case, fear not. Keno does not discriminate against anyone’s age.
Once you’ve selected your numbers, carry the card back to the clerk at the keno booth. The clerk will record those numbers and then hand you a receipt. Don’t lose this (potentially) valuable piece of paper! Even if the clerk remembers your face and would like to help out, without a winning receipt in hand you will collect precisely $.00 for your efforts.
OK, so there you have tip #1: always be sure to keep your keno receipt. Let’s move on to something a bit more complex, shall we?
Once you’ve picked your numbers, settle into a comfy keno booth and watch the action unfold on big a video monitor. That’s where the winning numbers show up in lights. If you’ve got winners, mark your card accordingly. Be sure not to dally, or sit there congratulating yourself for an obnoxious length of time. You need to get back to the keno booth to redeem your winnings, as a new drawing will probably start within five minutes.
Tip #2: always get back to the booth on time!
Assuming you don’t trust yourself to beat that five-minute margin every time, you always retain the option of purchasing a “multi-race” ticket. These include the same set of your chosen numbers anywhere from 2 to 20 tickets. When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, you can then get off your butt and go redeem your winnings.
Keno Ticket Template
Yet an additional option is known as a “stray and play” ticket, which usually lets you make number choices for 30 games or more. Heck, you can take an ocean cruise and not have to worry about getting back to port in time to redeem your numbers. Most “stray and play” tickets are good for up to a whole year after purchase!
So now you know a few essential strategies for winning keno. If you are an experienced player, they may seem stupidly obvious. But it never hurts to brush up on the fundamentals, and if you are a new player, every bit of information will help make your keno experience more enjoyable.
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