Keno has been in some form or another for as long as anyone can remember; the nation of its birth is as obscure as the term itself. Of fact, many historians assert that the game originated in China, just like other enjoyable things like fireworks and re-education centers.
Keno now consists of a grid with 80 squares set up in ten-square rows. These squares are numbered in order, starting with the uppermost leftmost square, from 1 to 80.
The game starts with 20 numbers being chosen at random and shown to the player after players wager money to select any amount of numbers that are permitted. The player wins if their numbers are among those chosen in the game’s winning combination.
The Brick and Mortar Keno Lounge
With crayons and sheets of newspaper in hand, formidable keno players try to outsmart the tumbler containing the 80-numbered ping-pong balls. Keno Lounges are found in virtually every brick-and-mortar casino that cares about the tradition of maintaining a high house edge.
When the wind machine starts up and the plexiglass container starts tossing all those ping pong balls around, the game starts. Twenty numbers are chosen and announced one by one, usually by somebody that oddly accents the number nine when it comes up.
There will be a few players who successfully predicted some of the 20 numbers. They will be seen making their way up to the counter to collect their winnings after the wind machine has been turned off.
Electronic Video Keno
To make its picks for each game, electronic keno uses random number generators (RNG) instead of whirling ping-pong balls. Touching the screen allows you to choose numbers.
Video keno typically allows players to choose up to 10 spots, unlike a lot of live keno. On the other hand, you can usually play two or more games in a minute even if the game’s speed isn’t changed. Modern machines let you to change the speed, and some even allow auto-play.
You should try to play the game with the most action as you can play more than a hundred video keno games an hour (compared to eight to ten in the live keno lounge). Nobody visits a casino to enjoy the floral displays in the foyer. Winning is the name of the game.
Find The Best Pay Tables
Choose the machine with the finest pay tables when playing electronic keno. Expecting the pay table on every keno machine in the casino to be the same is unrealistic.
An illustration of the data on a ten-spot card is given below:
Keep in mind that any place struck below five does not pay. As you play, you’ll undoubtedly notice that a ten-spot card frequently hits three and four spaces. You’ll cry, “Oh, so close!” You’ll utter words afterwards that you haven’t spoken since you went to that navy shipyard.
Also take note that the best selection in the pay table above is six, which has an RTP of 92.67%. The poorest possible selection (given that pay table) is two spots: 90.19% RTP.
Yes, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference, but keep in mind that our goal is to survive as long as we can on the resources we have at our disposal.
Here is a helpful fast reference for the RTPs for different keno pay tables.
Select Fewer Numbers
This last item is so crucial that I’m repeating it in its own section.
Depending on the total number of spots you’ve selected, keno’s house edge varies. This indicates that choosing five spots rather than nine spots will give you a little higher chance of winning in the long run.
Why? The payout schedule explains why. At the higher end of the spectrum of the chosen numbers, the maximum you can win by hitting all of your locations is substantially larger. Ten out of ten usually pays 10,000 times your stake.
A slot presenter once told me that in his twenty years in the industry, he had never once saw someone hit ten out of ten numbers.
I became so worried by this that I limited my selection to nine numbers. But for some reason, it made no difference to how much I gained or lost.
In reality, there is an 8.9 million to one chance of striking all 10 spots in a typical game of keno.
Sure, it could happen in any of those millions of plays, but once you’ve clicked PLAY 10,000 times, you’ve entered Loser City for good. Have you got something to say about that? No, you don’t.
Next is a wonderful tip for all games of chance, including skill-based games like poker, not just keno.
Decide on a limit and stick to it.
For instance, if you planned to spend $200 gaming each day of your two-day trip to Vegas, you should see a show, travel to Hoover Dam, and visit the Neon Museum after you’ve used up your daily $200.
Don’t bet more than you should, as well. Sure, playing video keno at the $20 machine can be an exhilarating experience, but unless you win, the $200 you brought will disappear in less than three minutes. In slightly more than one out of every twenty plays, five out of ten hits occur. Last five plays cost $200 at $20 each.
Are you feeling lucky, friend?
Be patient
This frequently disregarded keno betting method goes hand in hand with the previous advice: Slow down.
Always keep in mind that gambling is a fight to manage resources till you win. Switch to the keno lounge if you need to play at a slower pace than what the electronic keno games can provide. Think about reducing your base stake from $1 to $5 or $1 to a quarter. Or, dread to think, a cent.
It may take some getting used to switching from two games per minute to two games every 15 minutes and lowering your stake. However, if you’re unfortunate today, you’ve chosen well because you’ll only be unlucky six to eight times in an hour now rather than 100 times in that same hour.
5. Play The Numbers You Like
Another keno betting tip: The odds are the same whether you choose to play at a brick and mortar casino or one of the numerous secure online casinos. There are 80 numbers on a regular keno card, and each one has a dismal one in 80 chance of coming up.
It makes no difference if you selected ten numbers in a row or if you clicked the “Quick Pick” button and let the computer select up to ten random numbers for you.
I’ve selected the bottom row of the card (numbers 71 through 80), hit good jackpots (9 out of 10 times), and had similar success using the Quick Pick option. It doesn’t matter at all.
Choosing “cold” numbers, or those that have not recently been hit, is another strategy for number selection that won’t have an impact on your success rate.
Every time you press the PLAY button, there is a 1 in 80 chance that a specific number will be drawn.
Also, if you like math, check out this in-depth analysis of keno odds.
6. Pick the Most Profitable Keno Games to Play
Though you should continue playing the traditional 20-spot keno games, several variations that don’t alter the pay tables can be worth a go.
Naturally, I’m referring to multi-card games like four-card keno and those that let you play up to 20 cards at once. Always check the pay tables before playing a game to see if the payouts are worse than in the single card version.
The pass, why? Consider it this way: You are paying more for the chance to win less if the pay table for the 20-card game is less generous than the one for the single-card game.
Avoid playing gimmick keno games.
The last of our keno advice is that it isn’t house-friendly enough to prevent it from somewhat boosting that edge by amusing you. Numerous keno games include dinosaur eggs, scarab beetles, bonus rounds, and triple payouts if your chosen numbers appear in the RNG’s last selection.
How is the casino able to distribute this much cash? You query. [insert image of Mr. Burns giggling and rubbing his hands together]
Check out the Cleopatra or Caveman keno pay tables (two of the most popular keno variants). Yes, they all provide extra rounds and, in certain cases, multiply wins. However, you should be aware that the pay table for regular play—where you’ll spend the most of your time—is quite cheap with its payouts.
That is not to argue that you cannot succeed using these devices. The good luck fairy occasionally gets sober enough to grant someone’s wish, and today might be that day for you. Random is random, after all.
Back in the real world. To reduce your risk of losing, play keno as though you’re going to win.
And if you’re so desperate for amusement, try skydiving or get a Netflix subscription. Compared to a late-night combat with Caveman or Cleopatra Keno, both are less expensive, and you have a higher chance of surviving.
Playing a more traditional version of the game is the best bet keno strategy in this scenario.
Yes, You Can Win – A Lot
As long as he presses the PLAY button on the keno machine each time it turns on for the subsequent round, everything good comes to him who waits.
As I’ve stated numerous times, the secret to succeeding at gambling primarily is limiting your losses in order to maintain your position. And that is possibly the most successful keno winning method there is. outlast your adversary.
Richie Moore, a light-heavyweight, defeated several of his rivals in the 1940s and 1950s just by outlasting them.
Regardless of how much chance or luck plays a role in a game’s payouts, the longer you can play, the more likely you are to win.
And that’s one of keno’s little-known advantages: Even though it may not happen frequently, when it does, the payout can be significant and may even be sufficient to cover the cost of your playing for several months or even years.
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