How to Play Keno at Online Casinos – A Guide
Fact Checked
The basic concept of a lottery is an age-old one. The player chooses a number and the person running the game also chooses one. If the numbers match, the player wins. A typical lotto is simply that game, expanded out to a grand scale. Of course, the big public lotteries are drawn daily, or even once or twice a week.
That’s not really fun to gamble on, is it?
Enter Keno. This game is an ultra fast paced lottery-style game, similar to Bingo. It is offered at most of the top Canadian online casinos. If it’s piqued your interest, keep reading on! On this page, we’ll guide you through the basics of how to play Keno, what are the Keno Rules and what the best Keno strategy is. By the end, you’ll know all about how to win at Keno!
Explaining the Keno Card
The first thing you will notice when playing Keno is the card. It consists of a 10×8 grid filled with squares. Each square has a number, ranging from 1 to 80. The top 40 and the bottom 40 numbers will usually be separated. This is what a physical Keno card looks like. It is replicated faithfully in online versions of the game.
The rest of the layout will vary, but generally, there will be information and options about betting at the side, as well as the paytable. Players can select different numbers, how much to wager and how many games to play in a row using the same selection of numbers.
The goal is to select which numbers you think might be the winning number. You can choose multiple numbers out of these 80, but each bet will cost you. Each number you select is called a Keno Spot.
Theoretically, you could wager on just one Keno Spot for the cheapest bet, but your chances of winning would drop to 1/80 odds. You could bet on 40 spots, raising the odds of winning to 1/2, but it would also be really expensive.
There is no rhyme or reason to which spot will win. That’s what makes playing Keno so exciting. This is a game of nothing but sheer chance.
How to play Keno Online
Before you can learn how to win at Keno online, you need to know the basics. You might already know this, but it’s good to get a refresher just in case. If you don’t know, pay close attention.
After choosing an online casino and loading up a game on Keno, here is how to play it:
Step 1 – Select the Keno Spots
In a physical game, you would have to mark it with a pen or marker. In online Keno, it simply requires a click or a tap. The numbers can be spaced closely together on the card, so just make sure you did not misclick or tap the wrong number! If you don’t particularly care about the numbers, simply let the computer select random ones.
Step 2 – Consider different types of bets
There will be more on this matter later on. For the moment, just keep in mind that each type of bet has its own cost, odds and payouts. Which type of bet you choose could depend on the hot and cold Spots as well as your own strategy.
Step 3 – Consider hot and cold spots
The most common Keno numbers that have come up a lot recently are ‘Hot’, while numbers that have not appeared in a while are ‘Cold’. Even if the numbers are drawn completely randomly, programmed random number generators are not perfect. Sometimes, a pattern can emerge.
Step 4 – Decide how many rounds to play
Since Keno rounds are very short, most Keno games let players carry the exact same bet forward for several rounds. If you are confident if your selection of slots, go ahead and play a large number of rounds at once. If you want to interact with the game and make new bets regularly, then go with just a few rounds.
Step 5 – Check your wager and payout before finalizing the bet
The total wager and the paytable will usually be given at the side of the screen. Make sure everything is satisfactory and that you have picked the best Keno numbers.
After you’re done with all the above steps, there’s nothing to do but wait for the drawing.
How to Play Keno and Win?
Of course, you want to play and win at this game! Well, like all casino games there are some things you can do to maximize your winnings or profit. To learn all about the best keno strategy, keep on reading. For betting, there are several different types of Keno bets.
- Straight Bets – The most basic type of Keno betting. In Straight Bet, players can choose up to 40 spots at maximum. The exact number varies from game to game.
- Way Bets – Players select a group of numbers.
- Split and Combo bets – Players can make multiple Straight and Way bets together.
There are also some Side Bets in Keno. They have an extra payout and are won by meeting certain conditions in the game.
For instance, to win the “Upper 40” side bet, all the winning numbers must be between 1 and 40. For the “Evens” side bet, all the winning numbers must be even.
When betting, remember to not fall into the trap of Gambler’s Fallacy. We can illustrate a quick example of this using a coin toss. The probability of a coin toss is 50/50. So, if we see that the coin landed on Tails several times, we might start thinking it will land on Heads – because Heads is ‘due’ and the overall outcome has to be even.
However, the coin does not remember previous results! The probability of the next toss will still be 50/50. If the coin got Tails five times in a row, the odds of getting Heads does not increase on the sixth time!
This fallacy applies to Keno in terms of Hot and Cold spots. Just because there have been no winning numbers on a cold spot for a while does not mean that it is ‘due’. The probability for each individual spot is and will always be 1/80. So, don’t fall into the trap of focusing on Keno numbers that come up the most or the least.
Here are some tips on how to win at Keno:
- Don’t bet on too many or too few numbers. The best number of spots to bet on, from a cost-to-odds perspective, is roughly about 1/4 of the max number of spots.
- Don’t fall into the Gambler’s Fallacy. Pay attention to the Hot and Cold spots, but don’t let them control all your bets.
- Take advantage of Way Bets and Side Bets.
- Each round of Keno is relatively short. To avoid having to make all these decisions over and over again, use multi-race cards. The same bet will be carried forward for several rounds, saving time and effort.
What is the difference between Keno and Bingo?
Keno and Bingo are very similar games. Some people might be confused between the two. Simply put, Bingo is like Keno in reverse. In Keno, players choose which numbers to bet on. In Bingo, players get a card with a completely random selection of numbers. If those numbers are on the player’s card, then the player will win depending on how many of the numbers matched up.
Final Thoughts
Keno is a simple game of prediction. Unlike most other casino games, it relies entirely on luck. So, how to win at Keno is more of a set of guidelines rather than a sure-fire way. There is no real way to predict which spots are the keno numbers that come up the most.
That said, you now know Keno rules and some of the best Keno strategy there is, so you have a slightly better shot than a typical player!
FAQ
-
How to win at Keno?
- Simply select several Keno spots and try to guess the winning numbers.
-
How many numbers do you need in Keno to win?
- It depends on the amount bet. Generally, you need to win on more than half your numbers to make a profit.
-
What’s the best strategy to play Keno?
- The best strategy is to take advantage of Way Bets, Side Bets, and bet on a moderate number of spots.
-
What numbers hit the most in Keno?
- There is no way to predict this, as it varies from game to game.
-
What are Keno cold numbers?
- Numbers that have not appeared on a Win for a while.
Adam is an editor at CasinoHEX Canada. He checks dozens of online casinos daily. Adam’s career as a professional gambler started almost 10 years ago.
Amelia, a dynamic and knowledgeable Canadian, is the driving force behind the content management team at CasinoHEX Canada. Joining with a singular mission, she aims to guide thousands of gamblers in their quest to discover expert casino reviews, indulge in rewarding pokies, and take advantage of outstanding bonus offers.
