How to play Keno

Keno is a straightforward game, especially if you’ve played the lottery in the past. In keno, the player chooses numbers, also known as spots, that they think will get picked in the next drawing.

1. Choose an online keno game. Since you’re playing keno online, your best bet is to find a free keno game to learn the ropes of the game without any risk. Once you get enough practice, you can head to one of the casinos above and play keno for real money.
2. Pick your keno spots. During the online keno draw, 20 numbers get picked in a range from 1 to 80. Usually, players make between 1-10 picks. Remember, the greater the percentage of numbers you hit, the higher your payout rate is.
3. Know the keno odds before placing the bet. Understanding how betting odds in keno affect your chances of winning is vital to your gambling experience. For instance, choosing only one spot and getting drawn means winning at 3-1 odds. Note that payouts in keno don’t include the return of your initial bet. So, if you buy a $1 ticket, you’ll receive $3 for a $2 profit.
4. Place your bet. Once you decide how much you want to bet, click on the ‘Bet’ button on the game screen. You can also adjust your bet by clicking on the arrows next to the bet amount.
5. Decide how many games you want to play. When playing online keno, players need to specify how many games they want to play before hitting the “Play” button. For instance, let’s say you’re betting $1 on your spots, and you’re playing a total of five games. This means that you’ll need to pay $5.
6. Play! Once you choose your numbers, all you need to do is hit the “Play” button and wait for the results. The system will draw the maximum number of spots and check each one off with a checkmark. Then, you get paid depending on how many hits you’ve got.

Different Game Variations of Keno Online

While the basics of online keno are pretty much the same, there are some variants that players should know about. After all, the beauty of iGaming is in all the innovations and cool features that providers come up with. Power Keno, Super Keno, and Progressive Keno are some of the variations of this game of chance. Below, let’s learn more about each of them.

Power Keno

Power Keno is very similar to the game’s standard version and comes with the same general rules. In this keno variant, however, players are required to choose between 2 and 10 numbers for their ticked. Then, 20 numbers get drawn while the players check to see if they match their ticket. Like most keno online variants, the more hits you have in your ticket, the larger your payout will be. What makes Power Keno stand out, however, is the quadrupling feature. More specifically, the first and the twentieth number you catch will multiply your payout by four.

Super Keno

Some variants of Super Keno online, like the one from Pariplay, for example, look like a video poker machine. Usually, what makes this variant of the game, so ‘super’ is the 200,000-coin jackpot. Generally, the rules are traditional except for one thing. If the first drawn ball is a hit, all wins that session are usually multiplied 4x. This is similar to the concept of Power Keno and also Fire Power Keno. Thanks to this single rule, Super Keno has the potential to be very rewarding toward the luckiest players.

Bonus Keno

Bonus Keno is yet another variant of the game that comes with simple rules and a fun twist. When playing Bonus Keno, players get the chance to win double the typical payouts. This happens only if your hits hide a bonus symbol on them. Each bonus symbol hides one letter of the word ‘bonus’, so it may be an S or an N, for example. When you collect all necessary letters to form the word BONUS, a bonus round is triggered. The bonus round is one free game where the prizes are doubled. Some Bonus Keno games include a progressive jackpot, as well.

Single Card Keno

Single card keno is everything you think it would be. As the name suggests, you can play only one game of keno. After the game ends, you must claim your winnings before you start another round. If you don’t withdraw your prize money, you risk losing it in the next round. Newbies especially love this keno variant since it’s the perfect way to learn the ropes of the game. It’s easy to keep track of and provides a relaxed pace of play, and you can easily manage your funds.

Progressive Jackpot Keno

While you’re on your online keno adventure, you’ll undoubtedly come across a progressive jackpot keno option. This game is pretty much the standard keno variant with the added option of a progressive jackpot. Note that in progressive jackpot keno, the prizes can either be awarded as bonus payouts or triggered randomly. It works the same way all online progressive jackpots do. The more punters join the game, the larger the jackpot pool gets. Once a player hits the jackpot, a new one takes its place until it’s hit again.

Keno Live

Players have always been looking for an as authentic casino experience as possible, even when playing online. That’s how live dealer casino games became a thing. One of the live dealer games you can enjoy at gambling sites these days is live keno. In this game, there’s a real human host that leads the action. There is an actual bubble (cage) from which the keno balls are drawn in real-time.

Live keno is the closest you’ll get to playing real-life keno online. BetConstruct and Ezugi are among the most popular software providers that have live keno in their offer. Evolution has Mega Ball, which is pretty similar to keno too.

Keno Online RTP – Chances of Winning and Keno Payouts

It’s important to note that the exact RTP of keno online depends on the game you’re playing. Both providers and casinos sometimes adjust the return to player rate because that’s how they make profits. Usually, the game info should provide accurate details about both the RTP and the payouts.

Below, we’ll give an example of one online keno game RTPs. Again, depending on where you play, these figures may vary.

Numbers picked	RTP
1	75%
2	98.10%
3	90.19%
4	89.02%
5	86.08%
6	93.79%
7	93.61%
8	92.94%
9	93.49%
10	90.82%

As you can notice in the table above, keno players get the best payout rates when betting on two numbers.

The same applies to the payouts as operators may offer different payouts depending on the variant and unique features. However, the typical keno online paytable looks like this.

Hits/Played	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
0							1x	1x	2x	2x
1	3x	1x								2x
2		10x	2x	1x	1x
3			45x	10x	3x	2x	2x
4				80x	20x	15x	4x	5x	2x
5					150x	60x	20x	15x	10x	5x
6						500x	80x	50x	25x	30x
7							1,000x	200x	125x	100x
8								2,000x	1,000x	300x
9									5,000x	2,000x
10										10,000x

As you can see, playing and matching 10 numbers out of 20 drawn numbers will get you a fantastic payout of 10,000 on your bet. Meaning, if you bet a single dollar, your prize will be $10,000. The odds of that happening, however, are close to impossible.

Example of Keno Odds

Now that you know more about the return to player and the payouts on keno online let’s check out the winning odds. They may seem discouraging, but they’ll help you set your expectations straight, at least.

Hits	Odds
0	1 in 843.380
1	1 in 86.446
2	1 in 20.115
3	1 in 8.009
4	1 in 4.877
5	1 in 4.287
6	1 in 5.258
7	1 in 8.826
8	1 in 20.055
9	1 in 61.420
10	1 in 253.801

With the odds above, you can see that you have the best chance to hit between 3 and 6 numbers. That’s why keno experts often advise you to play the minimum bet and to pick 3-6 digits if you want to maximize your playing time.

How to Win in Keno – Keno Playing Strategy

Everyone would like how to win at real money casino games. Just like there are strategies for blackjack, poker, and even online lottery, there are also playing tips for keno online. The truth is, however, becoming a sure winner isn’t possible. Keno is a game of luck, and random number generators generate the outcomes. Meaning, everything is 100% random and unpredictable.

Still, there are some tricks and tips to help you improve the overall experience. For example, the odds and payouts depend on the number of spots you decide to play. With those in mind, it’s best to play between 3 and 6 numbers. The rest combinations have terrible odds. You can also try progressive betting, i.e., increase your bet when winning and decrease when losing. However, the most crucial advice is to have a bankroll management strategy and a spending limit in place.

History of Keno

When and how keno became a thing is a mystery, and it will probably remain as such. However, one thing that all experts agree on is the origin country of keno – China. According to reports, the game was first played there with Chinese characters and was especially popular during the Han dynasty. It’s believed that officials used the game for tax purposes, and according to some records, income from keno funded the Great Wall of China.

As Chinese people started moving to the USA in the 1800s, they brought the thrilling game of keno with them. Since Americans were often confused by the Chinese characters they didn’t understand, these were eventually replaced with numbers. Per some reports, Houston, Texas is the first place where the game was referred with its current name – keno.

Today, the fast-paced game of chance remains widely popular. It has fans worldwide and has found its way to both online and live dealer casinos.

Conclusion – Top Tips for Online Keno

All in all, keno online is an excellent pick for anyone who enjoys playing with their favorite numbers. Thanks to the game’s simple rules, you won’t have to spend hours learning how to play. Moreover, depending on how you feel and how big your bankroll is, you can adjust the number of numbers you play. So, as long as you test it out in free mode first and then use a bankroll strategy when playing, you are sure to love your online keno sessions.

Keno Glossary

To understand the game of keno, you must know the game’s specific terminology. In fact, every game, including roulette and bingo, has some terms that are unique to its gameplay. It makes sense that keno online is no different.

• Bubble – This is the transparent container that contains the keno balls, which is sometimes also called a cage.
• Keno balls – These are balls that have numbers printed on them and get drawn from the bubble.
• Call – A call happens when a number is drawn.
• Catch – A catch is when the drawn number matches one of your picked numbers. This is also called a hit sometimes.
• Punch out – This is the printed sheet that contains the winning numbers, and it isn’t that common these days due to the heavy digitization of the game.
• Keno writer – The person who issues the keno tickets and the winnings to all players.
• House edge – The figure that reveals how much the house keeps for itself from every bet and, therefore, how rewarding a game is.
• Way – This is an extra bet on the initial ticket where your bets are. Way tickets are tickets that contain the additional Way bet on them.
• Video keno – Keno game played on computer terminals where everything is digitized and played individually.
• Replayed ticked – A ticket that you have already used and want to use for future draws.

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