Basics of Playing Keno

Keno is one of the most popular games in the world and is very similar to Lottery. Historians state that Keno as a game was first started in China, hundreds of 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. Keno was introduced to USA online casinos in early 2000 and is considered one of the most popular online games.

Keno is an exciting pastime and, most importantly, it offers the possibility of winning large payouts on relatively small wagers. Keno is a very popular game and very simple to play, it is usually played in locations specifically allocated for the game. In some places, there are many television monitors spread all over the specific locations to keep players informed of the winning numbers. There is also the video version of Keno also known as the online keno game. These are similar to how slot machines work. It plays using the same principle with similar rules of the regular Keno, but you get the results much faster. When playing basic Keno, players choose a minimum of four and not more than ten different numbers between one and eighty. Every time a player selects a number, this is referred to as a 'Spot'. For example, if a keno player selects ten numbers, they are playing a ten spot keno game.

Keno numbers are founds on the actual keno game and sometimes they are displayed in and around the actual casino as part of various keno promotions. Some casinos even offer specific pens called a 'Keno pen". This is used to mark your various numbers on the Keno board. Once you have marked your numbers, pass your keno ticket with your bet amount and you will be issued with a duplicate ticket in return. Soon after, twenty numbered balls will be drawn randomly from an empty bucket that contains 80 numbered keno balls. If your chosen numbers are selected then you are a winner.

How Keno Results Displayed

Typically, the keno results are shown on the screen or boards in and around the Keno lounge or in and around the actual casino. In each specific case, the keno payouts are displayed on various brochures together with the various tickets you are able to play. When playing online keno, the results are shown immediately after the Keno round is completed. The software will automatically show you which are the winning numbers and what the overall payout was for that particular Keno round. Some players prefer playing Keno in an offline environment due to the social nature of the game and they like to know who are the winners. Compared to online keno, its very difficult to know who actually won a specific keno round unless the software informs users of that particular game.

View our other Keno strategy guides:

Keno Basics | Online Keno | Keno Strategy | Types of Keno