Real Keno
Play real money keno in 2021. Check out the top 10 casinos for keno online. Find out what casinos offer the best bonuses and how to play keno. Real money Keno is something that every person who loves playing casino games should experience since it offers a unique atmosphere which is nothing like Bingo or traditional lottery games. The fact that more numbers are drawn than players select adds a layer of suspense to the game and increases your chances to win great cash prizes. Most online casinos offer both free to play keno games and real money keno games. While playing real money keno games is definitely a lot more exciting, it is always good to get warmed up playing a few free to play keno games.
Multi-Card Keno is available online in free play mode and real money mode, and many consider it the most advanced variation of the popular keno lottery-based gameplay. You can try your luck by switching among various sets of numbers or playing the same numbers on each individual card at the same time. Online Keno for Real Money FAQ. Keno is a pretty easy game but playing online is sometimes new to even experienced fans. Below we cover some of the most frequently asked questions we get at OUSC regarding real money Keno at online casinos.
On This Page
Introduction
Note: The page addresses the conventional keno game, known as Spot Keno, where the player picks 1 to 20 numbers from 1 to 80 and the game draws 20 balls. There are links to keno variants towards the bottom of the page.
Keno is a simple game of luck, much like most lottery games, where the player chooses numbers and hope as many as possible match those randomly drawn by a hopper or machine. The simple form with no multipliers or extra balls is called Spot Keno and is addressed on this page. See the Internal Links section below for many keno variants.
There are two formats for playing keno: live and video. In live keno, the player uses a crayon and paper to indicate his picks. Every few minutes numbers will be a live draw from a hopper filled with numbered balls. In video keno, the player touches a screen, sometimes using a wand, to pick numbers and the machine does the draw randomly.
Like most games of pure luck, the odds in keno are pretty poor. Keep reading to learn more about the rules and how much you can expect to lose on the game.
Rules
Following are the rules for basic keno:
- The player makes a wager and indicates which numbers he wishes to pick. The picks are made on a slip of paper in live keno and by touching the screen in video keno. The range of numbers the player may pick from is 1 to 80.
- The number of picks the player may make depends on the game itself. Usually the range is 2 to 10 or 1 to 15.
- The game will randomly choose 20 out of 80 balls.
- If the game chooses a number the player chose that is known as a 'catch.' The player is paid according to the number of balls he catchs.
Examples
Following are some common video keno pay tables found mostly on Game Maker machines. The bottom row shows the expected return.
Pay Table 1
| Catch | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 40 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 400 | 49 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 6 | 1,000 | 275 | 40 | 40 | 25 | ||||
| 7 | 2,500 | 500 | 400 | 120 | |||||
| 8 | 5,000 | 1,000 | 500 | ||||||
| 9 | 5,000 | 2,000 | |||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | ||||||||
| Return | 86.08% | 84.66% | 85.97% | 85.79% | 84.96% | 85.33% | 84.57% | 84.25% | 86.43% |
Pay Table 2
| Catch | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 100 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 800 | 92 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 6 | 1500 | 348 | 112 | 47 | 28 | ||||
| 7 | 7760 | 1500 | 352 | 140 | |||||
| 8 | 8000 | 4700 | 1000 | ||||||
| 9 | 9000 | 4800 | |||||||
| 10 | 10000 | ||||||||
| Return | 84.18% | 83.25% | 86.14% | 85.31% | 85.21% | 85.31% | 84.17% | 84.87% | 86.72% |
| Hit frequency | 6.01% | 15.26% | 25.89% | 9.67% | 16.16% | 23.66% | 10.23% | 15.31% | 6.47% |
Pay Table 3
| Catch | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | 43 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| 4 | 77 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | |||
| 5 | 750 | 55 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 5 | ||||
| 6 | 1,600 | 335 | 98 | 40 | 21 | |||||
| 7 | 7,000 | 1,450 | 300 | 142 | ||||||
| 8 | 10,000 | 4,700 | 1,000 | |||||||
| 9 | 9,000 | 4,000 | ||||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | |||||||||
| Return | 75.00% | 90.19% | 87.41% | 87.74% | 88.06% | 88.02% | 87.68% | 89.07% | 87.57% | 88.80% |
Pay Table 4
| Catch | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 45 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 85 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 804 | 68 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 5 | |||
| 6 | 1,500 | 390 | 98 | 44 | 23 | ||||
| 7 | 7,000 | 1,550 | 300 | 132 | |||||
| 8 | 10,000 | 4,700 | 1,000 | ||||||
| 9 | 10,000 | 4,500 | |||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | ||||||||
| Return | 84.18% | 90.19% | 90.19% | 90.33% | 90.76% | 90.85% | 90.67% | 89.93% | 89.79% |
Pay Table 5
| Catch | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | 46 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| 4 | 91 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | |||
| 5 | 810 | 70 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 5 | ||||
| 6 | 1,600 | 400 | 98 | 44 | 24 | |||||
| 7 | 7,000 | 1,652 | 335 | 142 | ||||||
| 8 | 10,000 | 4,700 | 1,000 | |||||||
| 9 | 10,000 | 4,500 | ||||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | |||||||||
| Return | 75.00% | 90.19% | 91.58% | 92.03% | 91.93% | 92.67% | 92.44% | 92.31% | 92.00% | 92.55% |
Pay Table 6
| Catch | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 37 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 64 | 28 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 5 | 170 | 62 | 33 | 30 | 8 | 2 | |||
| 6 | 300 | 175 | 70 | 65 | 36 | ||||
| 7 | 325 | 250 | 178 | 115 | |||||
| 8 | 350 | 325 | 225 | ||||||
| 9 | 375 | 300 | |||||||
| 10 | 400 | ||||||||
| Return | 90.19% | 92.96% | 92.77% | 92.72% | 92.66% | 92.64% | 92.62% | 92.66% | 92.69% |
Pay Table 7
| Catch | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | 48 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| 4 | 100 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | |||
| 5 | 838 | 75 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 5 | ||||
| 6 | 1,660 | 422 | 100 | 44 | 24 | |||||
| 7 | 7,000 | 1,670 | 362 | 146 | ||||||
| 8 | 10,000 | 4,700 | 1,000 | |||||||
| 9 | 10,000 | 4,500 | ||||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | |||||||||
| Return | 75.00% | 90.19% | 94.35% | 94.78% | 94.95% | 94.99% | 94.92% | 94.90% | 93.60% | 93.20% |
Real Keno Play Online
The following Pay Table 8 I saw on a 25¢ Aristocrat video poker game at Binion's Las Vegas on October 13, 2019.
Pay Table 8
| Catch | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 | Pick 5 | Pick 6 | Pick 7 | Pick 8 | Pick 9 | Pick 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | 45 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | |
| 4 | 85 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | ||
| 5 | 804 | 68 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 5 | |||
| 6 | 1,500 | 390 | 98 | 44 | 23 | ||||
| 7 | 7,000 | 1,550 | 300 | 135 | |||||
| 8 | 10,000 | 4,800 | 1,000 | ||||||
| 9 | 10,000 | 4,500 | |||||||
| 10 | 10,000 | ||||||||
| Return | 90.19% | 90.19% | 90.19% | 90.33% | 90.76% | 90.85% | 90.67% | 90.26% | 90.28% |
Surveys
In 2001 I did a survey of every live keno casino game in Las Vegas. The returns ranged from 65% to 80%. In other words, the house edge was 20% to 35%, making live keno among the worst bets you can make in Las Vegas.
In 2012 I did a similar survey of live keno in Laughlin, which showed a range of return of 50% to 74%.
In 2008 I did a survey of video keno in San Diego. The returns ranged from 84% to 95%.
In 2017 I redid my Las Vegas video keno survey, which can be found at Wizard of Vegas.
Advice
If you must play keno, the only skill is choosing where to play to play and then how many numbers to choose. It makes no difference which numbers you choose. Contrary to popular myth, legitimate keno games, like those in Las Vegas, are fair and every ball has a 1 in 80 chance of being drawn each game. To determine the odds of any keno game you can use my keno calculator. Just put in the pay table and you will see how much you can expect to get back every bet.
However, I tend to think anybody who would take the trouble to analyze the game is probably not playing it in the first place. The odds in video keno are about as bad as slot machines. If you want to lose a lot less money gambling I would highly recommend converting to video poker. For live keno players, I would suggest converting to bingo.
Practice Game
Get your keno fix right here on my practice game.
Calculators
We have calculators to determine the payback for any pay table for the following keno games:
- Keno.
- Power Keno/Super Keno.
- Cleopatra Keno.
- Caveman Keno.
- Caveman Keno Plus.
- Triple Power Keno.
- Extra Draw.
Scouting Guide
When you're in the casino it would take a long time to put in every pay table through my many calculators above to determine the best game to play. That is why I created two printer-friendly guides you can print out and take with you:
- My Keno Scouting Guide is a short reference to the best available game for any pay table for all the most popular forms of keno. Each game has a table showing the possible pick-10 pay tables available and the best number of picks for that game and its return. See the last page of the guide for a full explanation how to use it.
- My Full Pay Table Report is a longer guide showing every known pay table for all the major keno games and their associated return. For those who want to know the return for any number of picks, not just the best number (which the Keno Scouting Guide provides).
For a printer-friendly document showing keno pay tables and returns for several major keno games please see my Keno Scouting Guide (PDF). Perfect for printing and taking to the casino to find the best game and pay table available.
Popular Keno Variants
- Caveman Keno.
- Triple Trouble Keno.
- Power Keno.
- Super Keno.
- Extra Draw Keno (three extra balls).
- Ultimate X Keno.
- Book of Keno.
- Alien Attack Keno.
Internal Links
- Las Vegas Hilton keno games.
- Atlantic City Tropicana keno.
- Jumbo Keno Progressive/Mega 10 — Progressive keno games found at Station Casinos of Las Vegas.
- Progressive keno games at the Boyd and Station casinos.
- Nevada numbers — a progressive lottery game.
- High/Low/Middle Keno — keno game seen at the Lisboa in Macau.
- Extra Draw Keno (two extra balls).
- Jumbo Keno Progressive — kenogame at the Station Casinos.
- Laughlin keno survey.
- Keno sums — Math behind the sum of all 20 balls drawn
Keno games by U1 Gaming
Following are keno games by U1 Gaming.
External Links
- German translation of this keno page.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
What is the first game that comes to mind when you think of an online casino? Blackjack, maybe? Or slot machines? Well, it’s one of those hyped and extremely popular casino games. But it’s not keno.
Real Keno Online Gambling
The thing is, keno is certainly not as popular as, say, slots. But does it mean that this lottery is worse than the popular games? Of course, it doesn’t. Keno is a very cool, interesting, and exciting game, and we are sure that you just can’t miss it, especially if you like lotteries or random number games. But of course, you can’t start playing it for real money right away (especially if you’re not a pro keno player) because playing the game without knowing its rules is the fastest way to lose your deposit.
The best online casinos for instant play keno
List of free keno to play for fun
Keno 80In such a case, it’s free online keno games that come to help. Free keno casino games have a similar interface and the same gameplay as their real money counterparts have — and that’s not all. Here, we’ll tell you everything about free keno — we’ll talk about the rules, about the gameplay, about the different types of this game, and we’ll also tell you all the most useful tips. Oh, and of course, we’ll answer all your questions and show you the list of the best free keno games — so don’t waste your time, read this short article, and become a keno expert!
Free keno: rules
As we’ve said, keno is a lottery game, so its rules are not too complicated. First, you select 4-10 numbers between 1 and 80 — when you choose the number, it’s called “spot”. The minimum bet is usually 1-5 cents, and of course, there are also lots of options for the high rollers. Higher bets mean higher payouts, but be careful, because you’ll also lose more if you use max bets. The game process is divided into “races” or rounds — lots of casinos offer the multi-race games, so the number of races can be quite high.
The main problem of Keno is that there are 80 numbers and the chances to hit one of them is only 0.25%. As we’ve just said, you can only select 10 (or sometimes 15) numbers — so your chances to win are quite low. The average house of edge in keno is 30% — just compare this number with, say, 1.5% for blackjack or 0.5-5% for video poker. That’s why playing keno for real money makes sense only if you are a big fan of this game. If you are not, we highly recommend trying free online keno — yes, you will not win anything, but on the other hand, you won’t lose your money!
Different types of the game
There are lots of different types of this game, but the rules are always similar. The main differences are related to the bonuses and the number of combinations available for the players. Let’s be more detailed.
Power Keno. It has one additional rule: if the 20th ball matches one of the numbers on your ticket, your winnings are multiplied by 4. It sounds like a great option for those who play for real money, doesn’t it?
Super Keno has the same rules as Power Keno, but with one small difference: it’s not the 20th ball that multiplies your winnings by 4, it’s the very first one.
Combination and Way Keno. These two games allow you to select groups and a combination of numbers to get higher chances to win. All the other rules are similar to all the other types of this game. When you play keno, the way tickets allow you to make multiple bets and to group your spots. The online version works in the same way as the offline version — you can bet on different groups and multiply your winnings.
Video keno. Have you heard about video poker or video slots? The thing is, video keno is just another slot machine. It’s an extremely simple single-player video game — if you are one of the slot fans, you’ll definitely like this type of game. Of course, all the rules are completely the same.
What else to know?
We believe that you should know everything about the game before you start playing it, especially if we’re talking about playing for real money. Here, you’ll find 3 top facts you must know about this game!
Fact #1: This game is completely random
As we’ve already said, keno is very similar to, say, slot machines — there is a random number generator that generates the results, and you can not influence its work. That’s why we can safely say that there are no strategies that work in 100% of cases. What’s more, there are no keno strategies at all — that’s how all the random games work.
Fact #2: However, there are “hot” and “cold” numbers
But still, millions of players believe that some numbers are better than others and that they are “luckier”. That’s why some numbers are drawn more often than others — but as we’ve just said, keno is about random numbers only. So you can use this hot numbers strategy or you can ignore it — the result depends on random number generator only.
Fact #3: You should try free keno
Lots of people love playing this game for real money, that’s a fact and we can’t deny it. However, we also can’t deny the fact that this game is not the best for the real money players. It has extremely high odds, low payouts, etc, etc.
But it’s still a very fun and exciting game — and we know how to make it even better. We highly recommend playing free keno games — you can’t lose money playing them, you don’t have to make a deposit to play them, and you don’t even have to create an account to try them. What’s more, free online keno games are available for both PC and mobile users — so if you want to play on your smartphone, you can do it right now. How? Just choose the game from the list of the most interesting free keno games, open the game page, and start playing — and yes, it’s as simple as it sounds!
FAQ
📌 Where can I play keno for free?
Right here! The UCE experts have found the most interesting free keno games, and now they are ready to present the list of these games to you. All the most popular types of this game are available on this page — and they all are completely free!
📌 How to play keno for free online?
It’s extremely simple: free games don’t require download and deposit. What’s more, the absolute majority of these games don’t even require registration — so you can choose the one you like most right here, click on it, and start playing right away. Interested? Then don’t waste your time and try them all, it’s 100% free!
📌 Where can I find an online casino for free play keno?
There are lots of such casinos because keno is an extremely popular game. It makes sense that you’re looking for the best casinos — and they all are waiting for you here. The UCE have found only the safest casinos with a perfect reputation — and of course, all these casinos obtain the RNG certificates.