How to play keno: Origin, strategy and payouts
Besides slot machines, there is no easier game than keno in an online casino.
It’s essentially a small lottery with frequent daily draws, sometimes spaced just minutes apart. Players choose numbers that will hopefully match the numbers drawn. The payouts vary greatly depending on how many numbers match and the total bet in each draw.
If you like playing the big lotteries, you will love keno. You might not win a million dollar jackpot, but you can still get a nice score relative to your investment.
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People who play state lotteries and keno will probably say that they have won more from keno. And you never have to wait until the weekend for the draw. Best of all, nobody has ever had to put on their thinking cap or bring their A-game to play keno.
origins
The history behind keno is fascinating and extensive. Keno originated in China under a different name more than 2,000 years ago. It was called “Baige Piao”, which refers to tickets in a contest involving carrier pigeons.
As bettors across China played keno, government officials took a cue to look the other way. For centuries, the game consisted of filling in a ticket with the first 80 characters of the 1,000 Chinese ideograms identified in the Book of a Thousand Characters.
Chinese immigrants brought Baige Piao to the United States in the 1840s. Numbers replaced characters in the early 20th-century iteration of the game known as the Chinese lottery. Finally, the name Keno – a variation of the French word quinine, means group of five – has prevailed.
Baige Piao was also the inspiration for bingo and modern day lotteries. Keno is popular in casinos around the world and is perfect for online play.
How to play keno
Playing keno is as simple as selecting a series of numbers between 1 and 80. Bettors enter their numbers on a computerized keno card along with the amount of their bet. You can play for as little as $1 and win hundreds of dollars – sometimes a lot more – depending on how many numbers you hit.
A typical keno card has a grid of eight rows of 10 numbers each. Simply select your numbers, set your bet amount and wait for the draw. A computer randomly generates 20 winning numbers, unlike traditional casinos where balls are drawn from a bucket.
You can play multiple cards to cover more numbers and increase your chances of success.
As for choosing the numbers, the possible combinations are endless. Some bettors base their bets on birthdays, famous historical dates, or any number that comes to mind.
Some people keep playing the same numbers and know that sooner or later at least some of them will hit. You can also use a quick pick option where the computer chooses numbers for you.
Paytable
At the beginning of each draw, a paytable shows approximate payouts based on the total amount wagered by all players. The payouts are determined by the number of correctly picked numbers as well as the percentage of numbers hit.
For example, if you picked six numbers and hit five, the return could be 500x your stake. But if you picked 12 and hit three, the payout might only be 3-to-1.
Remember, the higher the percentage of correct numbers, the bigger the payout.
is a Toronto-based freelance writer who writes casino content for NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, Star’s parent company.
Disclaimer This content was created as part of a partnership and as such may not meet the standards of impartial or independent journalism.
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