Look at the standard keno rules takes about
three seconds. This uncomplicated game still offers a million
miles of fun; so taking those three seconds is well worth
your time.
The game of keno is played with cards bearing
numbered squares; a number on the card may be marked when
an announcer selects and calls that number from a randomly
selected pellet. The standard version of keno is similar to
lotto or bingo except that the numbered balls are rolled out
of a container called the keno goose.
The most widely played form of keno is a variation
called “race-horse”, or Nevada, keno. This version of keno
is played in gambling casinos, in which any number of players,
even one, play against the house. In racehorse keno the player
is given a card with 80 squares numbered from 1 to 80 in rows
of 10. The player may bet on any number or numbers but not
more than 15, marking them on his card or ticket, which a
clerk then records as the player pays out his wager for each
number selected.
The keno numbers are also printed on 80 individual
ping-pong balls, which are either blown around in a large
clear plastic sphere, or spun around in a wire birdcage. As
each ball is selected, the winning number is electronically
highlighted on the keno boards throughout the casino.
The keno players can bet on numbers singly (a
one-spot ticket), several at a time, or in various combinations.
With a five-spot ticket, at least three of the numbers picked
by the player must be called to win; then the house pays off
at 3-1 odds; if four of five the player gets 26-1; and if
all five get picked, 332-1. Actual odds, of course, are significantly
higher, favoring the house by from 20 to 25 percent.
A ticket can be marked with individual numbers
creating a straight keno ticket, group of numbers that give
a better chance of winning. These are called way and combination
tickets. A way ticket allows players to group different numbers
(each group containing the same amount of numbers) to create
more than one way to win. Players are given credit for hitting
all three numbers if any one of the group hits. A combination
way ticket is one in which groups of numbers are bet several
different ways, allowing money to be sprinkled over more combinations.
Many experienced keno players will use these methods for a
wider selection of numbers with a lower minimum wager, and
a better chance to win.
Minimum bets and payoffs are different from
casino to casino, but this information can be found in the
keno lounge or in the instruction booklet. Players present
their ticket along with their wager to a keno writer, and
are issued a computerized ticket with the game number, date,
ticket code, choices and the amount of the bet. It is the
player's responsibility to compare the computer-generated
ticket to their original copy in the event of a discrepancy.
Once the keno game is ready to start, betting will be cut
off. When the 20 randomly drawn numbers are put up on the
keno boards, players compare their ticket with the numbers
displayed for the game played.
Multi-race keno allows multiple games to be
played on one keno ticket. Most casinos allow anywhere from
two to 20 games in a row, but some offer up to 1,000. The
keno writer or runner must be told that a multi-race ticket
is wanted. At the conclusion of the last game selected, players
bring their multi-game ticket to the counter and claim their
winnings from all the games played.
Also realize that if you are a winner
at keno, you must cash in your winning ticket before the next
game begins. If you are playing more than one game on a ticket,
you don't have to collect until after the last game has been
called but before the next game after that begins. The exception
to this rule is if you are playing from 21 - 1000 games (this
can vary from casino to casino). When you place bets for this
many keno games, you have up to one year to collect. Before
assuming this is true at the casino you are playing, be sure
to ask a keno employee for assistance.
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