Keno

Keno is a game that has many variations associated with it, depending on where you play. The most popular version has one or more people playing against the house. A player picks a set of numbers (usually 1 to 20 different numbers) that they believe will be drawn from a range of numbers, usually in the 1 to 80 range. After selecting the the required number of numbers, the number of matched numbers drawn by the house determines whether or not you win, and how much you win. The more of your numbers that match, the more cash you win. Plain and simple.

Payouts will vary across casinos. A typical example payout scheme is as follows:

Let's assume that you pick 5 numbers. In this scenario, you will usually have to hit 3 numbers to be able to qualify for any cash prize. Assuming that you hit 3 numbers, the odds are typically paid back to you at 3-to-1. If you were lucky enough to match 4 of 5 numbers, you would typically be paid back at the odds of close to 26-to-1. If you accomplished the herculean task of matching all 5 numbers, you would typically be paid at odds close to 330-to-1. Keno is popular for this reason - you can win a large amount in one shot, which differs from the slower bankroll accumulation issues associated with the games of Craps or Blackjack. If you play a Keno game that requires you to choose more than 5 numbers, you will obviously have to proportionnaly match more numbers before you win any cash prizes.

There are other Keno variations that allow for the choice of combination or "way" tickets. Basically, a "way" ticket permits a player to group different numbers, where each group has the same number of numbers. This creates more possibilities for winning. These combination offers no direct advantage to the player, but allows them to play more tickets in a single drawing of numbers. Every casino has its variations on this theme.