March 23, 2023
Online Keno Variations

How Online Keno Games Vary

As a whole Keno is played the same way all over the world. But there are some minor differences that you have to take into consideration. Read about the most common variations below!

The differences between the online keno games fall under two types: firstly differences in the game rules, which depend upon the type of game software the site uses, and secondly differences between the policies and management of the casinos at which they are played.

In terms of the Keno game itself

The overall average payout rate. The better games pay out over 90% of your wagers over time. But some are pay back the same as a land-based video keno game – around 75%.

The payout schedules. All games display a payout schedule showing what you win for each of the numbers you match. Some offer a choice of schedules. Some payout for zero catches. And a small number offer schedules like the special tickets you’d find in a land-based casino eg ‘top & bottom’ wagers.

The jackpot. We’ve specifically compared the top payouts you might win for a $1 stake. The majority of sites have a jackpot of $10k-$15k. But you’ll find some casinos with much higher. A few casinos have a Progressive Jackpot.

The level of bets allowed. Typically $1-$10 per play. The lowest minimum we’ve seen is 25c, and the highest maximum $100. The number of spots allowed – usually either 10 or 15. One or two games allow only 8.

In terms of the casino as a whole

There are all sorts of factors which can differentiate online casinos. Some of the key ones are:

  • The reputation of the casino for honesty, good service and efficient payouts.
  • Whether they are properly licensed and regulated.
  • The type of customer support they provide – avoid any where you can’t get hold of someone to answer your queries 24 hours a day.
  • The bonuses and other promotions available. There are many different schemes. In most cases you get your bonuses once you start making cash deposits over a certain level, but some offer bonuses simply for registering and downloading the software. Watch out for clauses in the small print if you are attracted by sign-up bonuses.
  • The quality and reliability of their gaming software and website.
  • The range of games they offer in addition to the keno. Some casinos have over 100 different games, and many have poker rooms, arcade games and even bingo alongside the more traditional casino offerings.
  • The currency used for playing. Increasingly casinos are offering the option of playing in Euros or sterling as well as US$. Some offer other currencies.
  • Whether they have language options other than English.

Keno Variations In Summary

Putting all these factors together, we’ve chosen what we believe to be the very best casinos for keno. Find out who made it into The Keno Guide Top 10.

Keno Way Tickets

Keno Way Tickets

Keno “Way tickets” basically show several bets which are made by combining a given set of numbers in all possible ways.

Keno Way Tickets Guide

They are really just a convenient method of playing several bets at the same time. Way Tickets are more complex to complete then straight tickets. Here’s an example:

Say you pick 5 pairs of numbers. You circle each of these pairs. What you want to do is bet on every possible 6-spot that can be formed by combining your chosen pairs. There are 10 possible ways to form 6-spots out of your 5 pairs.

Example 1 of Keno Way Tickets:

You decide to place $1. That’s $10 in total. So, you write on the ticket:

keno way ticket

Example 2 of Keno Way Tickets:

Alternatively you might also want to play the 10-spot that would be formed by using all your 5 pairs. That ticket would be marked:
keno way ticket

So there you have it, Keno way tickets. If you need any more guides, browse our site for the best Keno guides and more general Keno information and Keno news.

Keno Winning Odds

Understanding Keno Odds

Before you start playing Keno, it is wise to know something about your chances – or odds – of winning.

Keno is pretty much a game of chance. And whilst you may win big, you should know how likely this is. So what are the odds of winning at keno?

Expected Keno Odds

The table on this page shows the percentage chances of any given keno result – that is the number of times each result is expected in every hundred keno games.

For example:

  • If you pick a 3 spot, the chances of catching all 3 numbers are 1% or 1 in 100…
  • If you pick a 4 spot, the chances of catching 3 of your keno numbers are 4%, or 4 in 100…
  • If you pick 15 numbers, the odds of getting all 15 are infinitesimal!

Of course, if you look at the schedule of any Keno game, you will soon see that the results that have a high chance of occurring have a low or zero payment attached. And those with a low probability of occurring attract the highest payouts and keno Jackpots.

The schedules for the best online Keno games are designed so that if you played long enough you should theoretically get back around 85-95% of your total stakes.

NUMBER OF SPOTS SELECTED
& CAUGHT
KENO ODDS
(% CHANCE OF THIS RESULT)

1-Spot
catch 0
catch 1

1-Spot
75%
25%
2-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
2-Spot
56%
38%
6%
3-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
3-Spot
42%
43%
14%
1%
4-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
4-Spot
31%
43%
21%
4%
0.3%
5-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
5-Spot
23%
41%
27%
8%
1%
0.06%
6-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
6-Spot
17%
36%
31%
13%
3%
0.30%
0.01%
7-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
7-Spot
12%
32%
33%
18%
5%
1%
0.07%
0.002%
8-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
8-Spot
9%
27%
33%
21%
8%
2%
0.2%
0.02%
0.0004%
9-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
9-Spot
6%
22%
32%
25%
11%
3%
1%
0.06%
0.003%
0.0000007%
10-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
10-Spot
5%
18%
30%
27%
15%
5%
1%
0.2%
0.01%
0.0006%
0.0000001%
11-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
catch 11
11-Spot
3%
14%
27%
28%
18%
7%
2%
0.4%
0.04%
0.003%
0.0001%
0.00000002%
12-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
catch 11
catch 12
12-Spot
2%
11%
24%
28%
21%
10%
3%
0.7%
0.1%
0.01%
0.001%
0.0000002%
0.000000002%
13-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
catch 11
catch 12
catch 13
13-Spot
2%
9%
21%
27%
23%
13%
5%
1%
0.20%
0.03%
0.002%
0.0000009%
0.00000002%
0.0000000002%
14-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
catch 11
catch 12
catch 13
catch 14
14-Spot
1%
7%
18%
26%
24%
15%
7%
2%
0.40%
0.06%
0.006%
0.0004%
0.0000001%
0.000000003%
0.00000000003%
15-Spot
catch 0
catch 1
catch 2
catch 3
catch 4
catch 5
catch 6
catch 7
catch 8
catch 9
catch 10
catch 11
catch 12
catch 13
catch 14
catch 15
15-Spot
0.80%
5%
15%
24%
25%
18%
9%
3%
0.70%
0.10%
0.02%
0.001%
0.0000006%
0.00000002%
0.0000000004%
0.000000000002%

The best way to appreciate these odds, and how they are reflected in the payout schedules is to try a free game at one of our recommended keno sites or the free keno game on our site.

Check out the best online keno odds:

Keno Wager Amount

Keno Wagering

How much should you bet on a keno game?

The short answer to that is; whatever suits your pocket. Typically straight tickets in a live casino draw cost $1.00, although some are lower.

Video keno games, including those online, generally start much lower. You can find games as low as 5c. You can also play multiples of the base rate. For example, you could play a $1.00 ticket for $5.00, and your winnings will be multiplied by 5 times the $1.00 payout rate.

The upper limit varies enormously, from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. It depends entirely on the casino you play at.

Pointers on keno betting

There are a few things to bear in mind when setting your wager level:

  • Bigger bet bigger win: The payout on a keno win is proportionate to your wager so the more you bet the bigger the payout.
  • Special Jackpots: On some video keno games you can win an extra big jackpot by playing maximum coins – though you still get to choose the coin size to suit your budget). Check the payout schedule.
  • Aggregate limits: The casino will not pay more than the aggregate limit on any one game. So if the aggregate limit is $50,000, your payout will never exceed $50,000, no matter how much you bet. So let’s say the jackpot for a $1 bet is $10k, and the aggregate limit is $50k, there is obviously no point in staking more than $5.
  • Multiple bet tickets: Tickets which include more than one bet (eg Combination and way tickets ) can have the advantage of allowing you to place smaller bets on each game. You can split your total bet between several wagers. On a straight ticket all your money goes on a single wager. For example a $1 bet might allow you one ‘straight’ bet or a 10-way bet. (But don’t forget – the smaller wagers on each way give smaller payouts!).
Keno Straight Tickets

Keno Straight Tickets

The ‘straight ticket’ is your basic keno ticket. It’s the most common and the simplest ticket to play.

Keno “Straight Up” ticket

You might also hear it called a ‘straight up’ or ‘regular game’ ticket. On a straight ticket you only bet on one set of numbers.

You simply choose and mark your numbers. Experienced Keno players tend to choose between 4 and 8 ‘spots’. Then decide how much you want to bet, and how many games you want to play with that set of numbers. Then you pay for your ticket.

A Good Beginners Ticket in Keno

When the numbers are drawn you look at how many of yours came up and claim your winnings according to the house payout schedule. If you’re a novice keno player, it’s best to start with straight tickets just to get used to the game. When you’re ready you might like to try some of the more complicated variations of Keno tickets.