Did you know that keno is actually a Latin word and it means “five winning numbers”? Wait, we have one more cool piece of information to give: It may also be the oldest “official” gambling game in the world. Keno is actually a simple variant of the lottery, and lotteries are the governments’ favorite way of gaining income. We are not kidding; the first keno game in the world was held in China and the profits were used to build the “Great Wall Of China”, it is that old. Nowadays, it is one of the most popular games in land-based and online casinos. This is because of three reasons: It is simple, fun, and the potential profits are quite high. If you are interested in this ancient game and looking for a keno strategy that works like 20 Card Keno strategy, you are at the right place: We will explain the rules of this game, give you a list of the keno numbers that hit the most, and provide an excellent keno systems strategy. Let’s start: We have a lot to tell. After testing a lot of sites we choose that Zet Casino is the best pick for applying these keno strategies, fulfilling all the conditions we are looking for starting with the interface, fairness, variations of keno games and many more.

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First Things First: The General Keno Rules and Gameplay

If you participated in a lottery before, keno rules will seem quite familiar. Simply put, players choose between a series of numbers, wager on the selected numbers, and wait for the draw results. Each keno game is actually a draw: First, you purchase tickets that contain 80 numbers. Then, you pick 20 numbers of your choice, and watch the ball machine:  If your selections match the draw results, you become entitles to a payout according to the pay table. How much money you can win depends on how many numbers you guessed right. In this respect, all keno games are different: Some give an award for matching 10 numbers, some ask you to match at least 15 – depends on the game you are playing. We should also mention the following:

  • Not all keno tickets contain 80 numbers, this is not a fixed figure. Some variants of Keno may be played on fewer numbers, especially the online versions. Likewise, sometimes you get to pick only 10 numbers, not 20. While the general goal of the game is the same (guessing a specific amount of numbers), the numbers on the tickets and the numbers you get to pick may change.
  • The payouts are always different at each keno game. Some can pay thousands of dollars, while others pay only hundreds. This affects the price of the tickets too: Games that pay more have “pricey” tickets, as can be expected.
  • In addition, as a general rule, your wager increases with every number you pick. For example, if you are allowed to pick 20 numbers, the overall bet amount will be different according to how many numbers you select. If you pick 10 numbers, the total wager will be low. If you pick 20, it will be higher.
  • Lastly, the minimum amount of numbers you need to guess right in order to qualify for a prize are different at each keno game too. Always check the paytable of a keno game before starting to play and see the minimum bet and payout values.

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Keno Game Strategy: Odds and Probabilities

Now, we can move on to a more interesting topic: What is the best keno strategy? In order to answer this question, we must talk about odds and keno strategy winning probabilities first. Let’s start with taking a look at the following table – we will explain what it means below.

Odds and Probabilities for Keno numbers

ODDS OF GUESSING:

PROBABILITY

1 NUMBER RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.75
2 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.060
3 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.013
4 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.003
5 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.0006
6 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.0001
7 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.000024
8 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.000004
9 NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
0.000001
10+ NUMBERS RIGHT
PROBABILITY
Less than 0.000001

Let’s be honest, this is a pretty depressing table. It is an important table and we will use it as a keno strategy chart (will be explained below) but it is still depressing: The odds of guessing 10 and more numbers correctly is so low, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning. We are not kidding by the way, the odds of a lightning hits you really are much higher than guessing 10 numbers right. Keno is not a generous game when it comes to house edge, that’s why governments love to organize it officially.

However, this table still tells us important things, such as:

  • Keno is not a game that can make you rich unless you are very, very, and very lucky. The big payouts require to guess at least 8 numbers correctly and for the grand prize, you must guess more than 10, which is statistically nearly impossible. But we can still make a profit: It won’t be that much and it won’t make us rich, but it will still be a profit.
  • Our keno optimal strategy should focus on the best odds, not the highest payouts. Don’t get fooled by big prize offerings, the odds of winning them are very low (see the lightning example above).
  • This is a serious guide for professionals: We won’t make empty promises to you and claim that “you can win millions”. You can’t. But if you play smart, keno games allow you to get a low but constant income, and we will tell how you can do this.

If you are wondering, here are the top keno winning numbers according to the results of previous drawings: 1, 4, 23, 34, and 72. Statistically; these numbers also come out often: 3, 16, 44, 58, and 66. However, you should know that this is just a statistical anomaly and it does not guarantee anything. You can keep playing on these numbers for the rest of your life and still may not win anything. The trick here is to calculate the odds of how many numbers you can guess right, not the odds of specific numbers. This is because the odds of specific numbers never change: They are always 1/80.

Best Way To Play Keno: Things You Need To Know

If you want to be a smart gambler, you should know some things about keno in advance:

  • The house edge of keno is never a low number. For beginners, the house edge represents how much money the bookmaker/casino will win from your bets. From a player’s perspective, it should be low. Well, keno has one of the highest house edges: It never falls below 7%. In some casino games, it can be as high as 20%. To give you an idea, the house edge of a blackjack game is 0.2%. In other words, you will lose at least 7 USD of every 100 USD you bet on keno tables, in the long run. Want to find out more? Come check out our Online Casino Games Guide article!
  • Statistically, card and table games offer better winning odds than keno games. However, they also require years of experience: Only the veteran gamblers can reach those odds. Keno games, on the other hand, requires no expertise and you can start playing in seconds.
  • You should always prefer to play keno online. The house edge of land-based keno games is much higher than the online versions. The best example of this will be the government organized lotteries: They are actually nationwide keno games. And as you very well know, the winning chance of those lotteries is very few. Online keno games, on the other hand, offer much better odds.

Best Keno Strategies: The Quick And Dirty Version

  • Here is the top keno strategy: Prefer to play games with fewer As explained above, classic keno is played with 80 numbers. However, at online variants, you can sometimes find 60 numbers or even less. As can be guessed, the lower the total numbers, the higher the winning probabilities – the thing that increases the house edge of keno games is that there are too many possibilities. If you can lower the total numbers the game is played with, you can also increase your odds.
  • Take a look at the table above, once more: As you can see, your odds are considerably lower after 4 numbers. This means you should “limit” your expectations with this figure– you won’t be hitting more than 4 numbers at a keno game, the odds are way too low. However, this does not mean that you should only pick 4 numbers. On the contrary, pick all of the numbers you are allowed. If the game lets you pick 20 numbers, pick 20. Never play keno games by making too few selections – you should always pick the maximum amount of allowed numbers. This will increase your odds.
  • But, after picking 20 numbers for example, you should expect to hit 4 numbers, maximum. This is where you need to make some financial calculations: Is the payout of 4 numbers is higher than the wagering cost of selecting 20 numbers? For example, if the payout of guessing 4 numbers correctly is 20 and selecting 20 numbers costs 10, this is a good deal. You can still win back your investment and make a profit.
  • These are the most important keno strategies tips we can give you: There is no “best keno strategy” or Spanish 21 card counting strategy that guarantees you a winning – this is impossible. Keno is a game of chance and nobody can predict the outcome of a draw. Forget making a quick profit: You must analyze the cost of the ticket fee (your wager), the cost of picking the maximum numbers allowed, and if the cost is less than the payout of 4 numbers, you should play that game. If not, do not waste your time and money.
  • Play online keno games to learn the rules and to make practice. These are free to play games so there are no financial risks involved. The rules and the winning chances are the same, so you can switch to the real money versions of these games anytime you want. You won’t become a millionaire with one keno game, those things happen only in movies. Like everything else in life, if you want to make money by playing keno, you should make an effort and work towards this goal.

Use Our Tips For Keno And Start Playing!

Tip

This is an honest guide: We do not want to trick you with false promises and strategies that do not work at all. Doesn’t exist a 100 % winning strategy for keno but the best thing you can do is to allocate your budget like explained above and try to respect the strategies explained above for maximizing the profit.  If you want a casual game that requires low expertise and still offers good payouts, keno will be a good option – as long as you understand that your winning chances are based on luck too, not only on strategies. Start with playing free keno games and switch to the real money versions when you had enough practice. In any case, do not forget to have fun!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Keno Casino Games

PROS
  • Requires no expertise
  • Veteran players do not have an advantage
  • Very big payouts
  • Low entry wagers
CONS
  • High house edge values
  • Too many probabilities and variants

FAQ About Keno Strategy and Online Casino Keno Games

There is no sure strategy for keno games. Before you start playing, you should acknowledge that this a game of chance. In a way, all casino games are like that, but you can increase your odds at card games, if you know how to count cards, for example. Keno is not like that.
As explained above, you need to make a price/cost calculation. Never play keno games that have too high entry costs. The payout of 4 numbers must always be lower than the entry fee, simple as that. If not, you will start losing money after a short while.
No, because such a thing does not exist. See, that’s what we meant by saying gambler’s fallacy. There are no magic or lucky numbers at keno. We listed some above, but those are just an anomaly. You can play on the same numbers for the rest of your life and still cannot win anything.
Online keno games will always be the better option. “Real” keno games are the ones you can see at land-based casinos. They have good payouts but very low winning odds – just like government organized lotteries. Online games, however, offer lots of variants and lower house edge ratios, in general.
Yes, but do not expect to become rich. Remember our advice: As long as the entry wager of the drawing is less than the payout of 4 numbers, you can make a profit in the long run. It won’t be high and it won’t be big enough to pay for your mortgage.

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