Keno Strategy

In standard keno games, the player can choose among eighty different spots or numbers. Even if the keno game places restrictions on the number of spots you can choose, there is still a staggering amount of mathematical possibilities. It is estimated that if a player chooses twenty numbers in a standard keno game there are over 3,535,316,142,212,174,320 different possible combinations. Since the amount of potential combinations is so large, there is not much keno strategy that the player can use to turn the game to their advantage. Still, for the benefit of new keno players we will explore the logic (or lack thereof) behind the most popular keno strategies.

Since the definition of strategy implies the application of skill or at the very least logic, most of what keno players call strategies are actually superstitions or hunches. Playing numbers that are significant to you may increase your enjoyment of the game, but it won't increase your keno payouts. Likewise playing numbers that seem to have come up often in the last few rounds won't improve your odds because every round is like a clean slate, subject to the same laws of odds and chance. While the smaller keno payoffs are more common because their odds are more favorable, beyond making the smarter bets there is no guaranteed way for you to win keno.

Some players feel that a good keno strategy would be to pick numbers that have not come up recently. The theory behind this keno strategy is that all numbers would have to be drawn eventually, so by choosing numbers that have not come up recently, a player can figure out what numbers will be next. However, this strategy is extremely flawed and should not be used. Random number generators are used in all modern casinos to draw the keno numbers. There are no keno strategies that a player can use to accurately predict what numbers will be drawn next.

Foregoing strategy, some players try to improve their luck by using betting systems. The idea with a system is that you will win keno often enough for the large occasional keno payouts to exceed the consistent but small keno bets. Unfortunately because there's no guarantee you'll ever win there's no way to ensure that you'll win back what you've lost. Many times players end up losing more playing with a system than they would just playing as they please.

Whereas most casino games have an obvious high or low goal, you can earn keno payoffs when you win keno and when you lose. Players that don't hit any of their numbers can still walk away from the game with some money in their pocket. Five number bets, while they do not have the glamour of fourteen number bets, are often a more profitable keno strategy for the player. Not only do these limited bets result in more keno payouts, but they're usually cheaper to make.

One strategy that may not promise keno payouts but that will stretch your bankroll is pre-planning your sessions. Most players hope to get a reasonable amount of entertainment from their experience, so playing conservatively ensures that they can spend more time playing without losing all of their money on one or two big bets. Buying a book of tickets is also a great way to get more from your time playing keno, and the likelihood of getting at least some small keno payoffs in a long session is fairly high.