Keno Rules: There are Just a Few

Learn Keno Rules And Have Fun

Keno rules may be the simplest among all the casino games. There just aren’t very many details for a player to be concerned about. Perhaps the most important item for a person considering keno in a live setting or keno online is understanding the pay tables for the particular game being played.

The game is most often compared to a lottery, in which numbered balls are picked from a container or automatically pulled from the container by a vacuum system. There are also many similarities between keno and bingo, since the player listens or watches for certain numbers that are marked on a sheet or card. The key difference between these two games is that in keno a player “guesses” at numbers, choosing them before learning whether he has any matches. Of course, in bingo the player marks a card as the numbers are called or displayed.

In a live casino, the area specified for keno usually has seating for the players and runners who take tickets to the booth and deliver any winnings. In the past, players watched for numbers on a large board, while today casinos display numbers on television screens. Video keno is played in a similar way though results come back more quickly.

Here are a few basic guidelines or rules of keno:

Get tickets from various places in the casino, including the main booth in the keno lounge if there is one.
Choose 4 to 10 numbers for each card or ticket from a possible 80 numbers. Individual numbers are referred to as “spots” in the lingo of the game.
Take your ticket to the desk or booth with the amount you want to bet. The casino worker will provide you with a printed copy with your numbers on them.
Numbers are called or displayed every few minutes, as the house pulls 20 numbered balls from a container that has all 80 numbers in it.
The casino may have a brochure or pamphlet with keno rules on it, showing minimum and maximum bets, and how the payouts are handled.
If you hear the term “race” being used around the keno area, the people are just referring to a round of keno. There are multi-race games available in some places.

While it isn’t strictly one of the keno rules, players should take a few minutes to understand the payouts for the different size wagers. Newcomers need to learn that the keno bet is not one of the best among casino games. The chance of hitting one of the numbers is a fraction of a percentage point.

A sample pay table for a $1 bet might include $3 for matching one number on a Spot 1 game. A Spot 4 game might pay $4 for hitting three numbers but $120 for hitting all four. A Spot 10 game might give the $1 bettor $6 for hitting six numbers and $580 for hitting eight. Hit 9 and you might win thousands. The number of spots you need to win something depends on the type of game you are playing.

That’s about all there is to understanding keno rules. Pick a game, bet a comfortable amount and have fun!