Keno is similar to Lotto. It was first introduced
in China many years ago. The game was brought to the USA in
the mid 1800's by the Chinese immigrants who came to work
in the mines and on the railroad. It is a very popular game
and very easy to play. It is an exciting pastime and, most
importantly, it offers the possibility of winning large payouts
on relatively small wagers.
Keno is usually played in Casino lounges specifically allocated
for the game, but there are so called 'Keno runners'
who will collect your ticket and deliver the winnings if the
player wants to play from outside the lounge area. There are
many television monitors spread all over the Casino halls
to keep players informed of the winning numbers.
There is also the video version of Keno. These are slots-like
coin operated machines. It plays using the same principle
with similar rules of the regular Keno, but you get the results
much faster.
To play Keno, you select a minimum of 4 but no more than
10 numbers between 1 and 80. Each selection is called a 'Spot',
so if you select 10 numbers you are playing a 10 Spot game.
Keno tickets are located at tables throughout the Casino
and in the Casino's Keno lounge. The Casino provides a 'Keno
crayon' for this purpose.
Simply mark a blank Keno ticket with the numbers of your
selection. Then present your ticket to the Keno desk with
your wager and the clerk will give you a duplicate ticket.
In a few minutes, twenty numbered Keno balls will be drawn
at random from a barrel containing 80 numbered balls, and
if enough of your selected numbers are drawn, you are a winner.
The results are displayed on screens, called Keno boards,
throughout the Casino.
Minimum bets can be as low as 5 cents, although some Casinos
only accept bets of $1 or more. The house's Keno brochures
give you information about payoffs and various tickets you
can play.
The amount of money you win is dependent upon the type of
ticket you play and the number of 'spots' caught. You may
play as many tickets as you wish. You could win as much as
$50,000 on a $1 wager in some Casinos.
The round of a Keno game is called a Keno race. In
many Casinos, 'multi-race' Keno is featured, where you can
play a number of consecutive Keno races at one time.
The house advantage on Keno varies according to the Keno
game played. It is always around 30% or more. The chances
of hitting one number in 80 is 0.25%, making Keno among the
worst bets you can make.
Keno history
The word "Keno" has French or Latin roots (Fr. quine five winning numbers, L. quini five each), but by all accounts the game originated in China over 2000 years ago. Legend has it that the invention of the game saved an ancient city in time of war, and its widespread popularity helped raise funds to build the Great Wall. According to one source, results of Keno games in great cities were sent to outlying villages and hamlets by carrier pigeon. Eventually, Chinese immigrants introduced Keno to the West when they sailed across the Pacific to help build the American trans-continental railroad in the 19th century.
Keno odds
The payouts for keno are based on how many numbers the player chose and how many numbers "hit", multiplied by the player's original wager. The more numbers a player chooses, and the more numbers hit, the greater the payout. Payouts vary widely from casino to casino.Some casinos allow the player to pick up to 20 numbers, but most limit the choice to only 15 or 10. The probability of a player hitting the "jackpot" 20 numbers from 20 chosen is approximately 1 in 3.5 quintillion (1 in 3,535,316,142,212,180,000 to the exact).If every person who ever inhabited planet Earth played one keno game every single second of their lives, there would be about one jackpot-winning ticket to date. If all these possible keno tickets were laid end to end, they would span the Milky Way galaxy -- and only one of them would be a winner.
Modern keno
Numbers are picked at the "keno booth". "Keno runners" will walk around shouting "keno!" and offering number selection cards to anyone interested in playing.
After picking numbers and recording them at the keno booth, the player will then watch either a "big board" in which winning keno numbers will light up or on a video monitor showing the selected numbers found throughout the casino. As the winning numbers light up, the player usually marks them on his or her card with a bright-colored marker. A winning ticket needs to be taken to the keno booth immediately if it is an individual game ticket, as drawings usually take place every five minutes. If the player tries to redeem a winning ticket when the next drawing starts, it is void and no money is paid out.
To avoid having a void ticket, a keno player can purchase a "multi-race" ticket with the same picked numbers on anywhere from 2 to 20 tickets. When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, the player can then redeem any winnings and avoid the peril of a void ticket. Another option is the "stray and play" ticket, which is usually a number of games greater than 30. Unlike standard keno tickets, the "stray and play" doesn't have to be redeemed immediately and is often good for up to a year after purchase.
In the State of Nevada many Las Vegas casinos have introduced their own keno games. The odds of winning are about the same as in traditional keno games, except a keno player may select from a very large number of so called "special" games. These games are often changed and revised to introduce an element of newness and excitement, yet basic principles always remain the same – the house always has a tremendous advantage over the player.
Lottery versions of Keno are now used in many National Lotteries or state licensed Lotteries around the world. The games have different formulas depending on the wanted price structure and whether the game is slow (daily or weekly), or if it is a fast game with just minutes between the draws. The drawn numbers are typically published on TV for the slow games and on monitors at the point of sale for the fast games. A video keno machine typically has a far greater payout and win-rate than a traditional keno game.
Where to play Keno:
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