Best Odds Playing Keno
Posted By admin On 23/03/22The absolute best any-prize odds of any of our lotteries is the French lotto, with any-prize odds of 6:1. In second place we have Austrian Lotto, another popular choice due to its low price, good any-prize and jackpot odds (the same as the Irish Lotto was before the 2015 changes), and added bonus game. Cleopatra Keno’s beauty is more than just skin deep, as this variety of Keno, like all Keno game variations, offers a twist to it, and an interesting one at that. Should the final number drawn contributes to a win for you, you not only win 12 free games, but the payouts at these free games are doubled. One of the best general strategies used by online keno players is to avoid playing the maximum number of spots, particularly in games where you have the option of playing ten or more spots. The odds of matching all ten of your numbers are about one in 8.9 million, so even large keno jackpots really aren’t worthwhile at that point.
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.
What Is The Best Odds For Keno
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% |
Best Odds When Playing Keno
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% |
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.
- Wolf Run 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
Cleopatra Comes Bearing Gifts
The game of Keno has a rich history, dating all the way back to Ancient China, and Keno is even said to have helped fund the building of the Great Wall of China. So it is somewhat fitting that, after all this time, a variation of it has emerged that involves a character out of ancient history, Queen Cleopatra.
Cleopatra was the last ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic Dynasty, and although she lived over two thousand years ago, her legend lives on, and is particularly embodied in modern casino gaming, such as the popular Cleopatra slots. It’s not just the legend that Keno game makers were looking to capture here, although there’s no doubt that many find Cleopatra’s famed allure quite appealing.
Cleopatra Keno’s beauty is more than just skin deep, as this variety of Keno, like all Keno game variations, offers a twist to it, and an interesting one at that. Should the final number drawn contributes to a win for you, you not only win 12 free games, but the payouts at these free games are doubled.
Free Cleopatra Keno
Does This Mean We Should Pick More Numbers?
The first thing that comes to mind when considering playing Cleopatra Keno is the fact that picking more numbers gives one a better opportunity to win more bonuses, the free games and the extra payouts.
This is true, but game designers don’t want to make it this easy for you, or else it wouldn’t even make sense to pick less than 10 numbers. It actually may not make sense, but not for this reason.
The way the payouts are set up, it actually turns out that it doesn’t matter how many numbers you pick, from one to ten, as the pay tables are constructed to provide a similar edge to the casino regardless.
So the house edge with Cleopatra Keno is about 10%, which tends to be more than you see with slots or video poker, but certainly better than you would see in traditional Keno drawings, the brick and mortar kind. If you are looking for keno with better odds you can check our Top 7 Keno games list.
More Bonuses Can Be More Fun Though
If you like bonuses and free games, you can’t hurt yourself odds wise by selecting more numbers with your Keno games, but you can certainly increase your fun by picking more, and even going with 10.
So the payouts may be distributed in such a way that it doesn’t really matter as far as your returns go, but more numbers picked means more catches and more prizes in Keno generally, and when you throw in more bonus games with Cleopatra Keno, then this can be a great way to go indeed.
When you add in the fact that video Keno is simply more fun overall, with all the Keno you could ever possibly imagine playing just sitting there waiting for you, rather than the other way around, it’s no wonder why Cleopatra Keno is such a hit.