Online Keno

Online Keno is a unique and easy game that's very similar to playing your local lottery. If you have experience playing the lotto, you'll pick up the game and understand how to play Keno online in mere minutes. Similar to the lotto, as well as Bingo, the game is totally straightforward, easy to understand, and indeed comes in a number of varieties.

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Getting Started - How to Play Online Keno

To play online Keno, as well as in live land-based locales, each player receives a ticket (the Keno board) with a total of 80 numbers printed on it. Your aim in the game is to predict as many of the 20 numbers that are selected in each round as possible. This 'balldraw' generally occurs at the "Keno booth" but can be determined by one of four devices:

Traditional "Rabbit Ear" blower
"AKV": Automated blower in which the balls are encoded, read by a computer, then sent to a computerized Keno system for processing
Random Number Generator: An electronic number selection device approved by gaming authorities
"Hand Cage": A spinning metal ball cage which rolls the numbers into a slot where they are validated by a person.

Online, the computer, incidentally, selects these numbers randomly, and the online Keno player can choose to bet on anywhere between 1 and 10 numbers that he or she believes will come up.

Online Keno Rules

Again, learning how to play Keno online is a virtual no-brainer seeing as how the rules are limited and a cinch to grasp.

When a Keno player's number matches a number chosen at random, it's called a "Hit." The payoff in a game of Keno depends on whether you choose "Bet $1," "Bet $3," or "Bet $5." (The maximum bet in most online Keno games is $5). Other important determining factors include: how many numbers you select each game (between 1 and 10) and, of course, how many of these numbers become "Hits."

You begin by designating those numbers you want on the Keno board. You are usually also given the option to have the computer select a random 10 numbers for you, if you prefer. This should be a button labelled "Automatic Deal 10 Numbers" or something along those lines. When you have picked a number, it turns green. If you wish to de-select a number, just click on it again. You'll see your potential payoff in one corner of your online Keno screen as you choose your numbers.

After you've decided how many numbers you wish to play, it's time to choose whether you want to bet $1, $3, or $5. Click on the appropriate button and you'll see your potential payoff this time adjusting accordingly in the corner of your screen.

Next, you may choose how many games of Keno you would like to play by clicking on either "Play One," "Play Five," or "Play Ten." After each game of Keno, you can view your results on the left side of your screen. You can click on each game to get detailed information on each game you play. To keep playing the same numbers in a new game, click on "Repeat Bet."

Online Keno Strategy

Your online Keno strategy begins with first selecting the best online casino website according to your personal needs. (You would be amazed by how many folks rush off and deposit their cash with the first online casino they visit. Not exactly the cleverest strategy.)

Once you have determined where you're going to play, your next Keno Strategy is to establish the size of your bankroll. We cannot over stress the importance of not only deciding how much money you are prepared to play with and potentially lose, but sticking to that decision at all times!

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Online Keno Probabilities & Tips

Considering the fact that there are so many potential number combinations in Keno, calculating the different probabilities and odds can be a daunting task indeed. There are literally over three quintillion (3,535,316,142,212,174,320 to be precise) different combos that can come up during each round. But don't worry, you don't have to be a math genius to win. All it takes is following a few helpful online Keno tips and, of course, plenty of luck.

We've prepared the most important Keno tips for you below. With these in mind, you'll be good and ready to play Keno online immediately. Enjoy!

Important Live & Online Keno Tips

Selecting the Ideal Bet - Choose your bet wisely. Even if you have a lower bankroll, it may be advisable to opt for $5 or greater bets as opposed to $1 bets as the earnings of the $1 bet may be insignificant over the long run.
Selecting the right number of spots - If you're looking to stay in the online Keno game longer, choosing the right number of spots is very important (depending, of course, on the payout ration). The greater the number of spots selected, the greater the chance that at least some of your numbers will be drawn. This does not necessarily mean that choosing maximum spots increases your chances of winning as this will require more "hits" before you can win anything.
Game of luck - Remember, Keno numbers are randomly selected, so it is really impossible to predict the outcome of any round. Sometimes, this works in your favour. However, it can just as easily tip the other way as well. In such a random game, you never know where your luck may be!

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Online Keno History

Keno history dates all the way back perhaps some 2,200 years, according to a number of historians. However, like a lot of today's casino games, how each one eventually came to be played in today's fashion is still unclear. This is especially true with regards to the older games now also enjoyed over the Internet, such as online Keno, Craps and Backgammon, just to name a few.

But as you can probably imagine, for each game, and depending whom you ask, a number of theories are likely to exist. With regards to Keno, a common belief is that Chinese leader Cheung Heung developed this lottery-like game during the Han Dynasty around 187 BC. Cash-strapped due to a protracted war, he introduced a new game as a means of generating additional revenues without having to raise taxes. That game is said to have been played in a very similar manner to what we know today as Keno.

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The Keno-Lottery Experience

Along with the proliferation of online Keno games, lottery versions of Keno are now employed in many National Lotteries in different countries across the globe. The games have different formulas, of course, depending on the desired price breakdown and the frequency of the game. In other words, the 'game' (lottery) or rather, the time between draws, can last days, weeks, or just minutes.

The numbers drawn are typically published on T.V. for the slow games and on monitors located at the point-of-sale for the fast games. These can be found in bars, gambling halls, and even in some convenience stores. This is popular, in particular, in the US. A video Keno machine sometimes has a greater customer edge than a traditional game, in fact. However, because live Keno payouts are configurable by the host, some live pay tables hold percentages that match or are even lower than those for video Keno machines, which almost always have fixed pay tables.

Needless to say, these days Keno can be played at all sorts of venues, including the online Keno games featured at most of the leading gambling websites. Wherever you decide to play, have fun and best of luck!