Pet & Animal: How to Play Keno

If you want to gamble without risking too much, keno is the right game for you. It's easy to learn and play, with no strategy or reasoning involved. It's available at many restaurants, bars and casinos and now even online. If your number is selected, you win -- simple as that! With elements of bingo, poker, and roulette, this game can be quite contagious.

Steps

Mastering the Basics

Acquire a keno card. These are generally found at keno lounges in casinos. The numbers on the card (1 through 80) match the numbers on balls in the aerated keno machine.
- Certain places or lotteries have different versions of their cards. Some have special bonus or jackpot cards, in addition to their regular cards. Ask if more than one type is available.

Select numbers and mark them on your keno card or select them with a keno worker. Each number you select is called a keno spot and the keno card is arranged with 8 rows and 10 columns of numbers. The card will specify how many numbers you're allowed to choose.
- Some cards will allow you to choose anywhere from 1 to 10 numbers, while others will say anything up to 20 is okay. The more numbers you bet, the same the ticket costs, so you might as well bet more!
- Some will have a "quick pick" section where you can have the computer do it for you. The odds of winning remain the same.

Determine the amount of money you want to put down on your selected numbers and how many keno games you want to play. Indicate your choices on your keno card. If you bet $1 on your selected numbers and want to play 7 games, that's $7. Obviously, the more money you bet, the more money you can win.
- You can wager as little as $1 on a single bet and usually up to $20, but it all depends on where you're playing.
- Players can wager on groups of numbers within the same game using a way bet. This tends to get complicated because you have to pick combinations from groups of numbers, making it difficult to keep track of your picks. We'll cover that in the next section.

Give your keno card to a keno worker who will get your wager into the next game. An electronic ticket copy of your card will be issued back to you so you can follow along with the games as they are announced. Be sure that everything is correct before you hand it over!

Watch the keno machine randomly selects 20 balls (or watch the screen). Most modern keno machines use computer software to generate winning numbers. The numbers are then displayed electronically on keno boards throughout the establishment. If you're playing a handful of games, you can wander around and not miss a thing.
- The number of the game you're playing will appear somewhere on your ticket and on the screen (usually in the bottom corner). Make sure they match up!
- See if the numbers you selected on your ticket match the numbers the keno machine pulled. If you have a match, you win. How much you win will depend on how many numbers you matched and how much you wagered.
- The payout depends on the number of keno tickets in each game. In some instances a single dollar can net a payoff of tens of thousands. Ask a keno worker for an explanation if you're unsure. Some keno parlors also utilize a special payoff for selecting a bonus number.
  - Every house is different; there is no average. But payouts tend to range from below 70% to around 80%.^[1] For the record, that's not good. You want it to be as close to 100% as possible.

Call over the keno worker to declare your winnings. You'll have to submit your electronic keno card for verification. It'll be pretty clear that you've won if your numbers are on the screen! This is also when you throw up your arms and start shouting -- that gets them to come to you right away.
- And then play the next game! It's probably about 4 minutes later. That's the best part about keno -- it's constantly going non-stop.

Mixing It Up

Use a "way" ticket. This is where it starts to get a little complicated. It's where combinations enter the mix. Here's an example:
- You choose six numbers.
- You circle them in two groups of three.
- On the side of the ticket, you mark "2/3" and "1/6".
  - This means you want to bet $3. $1 is on one group of three, $1 is on the second group of three, and $1 is on all six. Think of it like horse racing. Hitting the winner is good; hitting win, place, and show is better.

Bet combinations. The numbers can overlap in combinations, too. Let's say you have a group of 2, a group of 3 and a group of 4. Well, that's three groups right there. But then you can also have a group of 5 (3 and 2), a group of six (2 and 4), a group of 7 (3 and 4), and a group of 9 (all the numbers). At $1, what would this cost? $7. Keepin' it spicy!
- Remember to write on the side of your ticket what you want! Otherwise your keno writer might get a little confused.

Play a "king" ticket. When a number is circled all by its lonesome, it is "king." It can then get inserted into combinations. Let's take that first example of 2/3 and 1/6 -- add the king on top to all combinations at it's 2/4 and 2/7. The king joined each group of three and is added to the total, equaling 7 numbers in final.

Learning the Variations

Bet on the bonus. Many state lotteries or casinos have some type of bonus in all keno games. Sometimes it's called a bull's eye, sometimes a booster, sometimes just a bonus. But you'll know it when you see it. It's another number and if it comes up, you win big. It does cost a bit more to bet on, of course; this can be anywhere from $1 to double your wager.
- The bonus varies, too. It can be anywhere from double the winnings to 20x the normal rate. Ask the keno work at your station how it works.

Play video keno. Some online keno games allow you to single bet up to 40 numbers. But you can also play it on screens at casinos and various other locations now. The payout tends to be a bit better, but you also play faster, so it sort of evens out.^[2] But with video keno, you play at your own pace.
- You select your numbers just by touching the screen -- it's super easy. And sometimes there are even keno video games at the nickel level. Make sure you know what your minimum bet is before you get started.

Keep the progressive jackpot in mind. If there is one, of course. Many casinos offer a progressive jackpot -- if no one hits it big, it keeps growing and growing. It can even get high enough to where the payout is over 100%! But since everything is so random, it's hard to predict anything. However, if you see one, it can be a lot of fun to play!

Try packaged keno. This is the same thing as "buying in bulk." The more games you buy, the cheaper they are. Some areas offer "packaged" keno, where you can buy, say, 60 games at a quarter a piece. The games you play can then be whenever you want, so long as you give your ticket to a keno retailer beforehand. Otherwise it'd be too good to be true!

Video

Tips

Many people will try to strategize and figure out a way to beat the system and win it all. However, in keno, your odds will always remain the same regardless of the number of games you play and the numbers you select.