Keno is a popular game that is similar to the lottery and you can play it at an online casino. The game is pretty simple and doesn’t require any skills, which is a reason why everyone can learn it.
It is basically a ticket with 80 numbers on it, and the player should choose between 1 to 20 numbers, depending on the version. Then numbers are drawn using a machine similar to bingo, a random number generator. The more of the numbers drawn you have on the ticket, the better the payout.
History of Keno
The game keno dates back at least 2000 years. It originated in China and was called “baige piao” or “pai-ko p’iao”, which means “white pigeon ticket”, referring to the tickets used to play keno. Instead of numbers, the game was played with Chinese characters, and instead of 80, like today’s version of keno, it consisted of 120 characters.
Keno became so popular that it is believed to have been played in order to help save money for the Great Wall of China. it was introduced in America in the 1800s, by Chinese immigrants. However, the Chinese characters were confusing for the people, so they replaced them with numbers. This is how it is believed that the keno became a popular game, which today slightly differs from the original version.
How to Play Keno
Keno is a lottery-like game, that is fast-paced and provides entertainment for the players. It can be played in almost all online casinos, but sometimes can be found in some restaurants or bars, that usually have bingo nights or keno nights.
If you are playing keno in an online casino, the first thing you need to do is buy a ticket. You will notice that on the ticket are all the numbers from 1 to 80.
The next thing you need to do is to mark your numbers. Depending on the keno variant the casino offers, you can choose between 1 and 20 numbers, and these are called “spots”. While marking the spots, you will notice that on the side of the ticket are displayed the different payouts for catching a spot.
Once you marked the spots, you will need to place the bet. The minimum and maximum bet that you can make depend on the casino and the keno variant as well.
Finally, when you’ve done all these things, you just hit play and the balls are drawn using a random number generator. The software automatically marks off the numbers if you’ve caught a spot.
You can check the table with payouts that we mentioned it is displayed next to the ticket. This is a way to know how much you will get. depending on how many spots you caught, that amount will be paid out to you.
Types of Tickets
To make the game more interesting, keno has different types of tickets that the player can buy. For beginners, we recommend the basic ones, until they learn all the other types. Check out the 1xBet casino offer, and start practising keno.
Straight ticket
This type of ticket is actually the basic one, where you choose the numbers you want to play and it is just one game. The more numbers you pick the harder it is to hit all of them. So, we recommend you to stick between 4 and 8 numbers for starters.
The payout is as per the table next to the ticket and is based on the number of spots caught. However, all casinos have a limit on how much you can win, so regardless of how much you bet, the payout will never exceed the limited amount.
Split ticket
A split ticket is two or more straight tickets in one. So, you still have the 80 numbers on one ticket, but you split them into two or more. The numbers that belong to each split ticket are separated by a straight line or by circles.
The splits don’t need to contain the same number of spots. Each number is shown only once on the ticket, and each group is treated separately when it comes to payouts.
Way Ticket
Way tickets are a bit more complicated. But, at the same time, they allow the player to play multiple games using the same ticket. This bet allows you to group different sets of numbers which provides you with more than one game and more chances to win. Most way tickets offer limited numbers per group, usually three to five numbers.
So, you choose let’s say 6 numbers, and you group them into two groups consisting of three numbers by circling them. This means that your way ticket has two ways of winning. You can also choose to include both sets of numbers in a third circle, increasing your chances to win to three. So, you have a three-way ticket and you place three separate bets, on the same ticket. Due to this, way tickets seem cheaper, since you do not buy three separate tickets but only one.
Combination Ticket
Combination tickets as the name suggests are a combination of all types of tickets into one. You can bet on different groups of numbers, with any number of spots. Choose a straight bet or way bet, or combine them with some or all of the others.
These tickets are very popular among keno players but are probably a bit complicated for beginners.
Keno Variants
The basic rules for any keno variant, don’t change much, regardless of which variant you choose to play. Once you understand the game, it is easy and you can choose any. The most famous keno variants are mentioned below.
Super Keno
Super Keno is a variation that has an additional bonus-like feature. Mainly, should the first drawn ball matches one of the player’s picked numbers, all the payouts will be multiplied by four.
Power Keno
Similar to Super Keno, Power Keno has an extra feature added that changes the payout amount. If the last drawn ball, the 20th ball matches one of the numbers that the player picked, the winnings will be multiplied by four.
Progressive Jackpot Keno
Some keno games have progressive jackpots attached to them. They work the same way as the slots with progressive jackpots. They hit randomly and the jackpot keeps growing as more players play the game, until is hit. Might be an interesting experience hoping to be the next game you play the one to hit the jackpot.
Keno Slots
This game is a combination of keno and slot. The players are allowed to pick more numbers than usual and the game is faster.
Keno Strategies
As keno is a game of luck, trying out strategies might not be a sure way to win. In any case, we will present a few strategies that you might want to try, just to keep you focused and make it more fun.
Block Strategy is a pretty simple approach to play the game. Mainly, you always bet in blocks. You decide what kind of blocks, so let’s say you choose blocks of numbers like 2, 12, 22, 32, etc. Or you can use a separator. For example, separator of 11. Then, you bet on 1 then 12, then 23, then 34, etc.
Cold Numbers: track the numbers that have been drawn and then pick the “cold numbers”, the ones that haven’t been drawn for some time.
Hot Numbers are opposite to cold numbers. Hot Numbers are the ones that have been drawn often, at least three times in ten games, so you can try picking them, hoping will be drawn again.
And of course, you always have the risky Martingale system. With the Martingale system, you double your bet every time you lose. Not sure if this is a good idea to apply it to keno games since it is really a game of luck, but that is up to you to decide.
Tips for Playing Keno
Learn the rules – read anything there is about all the keno variants and types of bets before start to bet money on it.
Free game – mastering a game takes time, but it starts by practising. Choose free keno games. You won’t lose any money until you are sure you’ve tried every possible bet and know the differences. Check out the 1xBet online casino review and try their free keno section.
Set limit – for any game, is best if you have a spending limit, an amount that you can afford to lose. Once you’ve lost the amount, just stop playing the game.
Choose between 4-8 numbers – even though you have the option to choose 20 numbers, the payouts change depending on how many numbers you choose in total. This means that hitting 5 out of 5 has a much higher payout than hitting 5 out of 10 numbers.
Conclusion
People choose Keno as is easy to get started, rules are simple and tickets are cheap. But there are several reasons why they stick to playing the keno:
- Keno is a kind of challenge
- The odds are great, and so is the amount of winnings
- You choose the game, stake, and numbers yourself
- A higher stake is automatically followed by a higher profit
- You know the profit in advance and is only ours, it is not shared
- Sometimes you win even if you don’t hit any numbers
