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Keno Terms You Need to Know
January 24, 2023
Keno Terms You Need to Know
January 24, 2023
Most Common Keno Terms to Know When Playing Keno Online
So you want to learn about the common keno terms? Good, because if you ask us, keno games are totally underrated. Slots are always taking the front-row seat, leaving other casino games such as online keno in the dust.
Yes, keno is indeed a popular game in some parts of the world. In fact, it even helped build the Great Wall of China. But with all the excitement and the hefty keno payouts the game can offer, we feel that keno is ready to make a comeback.
And with that, let’s kick off the keno revival with a quick how-to guide on playing keno online, along with a few need-to-know keno terms so that you can learn the ins and outs of playing keno numbers and how to snatch those multiplier payouts in this lottery-style casino game.
How keno is played online
Keno is a very simple game to play and understand. Part of its appeal for most players is that you can place a small bet and possibly come out with a massive win. Keno works similarly to a lottery.
You’ll need to pick a certain amount of keno numbers and hope that the numbers you’ve chosen are picked in a lucky draw. Once the numbers are drawn, you’ll be paid according to how many keno winning numbers you’ve chosen compared to how many numbers you had bet on.
Most keno games allow you to pick between 10 and 20 lucky numbers. This, however, will depend on the specific keno games you play. Total numbers can range either from 1 to 40 or 1 to 80, as seen in Super Keno from KA Gaming on our menu.
Once you’ve picked your keno numbers, clicking the Play button will see the game draw 20 random numbers from 80 available. Your keno payouts will be awarded according to the pay table. It’s important to remember that the more numbers you pick, the lower your payout multiplier becomes for landing a certain amount of keno winning numbers.
Before we move on to the common keno terms, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the keno pay table. This allows you to know exactly what your keno payouts are for landing a certain amount of winning numbers.
Plus, not all the best keno games have numbers ranging between 40 and 80 – some have even less. You’ll find many different variations of keno online, with some allowing you to pick fewer keno winning numbers or even offering less than 40 numbers in total, as seen in Keno from Spribe on our menu.
Understanding keno payouts
Before you brush up on your keno terms, let’s get the keno payouts out of the way. Keno odds and payouts can vary depending on the keno games you decide to play. As mentioned, the payout multiplier for landing a certain amount of keno winning numbers will decrease with every additional number chosen.
Let’s play Super Keno from KA Gaming at the minimum bet of $0.5 as an example. As you can see in the image below, picking 10 numbers will see you win your money back ($0.50) when landing 4 winning numbers. It also awards a payout of $1.50 for landing 5 numbers.
Picking the maximum amount of keno numbers as seen above does increase your chances of landing keno payouts. However, if we look at the image below showing only 5 keno numbers selected, you’ll notice that the pay table changes from what we saw when picking 10 numbers.
Here, landing 4 numbers will award a payout of $9.25. This is substantially higher than the $0.50 payout when choosing 10 numbers in total. And if you manage to land all 5 keno winning numbers, you’ll be scoring a whopping $155.00 payout. That’s 310x your total bet, by the way!
This is why it is important to study the pay table before betting on keno games online. You want to make sure you pick the keno games with the highest payout odds, as well as the right amount of numbers to secure a potentially big payout without risking too much.
Keno Glossary: most common keno terms
Whether you’re playing keno online or in a betting house or land-based casino, some of the following keno terms may come in handy. Most of these are applicable to live keno when playing in a casino. However, knowing keno terminology makes the game much more fun and could potentially help you make the best of your keno experience.
- All or Nothing – This is a type of keno game in which you have 2 ways to win. It pays out if all the keno winning numbers you picked are drawn, or if none of the numbers you pick are drawn.
- Ball Game – Ever watched a lottery live on television where balls are used to determine the winning numbers? Well, this is very similar. Ball Game keno sees the numbers represented by plastic balls from 1 to 80. These balls are randomly selected by a machine.
- Bank – Just like a dealer on a blackjack table has a float from which winning bets are paid, keno has something similar. This is called the Bank. It refers to the money used by a casino or betting house to back the keno payouts won by players.
- Bankroll – This is one of the most popular keno terms and applies to almost every casino game. It’s basically the opposite of the Bank. Bankroll refers to the player’s money used to back their action in keno, or any casino game for that matter.
- Blank – Land-based keno games use tickets for players to pick their winning numbers. A “Blank” refers to a keno ticket that has yet to be played.
- Call – This refers to the keno dealer or host announcing the keno winning numbers as they are randomly drawn.
- Catch-All – This is a type of keno game where all the lucky numbers you choose must be drawn in order for you to win. You cannot win by landing only a few of your chosen numbers.
- Catch-Zero – The opposite of a Catch-All keno game. In order to win, none of the numbers you selected must be drawn.
- Crayon – Can you guess? There’s nothing fancy about this one. It simply refers to a regular black crayon used for marking keno tickets when playing the traditional, non-online version of keno.
- Deuce – This refers to 2 keno numbers that are selected and positioned next to each other on a keno layout.
- Draw – The total amount of keno numbers drawn in a single round of keno. This usually consists of 20 numbers in total, but is sometimes even less.
- Draw Sheet – This is a record of the numbers drawn during previous rounds of keno online. Most keno online games will allow you to view the history. Here is an example in Super Keno from KA Gaming.
- Exacta – Exacta Keno is a combination of two consecutive keno games. It usually offers a special payout for landing a certain amount of keno winning numbers in both rounds. These keno terms are also very common in horse racing.
- Expected Value – The rate of occurrence of a certain outcome in a keno game.
- Field – This refers to the entire board of 80 numbers in a keno game.
- Free Play – A round of keno that doesn’t award a payout but allows you to play the next round for free. It can also refer to free chips and bonus funds that casinos offer to players as a promotional gift.
- Group – A collection of numbers that are circled on a keno ticket or when playing on an online keno board.
- High-End Ticket / High-End Keno – A keno game that pays out more for landing many numbers and less for matching a fewer numbers.
- High-Roller Keno – These are keno games that offer higher minimum and maximum bets.
- Hit – These are your keno winning numbers that are marked on the layout after the random numbers have been drawn. They are the numbers that award your keno payouts. In online keno, they are usually marked in a different color.
- House – That’s us – the casino.
- House Edge – This refers to the advantage the house (casino) has over the player. Every casino game has a house edge. Finding keno games with a low house edge and attractive payout odds is your best bet.
- Jackpot – Many keno online games offer progressive jackpots that can be won for landing a certain amount of numbers. A jackpot is a lump sum that a player can win other than the regular keno payouts.
- Keno Board – A display that shows the numbers drawn for every keno game played in a casino.
- King – A “King” refers to a single number that is picked on a keno layout. There are a few other keno terms for this. However, King is the most common.
- Left-Right Ticket / Left-Right Keno – Refers to a player picking numbers only on the left or the right side of the keno field.
- Live Keno – Keno that is played at either a land-based casino with other players or keno played online with a live stream of the keno game and dealer/presenter.
- Mark – The numbers that are marked and intended to be wagered on when playing keno online or when using a keno ticket.
- Net Win – This refers to the profit made by the player after receiving keno payouts for the round. The net win is calculated by subtracting the wager amount from the total win. When using our previous keno payout, the total payout is $9.25, and the total bet is $0.50. That leaves us with a net win of $8.75 ($9.25 – $0.50).
- Odds – Refers to the chances a player has of winning a bet. For example, if there is a 1 in 10 chance for a specific outcome, the odds of that outcome occurring are 9-to-1.
- Open – This is the time when the keno field is open for betting.
- Pattern – This is when a player decides to play keno numbers that form a specific pattern on the keno field. For example, betting on numbers to form an L-shape or even a cross. What do you think of our “P” for Punt? We’re pretty creative, eh?
- Pay Any Catch Keno – A keno game that awards a payout regardless of how many “catches” or winning numbers the player has managed to land.
- Payoff – The amount of money paid out to a player after matching keno winning numbers.
- Pay Table – This displays the keno payouts for matching a certain amount of winning numbers. The pay table will change according to the amount of numbers you’ve chosen.
- Probability – This is pretty much the same as the odds. However, probability is usually displayed as a percentage. Using our example of a 1 in 10 chance of an event occurring, the probability of said event will be 10%.
- Push – This refers to a tie. A “Push” does not only apply to keno terms specifically but also to every other casino game where a tie can occur. It is most commonly used in blackjack. A Push in keno means you’re getting paid out the same amount as what you wagered.
- Quick Pick – This refers to a feature that many keno online games offer which allows the player to pick their numbers instantly. All numbers picked when using the quick-pick feature will be random. In online keno, the quick-pick feature is usually located on the button panel.
- Race – Another name for keno.
- Random Number Generator / RNG – This refers to an algorithm used by computer programs to generate a random sequence of numbers to produce a random outcome for each round. You can learn more about RNGs and how they work in online slots.
- Replayed Ticket – This basically means that you’re playing the same keno numbers this round as you did for the round before.
- RNG Game – These are keno games that use RNG software to produce random outcomes for each round. These are typically online keno games.
- Spot – A keno number marked or selected on the keno field.
- Ticket – In land-based or live keno, players use pieces of paper to mark their keno winning numbers. This is referred to as a keno ticket.
- Top-Bottom Ticket – This refers to a keno ticket where the player can bet on either the top 40 keno numbers or the bottom 40 numbers.
- Video Keno – These are keno games that are played on machines that look similar to slot machines. A screen displays the keno field and buttons to make your moves on.
- Wager – This is the bet placed by the player.
- Winning Numbers – Do we really need to explain this one? “Winning Numbers” can either refer to your winning numbers that produce your keno payouts, or the full set of 20 numbers drawn randomly after every round.
You’re clued up on keno – now it’s time to start winning!
Now that you’ve brushed up on your keno terms and you’ve learned how to play, it’s time to hit ‘em up in our best keno online casino games at Punt. Don’t forget, most of our casino bonuses and promotions offering extra funds to play casino games work with keno games too. So don’t forget to snatch up our latest offers and kill it in keno at Punt Casino.
