1. Keno Slot Machine Odds Ncaa Basketball
2. Keno Slot Machine Odds Jackpot

Keno can be very versatile in terms of pay table and house edge. Also, it depends largely on the maximum number of spots that players can choose and attempt to 'hit' or 'catch'. It is typically limited to 10, 12 or 15 numbers (spots), but it can also be 20 numbers right away. One thing is always the same, there are 20 winning numbers drawn out of the total 80. Let us put the most typical 10-Spot Keno variation under the microscope and follow some concrete calculations.

This web page is a follow-up to the general Keno rules. Of course you can find there some interesting calculations as well. This time we pick up the most typical Keno variation with 10 spots. Thus the top prize is paid out if a player manages to guess 10 numbers out of the 20 numbers drawn.

The odds of winning at keno do not favor the player, but that's to be expected from any casino game. With keno, however, the house edge is one of the worst around. On average, the casino has a 25% to 29% advantage over the player, compared to 0.46% on video poker or 2% to 15% on slots. The Keno game offers some of the worst odds in any casino, to the point that the game is virtually guaranteed to be, at best, a slow way to lose all of your money. If you want a better chance to win at Keno spend your time with an online game rather than a live casino game.

Having chosen a Ten Spot Keno game, we can now calculate all the true odds and probabilities that are valid for this type of game. We will also use some model or possible pay table, which is the last element to enable us calculate the house edge (based on this model pay table). As the pay tables vary from casino to casino, so does the house edge.

A Model Paytable

Keno Slot Machine Odds Ncaa Basketball

Let us start with the pay table. Table 1 shows the payout ratios (the multiples) for all combinations of spots and successful hits. If you e.g. tried to catch 10 numbers and succeeded to hit them all, you would receive $200,000 for a $1 ticket. If you were less successful and hit 'only' 9 of 10, the win would be $10,000 and so on. You can see that if you attempted to hit 10 to 6 numbers and hit no number, your bet would be returned.

The color key is simple. The payouts in green are winning, those in bright red are losing. The same logic is used for the remaining tables related to probability, odds and house edge as well.

Table 1 – A model 10-spot Keno pay table

Note: The model pay table was actually borrowed from the Czech lottery game Šťastných 10 (meaning 'Lucky 10' in English), which is virtually a ten spot Keno game that fits perfectly for our needs. The calculations of odds and probabilities below are 100% valid for any ten spot Keno game. The model pay table will also be used demonstrate the calculation of the house edge (see Table 4, but let us not skip over).

Ten Spot Keno Probabilities & Odds

The probabilities for all combinations of spots and hits are shown at the Table 2. It is a very valuable source of information. First of all, as always, the total of probabilities in a column must equal one (or 100% if you like). Then you can see, which outcomes are the most probable. For instance if you chose to catch 10 numbers, the most probable outcome would be hitting 2 numbers out of 10 (0.2953 or 29.53% to be exact).

You can also sum up the green values in a column to arrive at a winning (or actually 'not losing' probability, because if you manage to catch zero numbers your bet will only be returned), in case of the 10-spot ticket it is 0.1105 or 11.05%. Now you can sum up the red values or deduct the winning probability from 1 or 100% and you get the probability to lose 0.8895 or 88.95%.

Table 2 – Ten spot Keno probabilities

For an exhibit we can calculate the probability of the least probable outcome, that is to catch all 10 numbers out of 10 (please note that for space purposes there are only 7 digits displayed in the Table 2). We already know that probability can be defined as the number of positive possibilities (the nominator) divided the total number of possibilities (the denominator).

It is easier to determine all possibilities (combinations) – they are the same for all-spot Keno games. We may use the Excel function =COMBIN(80,20) and get the result of 3,535,316,142,212,180,000 combinations (the denominator). To calculate the number of all winning possibilities is a bit harder as we have to catch 10 numbers out of 10, but there are 20 winning numbers drawn out of 80. Thus, with the use of Excel, the nominator is the following: =COMBIN(10,10)*COMBIN(80-10,20-10) = 396,704,524,216.

Now we can put it together and calculate the probability to get the top prize in ten spot Keno. That is so close to zero that it is almost impossible:

396,704,524,216 ÷ 3,535,316,142,212,180,000 = 0.000000112211895134156 or 0.0000112211895134156%.

You may think that the standalone probabilities in the Table 2 are not enough to decide whether they are that good or that bad. And you would be right. They need to be matched with the payouts. That is the only fair way to assess it and that is actually how the house edge is being calculated. But let us not jump forward.

First we can have a look at Table 3, the odds. They are just another and perhaps better-arranged presentation of the probabilities (the relation is: Odds = One divided Probability).

Table 3 – Ten spot Keno odds or the probability in the format '1 in ...'

10-Spot Keno House Edge

The calculation of house edge in ten spot Keno is simpler as it seems. We will determine it based on the concept of expected value. We will take the net payouts from the Table 4 and the probabilities from the Table 2. The procedure to arrive at the expected outcome is as follows: the net payouts are simply multiplied (weighted) by the probabilities and added up.

Table 4 – Ten spot Keno net payouts (considering the $1 invested in the game)

Let us take e.g. a ten spot column as an example and suppose we bet a dollar. We may win $199,999 netto with the probability 0.000000112211895134156, so the partial expected outcome is 199,999 × 0.000000112211895134156 = approx. 0.0224 (see the coordinates 10×10 in the Table 5). Now we slide a row down, that is to hitting 9 out of 10 and the net win $9,999 with the probability 0.0000061 and the next partial expected outcome is approx. 0.0612 (due to rounding) and so on. Then we add up all partial results and get the value –0.5016 or –50.16%. That is quite high compared to Craps for instance (<2%).

Table 5 – Ten spot Keno house edge

The expected outcome for a player is negative. It is no surprise as it is the essence of all gambling and lottery games. House gets what a player loses—that is where the house edge comes from. Thus if you played 10 spot Keno with this pay table (Table 1), then, in the long run, you would likely lose about 50 cents per each dollar wagered in the game.

It is needed to highlight, however, that the expected value is related to the long-term period and that it does not mean that you could not be lucky enough to win the top prize with your first Keno ticket. It is just a lottery. You mostly lose, but if you win it is usually worth it.

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Some experts like to say that there is no keno strategy, this is not true. There is always a way to get an edge in any game no matter how small. It may not generally be considered the sexiest game in the world of gambling, but keno has millions of devoted enthusiasts. And why not? It’s a consistently thrilling lottery-style game that’s easy to learn, readily available in a number of different formats, and one that can yield mega-dollars for those who master its many subtle intricacies. But let’s deal with the basics here.

When describing keno to beginners, some gambling experts compare it to bingo. This is at least partially apt, in that both are essentially numerical. Yet to take that comparison too far would be to underestimate the many unique traits that make keno so compelling. Unlike bingo, keno players have the freedom to choose the numbers for each card.

How to Play keno

1. You decide how much you wish to bet on a particular round, and how many numbers you wish to choose. You can choose between 1 and 20 numbers, the payouts vary depending on how many numbers you pick and how many of them get drawn.
2. You now get to pick your numbers as you would if you were playing a Lottery. As with most Lotteries, many sites will give you an option to get the numbers picked for you at random. The numbers in Keno go from 1 to 80.
3. The game now starts and 20 of the 80 numbers are chosen at random.
4. If one of your numbers is picked, this is known as a ‘Catch’. You get paid depending on the number of Catches you get during the game.

Example
In the example free play game above, you start with $1,000 free credits. You can change the value of each game, this can be from $0.01 to $10.00. Click on Quick Pick and 10 numbers will be randomly chosen. You can change these if you wish, remove some or add more. Note that each time you add or remove a number, the paytable changes, both in terms of the minimum number of ‘catches’ you need to receive a payout and the level of each payout.

Once you are happy, click either Play 1 to play 1 game with those numbers, Play 5 to play 5 consecutive games with those numbers, or Play 10 to play 10 games with them. Remember that each game will cost you the same amount, so if you choose $1 per game and then Play 5, you will pay $5 – 5 games X $1 per game.

You will then see 20 numbers of the 80 get drawn at random, these will be marked off on the main game area with a red cross, and that you have will be marked off with a yellow square and will show on the right-hand side.
After each game, all winnings will get paid automatically into your balance and once all games have been played, you can start again.

Keno Payouts

The payouts for Keno differ from casino to casino, so ensure you look around to get the best payout if Keno is your game of choice.

A standard payout structure is shown below (all amounts are payouts to 1):

Keno Odds

When playing a 20 spot game, so you choose 20 of the 80 numbers available, the odds are as follows:

The odds of picking 0 correct numbers is around 1 in 843

The odds of picking 1 correct number out of 20 is around 1 in 86

The odds of picking 2 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 20

The odds of picking 3 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 8

The odds of picking 4 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 4.8

The odds of picking 5 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 4.2

The odds of picking 6 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 5.2

The odds of picking 7 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 8.8

The odds of picking 8 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 20

The odds of picking 9 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 61

The odds of picking 10 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 253

The odds of picking 11 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,423

The odds of picking 12 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 10,968

The odds of picking 13 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 118,084

The odds of picking 14 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,821,881

The odds of picking 15 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 41,751,453

The odds of picking 16 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 1,496,372,110

The odds of picking 17 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 90,624,035,964

The odds of picking 18 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 10,512,388,171,906

The odds of picking 19 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 2,946,096,785,176,811

The odds of picking 20 correct numbers out of 20 is around 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,173,800

The odds of getting all 20 numbers are a virtually impossible one in over 3.5 quintillions! As you can win by selecting significantly fewer numbers though, there are good returns to be had if your luck is in. As a result, when playing Keno, it is important to research the paytable to ensure you are getting the best possible returns for guessing between 2 and 8 numbers correctly as these are the payouts that you are most likely to win.

Keno Strategy

There is no magical Keno strategy that will guarantee you a win but there are many tips you will learn here to give you the best possible odds.

Although you can win higher amounts if you pick more numbers, the odds of winning reduce as you need more Catches in order to win.

As the numbers are chosen using a Random Number Generator, each of the 80 numbers has just as much chance as the others of being drawn, there will always be some Players who have numbers that they consider to be lucky though.

Generally speaking, the odds in Keno are about the same as those in Slots. There are better games with a higher chance of winning than Keno.

Keno cards have a total of 80 numbers, but the player is granted an additional level of personal responsibility by being able to choose as many (or as few) numbers as he or she desires. And it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out how to fill out a card: all you do is a circle or otherwise mark each of your chosen numbers with a good old #2 pencil as you used back in school (assuming you were born before the computer age). If this is the case, fear not. Keno does not discriminate against anyone’s age.

Once you’ve selected your numbers, carry the card back to the clerk at the keno booth. The clerk will record those numbers and then hand you a receipt. Don’t lose this (potentially) valuable piece of paper! Even if the clerk remembers your face and would like to help out, without a winning receipt in hand you will collect precisely $.00 for your efforts.

OK, so there you have tip #1: always be sure to keep your keno receipt. Let’s move on to something a bit more complex, shall we?

Once you’ve picked your numbers, settle into a comfy keno booth and watch the action unfold on big a video monitor. That’s where the winning numbers show up in lights. If you’ve got winners, mark your card accordingly. Be sure not to dally, or sit there congratulating yourself for an obnoxious length of time. You need to get back to the keno booth to redeem your winnings, as a new drawing will probably start within five minutes.

Tip #2: always get back to the booth on time!

Keno Slot Machine Odds Jackpot

Assuming you don’t trust yourself to beat that five-minute margin every time, you always retain the option of purchasing a “multi-race” ticket. These include the same set of your chosen numbers anywhere from 2 to 20 tickets. When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, you can then get off your butt and go redeem your winnings.

Yet an additional option is known as a “stray and play” ticket, which usually lets you make number choices for 30 games or more. Heck, you can take an ocean cruise and not have to worry about getting back to port in time to redeem your numbers. Most “stray and play” tickets are good for up to a whole year after purchase!

So now you know a few essential strategies for winning keno. If you are an experienced player, they may seem stupidly obvious. But it never hurts to brush up on the fundamentals, and if you are a new player, every bit of information will help make your keno experience more enjoyable.

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