A game that could be considered like a cross between bingo and the lottery, Keno relies on a set of several random numbers being picked in order for several winners to emerge.
With Keno available as not only a lottery in some countries, but as a gambling game available at casinos online, players have plenty of opportunity to place numerous wagers by picking their winning numbers.
The game is played with numbers of 0 up to 80 which players to choose between, and most online casinos allow Keno players to select up to 20 numbers for their bets – the draw is then done via a random number generator to allow for a fair experience for all. While an RNG is used online, usually in land based casinos a lottery ball machine or bingo option are used.
Paytables are used to determine the winnings that are paid out and players are then paid in accordance to how many of the numbers that they picked were chosen via the RNG, as well as taking into account the initial wager made by the player.
It must be noted that while paytables are used, the house edge in Keno fluctuates quite rapidly and can be anywhere from 4% all the way up to 35%, depending on who you play through.
The Origin of Keno
The name Keno is from both Latin and French, which once translated means five each / five winning numbers, despite the popular theory that the game actually originated from China and was created as a way to save an ancient city during war times.
The game Keno was played at least 2,000 years ago in China by using printed Chinese characters. It was called is baige piao (also known as pai-ko p’iao), which translated means white pigeon ticket.
The Chinese characters used originally were from the Qianziwen – or book of a thousand characters – which was done by an unknown author who produced 1,000 unique characters which many Chinese use in place of the corresponding numbers of 1 – 1,000.
It is said that the game was introduced to the Western world in the 19th century, under the name Boc Hop Bu, or Puck Apu – but was changed in 1866 to Keno, after which it became a very popular and widespread gambling game in Texas.
What Are The Odds?
While https://onlinebingocanada.co/online-keno/ payouts are done via the numbers chosen by the player, and how often those numbers are picked by the multiplier in proportion to the original wager made – which is called the ‘catch’. This is done via the base rate chosen on the paytable.
While most players find that choosing more numbers leads to a higher hit rate and payout – there are a few online casinos which offer a paytable that pays out better for hitting fewer numbers.
It should be noted that unlike other games of chance, Keno is one of the only games out there in which each and every number has an equal chance of being chosen, meaning that there is very little players can do in the way of strategizing.