Keno Guide for Beginners

Keno is a lottery-style game that often flies under the radar for many players. It's a staple in numerous online casinos and operates much like bingo. Players select between one and ten numbers from a grid featuring numbers 1 to 80. Your winnings depend on how many of your chosen numbers match those drawn. Our team of casino game experts is here to guide you on how to play Keno. With a bit of practice, you can sharpen your Keno skills and potentially reap the rewards of a winning ticket.

A Quick Keno History

Keno is a betting game that has found its way across the globe, including Asia, South Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Its roots are believed to be in China, where it was originally known as "baige piao" or "pai-ko p'iao," meaning "white pigeon ticket." The game evolved from a bidding contest that involved homing pigeons. When playing Chinese Keno, participants would choose a few distinct characters from the "Book of a Thousand Characters" (or "Qianziwen"), a revered text over 2,000 years old.

Some accounts suggest that General Cheung Leung invented Keno during the Han Dynasty battles to generate funds for building the Great Wall of China and to support Chinese soldiers in their conflict against Northern invaders. At the time, lotteries were outlawed, so players would use the names of racing horses in place of numbers.

Keno's popularity surged in the United States, especially in Reno, Nevada, after its arrival from China in 1933. The name "Keno" itself is thought to originate from the French word "quine" and the Latin word "quini," both referring to a set of five lucky numbers for each player. This fusion of terms likely led to the game's current American name.

In 1951, Nevada amended its regulations to officially permit Keno as a legal lottery-style game. Today, Keno remains a popular form of entertainment, centred around the thrill of guessing winning numbers.

The Basics of Playing Keno for South African Players

Keno is a beloved lottery-style gambling game commonly found in modern online casinos and sometimes offered in state lotteries. Here's a straightforward guide on how South African players can get started:

⭐️ Choose Your Numbers: In Keno, you pick numbers from a pool that typically ranges from 1 to 80. The number of selections can differ, but usually, you can choose between 1 to 10 or even 20 numbers.

⭐️ Place Your Bet: Once you've selected your numbers, you place your wager. The bet amount often has minimum and maximum limits set by the casino or lottery provider.

⭐️ The Draw: The game proceeds with a random draw of a set number of winning numbers, which often totals 20.

⭐️ Check for Wins: You win if a certain number of your chosen numbers match the winning numbers drawn. The more matches you have, the bigger the prize. Payouts vary based on your number of picks, how many you've matched, and the specific betting rules of the Keno game you're playing.

⭐️ Frequency of Games: In casinos, Keno games often run every few minutes. State lotteries, on the other hand, might have draws that occur daily or weekly.

⭐️ Odds and Strategies: The odds of hitting all your Keno numbers are quite substantial, which is why it's generally viewed as a game of pure chance. There isn't a proven strategy that can significantly boost your winning chances, as the number draws are entirely random.

Remember, like all forms of gambling, Keno should be played responsibly. It's crucial for players in South Africa to be aware of the odds and understand that it's a game that relies more on luck than on skill.

How to Play Keno — A Step-by-Step Guide for South Africans

One of the most popular ways of enjoying this lottery game is to play Keno online. Here's a handy guide to how to play keno.

1. Find and join a reliable online casino. Check out sites like LottoRanker and CasinoRank for information, and sign up in no time. You can play keno online by starting a game you enjoy.
2. Have your number picked up on the virtual keno card. It's up to you whether you want to click them or utilize auto-pick. Depending on the game, you'll be able to select anywhere from two to twenty of the possible options from a selection of one to 80. Let's say you want to play keno and pick ten random numbers as your spots.
3. Set your bets. You can adjust your bet using the buttons usually found at the bottom of the page. In most games, this runs between $50 and $5. If you're just getting started, a single dollar is a great beginning point. Some games may include a multiplier option.
4. Play a game. Start the game by clicking the "Play" or "Draw" option. A Random Number Generator (RNG) selects 20 numbers and highlights them on the online keno card. There are keno games where you can start several full rounds.
5. Verify the results. If you match a certain amount, you win a prize. In some games, you may win between 1x and 10.000x on your stake for three matched numbers. Each variation of Keno has its own set of odds and rewards.

Odds in Keno

• Picking the Correct Numbers: The probability of hitting all of your numbers in Keno is extremely low. For example, if you pick 6 numbers, the odds of all 6 being drawn are about 1 in 7,752. The more numbers you pick, the longer the odds, reaching astronomical levels very quickly.
• Frequency of Hits: The odds of hitting a certain number of your picks also vary greatly. For instance, hitting just 1 number out of 6 selected might have reasonable odds, while hitting 5 out of 6 will be much less likely.
• Overall Odds: Each casino or lottery has its own paytable, which dictates the odds and payouts for different scenarios. It's important to familiarize yourself with these before playing.

Here's a table that breaks down your chances of winning based on the total number of hits:

Keno Strategies & Tips

If you want to learn how to win keno games more frequently, find a keno game strategy that might be beneficial. Here are the best keno online tips and methods for increasing your chances of winning.

1. Choose the Games with the Highest Payouts

Always look for the keno games with the biggest prizes. It's only natural to want to maximize your chances of winning with the stakes you're willing to place.

You may believe keno prices are the same, but that's rarely the fact. Evaluate the game's rewards before starting.

If you're looking for higher rewards, you should try an online casino instead of a brick-and-mortar one. So, if this is your primary goal when playing keno, it's best to play Keno online.

2. Don't Pick More than Eight Numbers

Picking between four and eight numbers is widely recognized as the optimal keno game strategy by gambling gurus. The best possible odds are found within this range, as shown in the table above.

The term "keno" means "five winning numbers" in its French origins, which may provide some insight as to why picking numbers between that range is the best strategy: the sweet spot between odds ranges from four to eight. Choose too many or too few numbers and your odds of winning decrease dramatically.

3. Don't Strive to Gain an Advantage

There is nothing you can do to lower the house advantage in a keno game, which is famously high. As there is no real guide on how to play a keno game that will give you an edge or deploy a secret strategy to gain an advantage, you should be wary of anybody claiming otherwise.

So, take this not as a keno game strategy on what to do to improve your odds, but rather as advice on what not to do.

Don't try to learn any special methods or exploits, because doing so will distract you from finding a useful keno game strategy such as the ones discussed above.

4. Practice your Keno Game Strategy Online for Free

While there may not be a certain way to improve your keno skills, playing the game online for free will let you find the right keno game strategy for you.

This advice is especially useful for amateurs, since you should ensure that you grasp all of the game's mechanics before gambling for real money. You may play keno online in free demo modes in many online casinos.

Even while keno isn't a very difficult game, it's still a good idea to get some free practice before betting for any cash.

Before applying any keno strategy, always check country-specific rules and limits, as game availability, maximum payouts, and even access to free demo play can vary by jurisdiction—and in some markets such as Pakistan lotto casinos online, certain keno games or real-money play may be restricted or unavailable.

Final Thoughts

You now have a good understanding of how to play keno, thanks to our comprehensive guide. Are you ready to put your newfound knowledge into practice and play with your ideal keno numbers? Your lucky numbers may have some connection to significant events in your life, or they may be based on the numbers that have been drawn most frequently in the game of keno. The bottom line is that you are now well-prepared to play keno online at a top casino.