Keno is an old game that is very similar to the lotteries of today. It can be played in Casinos, or online as Video Keno. It was created in China, and officially licensed in the 1800’s. There are rumors that the game was formed to raise funds to finish fighting the Han Dynasty war and later to raise funds for the Great Wall of China, though there isn’t much fact behind this. Keno came to the United States in the middle of the 20th century when Chinese immigrants began to move to San Francisco and other areas for railroad jobs and mining work. When it was first created, it was played with the use of 120 Chinese characters. Now, however, it is played with 80 balls with numbers or Chinese characters depending on the location. While the game offers low odds of winning, you can make small, incremental bets and have the potential to earn much larger payouts. This game of luck is simple to play, and a very exciting way to pass time.
How to play Keno
Keno is a very simple to play game. When you play it in a casino, you are typically given a piece of paper and a Keno crayon. You write your chosen numbers, and give them along with your bet to the hopper. When all bets have been received, the hopper will draw 20 random balls. Your goal, as the player, is to have as many of the numbers drawn as possible. The more matches, the more you can make off your bet! If played online or with a machine, you typically simply input the numbers you choose to bet on, submit your bet and the machine or processing software will randomly pull 20 numbers.
In many games of Keno, there’s a minimum bet that can be as low as 5 cents. Many places prefer to set the minimum to $1. The low bets, and the allowance of many people betting, allow the lottery to go up to as much as $50,000, even just putting in a single dollar. This is particularly true in the instance of online Keno.
Tips from Keno Players
If you’re planning to play online Keno, you need to be aware that the computer or website uses a variety of algorithms in order to draw random numbers. Many players suggest that you choose your numbers based on patterns instead of randomly selecting your numbers. Each number has a 1 in 80 chance of being drawn, giving each ball a 0.25% chance of being chosen. Always remember what the payouts are, and always aim to keep your winnings below what you’d need to pay Uncle Sam for.
One often suggested strategy is to use the same numbers, no matter what, because you’ll always come out ahead at least one time. Use the numbers until you hit them big time to ensure success. Others say to aim for the top lines of numbers and use 1, 2, 5, 10, 11 and then two other numbers of your choosing. In the long run, however, Keno is about luck rather than strategy. The more you choose to bet on, the larger your prize. However, it also makes it much harder to win big.