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Keno Rules - Learning to Make Keno Work for You

Keno rules aren't difficult to pick up. It's a very simple and easy to understand game. Keno is very similar to a lottery - you mark numbers on the keno ticket and you wait for the outcome. Keno games present you a choice to win large sums of money in return for low wagers.

How To Use The Keno Tickets

First of all, you need to get a keno ticket. In keno lounges you can find keno tickets on every table just waiting to be picked up by players. If you're moving around the casino you can ask the casino's employees and they would point you to a place where you can get a keno ticket. After you gained one, which is also referred as a Master Keno ticket, you can get down to the business of learning keno rules.

First, mark your chosen numbers on your ticket with big Xs. Land based casinos offer you crayons in keno lounges for free. Use these instead of pens or pencils. According to keno rules, standard tickets have 80 numbers, from "1" to "80". It doesn't matter which numbers you pick, but you cannot pick more than 20 numbers in one keno ticket.

Each casino has its specific keno rules, but the essence is the same. The more numbers you mark, the more you will win if they match. The less numbers you mark, the likier you are to win, but the less money you will win. Common sense keno rules dicate your best odds of winning are to mark three to eight "spots."

After you know how many numbers you want to play, pick them by marking them on the card. It doesn't matter how you pick them. Any number is just as likely to hit as another. Anyone that tells you different is not someone who can be trusted with keno rules or basic math and probability.

Keno tickets are named according to the amount of numbers you bet on. In keno rules, the numbers picked are called "spots" When you bet on two numbers the keno ticket is named "Two Spots", if you bet on five numbers the card would be called "Five Spots" and so on.

You can also write down how many games you want the ticket to be valid for. These are called multi-game tickets. For each game you pay the price of one ticket. If you play a $1 keno ticket and you want it to be playable for 5 rounds then it would cost you $5. Some casinos offer special payouts for multi-game tickets.

Keno Writers and Runners

A keno writer is the person who takes your completed ticket and gives you a computerized ticket as a receipt to claim your money if you win. Keno runners are people who walk around the casino and take your money and completed tickets for you to the keno writer so you are free to do other things in the casino. It is customary to tip them.

After you have marked all the appropriate spots on your keno ticket it is time to "register" it at the keno writer. If you're at a keno lounge, then go to the keno desk and hand the keno writer your master ticket and the amount of money specified on your keno ticket. Give him the cash plus the ticket and the keno writer would return you a duplicate ticket that serves you as a certificate and a receipt for acknowledgment. You will need this to claim your money if you win.

On your duplicate keno ticket you would notice few marks that weren't on your master ticket. On the duplicate ticket the time and date would be printed as well as a code number (this is used to validate your keno card in case you win). The round's number of the game would be also printed. Keno rules number each draw and call it a "Keno Race." Each Keno race has a number. This number will be on the board in the keno lounge, as well as on your ticket.

If you filled your ticket and you're not near the keno lounge you can give your ticket and your money to a keno runner. A keno runner is a casino employee that is responsible on moving around the casino and taking keno tickets from visitors, for clarifying keno rules, and for paying out wins.

Keno runners are make it possible for visitors to play keno and to enjoy other casino games at the same time. Las Vegas folklore is packed with stories about people who entered the casino for a quick drink, filled a keno ticket, gave it to a keno runner and just before they were finished with their drink they were informed that they had won thousands of dollars. If you want to play keno and enjoy other casino games or eat or drink or socialize at the same time then the keno runners would make it possible. Be sure if you are lucky enough to win to share it with the keno runners, who work very hard to please their customers.

The Keno Race

So, you filled your keno ticket, handed it and received a duplicate keno ticket and now it is time for the keno race (a keno round). There's little to do in keno but pick numbers. You cannot influence the game and there is no skill in the world that can bend keno odds to your favor. Just sit back, drink a free cocktail in the keno lounge, and enjoy as the keno race begins.

Before the keno race starts you can see the previous race's outcome - the drawn numbers would be lit on the screen that shows the game. This screen is called the "Keno Table". When the keno screen is empty it means that the next keno race is about to begin. If you haven't yet made your bet then it is too late to participate. After the keno table has been emptied, it begins. Numbers would be drawn one after the other and the results would be visible on the keno table. Pay attention to them and check to see if you matched enough spots to win.

If you won then do not waste your time - go right away to the keno desk and claim your winnings. Notice that unlike in lottery, in keno rules, you cannot hold your winning ticket. If you don't claim your prize a reasonable time after the keno race is over - you forfeit it. On all keno tickets you would find "winners are paid immediately after each keno race" printed on them. That is to prevent the game from being considered a regular lottery, because lotteries are illegal in Nevada. For the curious, the reason is because Nevada considers lotteries unfair games because the house advantage is so high. The California Lotto for example has a house advantage of 50%.

You don't have to play on one single keno ticket – you can play numerous keno tickets in one single keno race, there's no limits for how much you can bet in this casino game since you risk only small amount of cash in each keno race. Payoffs also may vary – a $1 keno ticket would pay less than a $5 keno ticket. Since you can play as many keno tickets as you want you can choose different combinations of numbers to mark on each keno ticket which adds to the fun of the game.

After the keno race is over you can check your keno ticket with "Punch Out" devices that are spread around the keno lounge and in other parts of the casino. A Punch Out device would punch holes in your ticket according to the drawn numbers. This device makes it easy for keno players to manage their tickets when they play more than one ticket-per-race.

Keno Rules - Wrapping Up

Keno gives you a genuine opportunity to win thousands of dollars for small bets, but do not get serious with this game as the odds for winning large sums of money are quite low. The chance for hitting each spot is 0.25% and the overall house edge of keno is about 30%. If you play keno for the money then you should think carefully. Keno rules permit good payoffs from small bets, but the liklihood of winning the big one is slim.

Most casinos offer keno tickets for $1, but you can find casinos that sell keno tickets for lower sums of 70 cents or 35 cents. Most of the time the minimum cost of keno tickets would be $1. That is all depending on each casino house keno rules. Online keno casinos may offer keno tickets for less than 50 cents. You can read about keno payouts in Rate Cards. These cards are obtainable for free in all keno lounges and inside them you can see how much you are likely to earn from a Two Spot ticket, a Five Spot ticket, a Ten Spot and so on.

How to Play Keno Summary

Edward O'Connor - News Reporter