What You Need To Know About Keno

Keno is a game which closely resembles lottery and bingo. Online keno is becoming popular in online casino websites. There are also the video keno and the traditional keno game, with their respective keno booths in land-based casinos, which uses the “Rabbit Ear” or the “Hand Cage” in picking the numbers.

Keno is fun and is quite easy to play. The most common mechanism of playing the game is by selecting 1 to 20 numbers, which are termed as spots, and win prizes depending on how many hits (also termed as catches), or spots that match with the numbers being picked from time to time. Most keno players gathered in a single lounge where they can engage in social conversations with each other.

Manual keno games uses the Rabbit Ear, a transparent container with two tubes that form a V-shape at the top, resembling the ears of a rabbit. This container houses 80 ping-pong balls marked with the numbers from 1 to 80, and from the bottom of the container, air is blown which sends the balls flying inside in all directions. When the caller is about to draw a number, he would press a lever which will open an “ear” and allows a ball to pop outside the container. The number printed in the ball will be verified and will be recorded, and up to 20 numbers will be drawn in each game.

Other tool used in manual keno is called the Hand Cage, which is a metal cage mounted on an axle. This cage also contains similar number-printed balls and is rolled constantly, mixing the balls inside. When a number is about to be picked, a small slot somewhere in the middle will be opened, permitting one of the balls to roll out of the cage and be picked as a winning number.

In this traditional game, players are issued with keno tickets where numbers from 1 to 80 are printed in which their selected numbers (usually up to 20 spots) are indicated. If a number drawn from the Rabbit Ear matches with a spot, the player will mark the spot with an x and depending on how many hits they have, they will receive cash prizes.

Video keno on the other hand uses a random number generator, and from time to time, numbers are randomly generated and will be displayed in a video monitor. Video keno players also uses the traditional keno tickets in playing.

Online keno features video keno and visual representation of the keno ticket combined in a software. The players will only click on their desired numbers to select their spots. Then the system will generate the numbers randomly, and the virtual keno ticket will automatically mark the spot when there is a hit.

Payouts vary from one keno game to another, whether it is manual keno, video keno, or online casino keno. Basically, the more hits a player got, the higher is the payout. The number of spots selected also is considered in making a payout. There are even some keno games in which the casino will pay the players if their selected spots did not match any of the numbers drawn. In most keno payout tables, the payout is calculated by the amount of bet multiplied by the amount specified to a certain number of catches out of a certain number of spots. For example, if a player wagers $2 and selects 4 spots, and he managed to obtain 3 hits. If 3 hits out of 4 spots is given the amount of 6, then his bet will be multiplied by 6, resulting in a payout of $12. Therefore, he will have $14 in total.

An example keno payout table in online casinos run by Microgaming is as follows:

Keno is easy and fun to play. Players will just have to select their spots, wait for the winning numbers to be picked, and mark their catches. Then they could claim their prizes in the casino keno booths, or add their winning payout to their online casino money accounts.

Image Credits:
http://www.casino-crush.com/casinogames/
for online keno
http://www.casinotimesonline.com/march/keno_faq.htm
for rabbit ear
http://www.boxedart.com/phpshop/members.php/view/mp_/197/205
for hand cage
http://www.gamingtoday.com/slots-casino/story.bv?storyid=20914
for live keno ticket
http://www.the-keno-guide.com/keno-tips/keno-payout-schedules/
for payout table