Playing Keno – Just Luck or Well-Crafted Strategy?

Keno is a game of chance, but there are some useful tips and strategies for playing the game, but there are also some myths that should be ignored. Here, we look at whether winning at Keno is pure luck or whether a well-crafted strategy can increase your chances.

How to play

Keno is considered one of the easiest casino games you can play since you simply pick some numbers and hope for the best. Whilst you have absolutely no control over the game outcomes once the draw starts, you can improve the keno odds. This will be explained a bit later, but first, all you need to do to play Keno is to buy a game card from a licensed online casino and pick your numbers.

There are different variants of Keno with most offering 80 numbers from which you can pick between one and 20 numbers. For each number, decide how much money you want to bet on each. The casino will draw the numbers from a random number generator (RNG) and your winnings will be calculated automatically, though a payout table is usually published online by the casino.

Keno odds

The house edge for Keno is between 20 per cent and 35 per cent. Pick the games with the smallest house edge. This means when you play, you want to win big. If you are lucky enough to win big, walk away from the game.

Strategies to improve keno odds

Use a welcome or loyalty bonus

Look for a no deposit bonus or any welcome bonus which that allows the money to be used on Keno and where the wagering requirements are not too high.

Spread the risk

The best keno betting strategy is to manage your bankroll effectively and maximise the number of cards you buy. Split your bankroll evenly across as many cards as possible. Although this strategy does not guarantee a win, playing different combinations of your chosen numbers across multiple cards means you spread the risk, even though the odds remain the same.

Bet on the bonus ball

Choose to play Keno that offers a bonus ball, because if you land on it, you will win big. In some games, this is known as Bullseye or a Booster Ball. The booster ball costs more to bet on but it is worth it if it pays.

Look for multipliers

Check the rules of the game of Keno you are betting on. Some Keno games offer multipliers for matching the first or last picks. Often, these games do not cost extra to play.

False strategies

No secret patterns or hot numbers

There are no “secret patterns” regarding the numbers drawn, so any suggestion that some numbers are “hot” (numbers that appear more often than others) is a myth since the RNGs are not influenced by previous draws.

Double Up strategy

The double up strategy is one that can be used to potentially win back losses. Simply put, the strategy requires the doubling of a previously lost bet. This means that if you lose on your first bet of USD1, you bet USD2, then USD4 and so on until you win. This can work on even-money bets like roulette but is less effective in Keno as it involves bigger risks with each bet, which can get out of control fast or fail once betting limits are met.