Keno History
It is hard to say where Keno actually came from. There are several stories in history that suggest one origin over the other. The fact is we may never know, but scholars have narrowed down the field of question with intense study. Most believe that Keno is derived from ancient China. There were tales and written accounts during the Han Dynasty suggesting that Cheung Leung started the game as far back as 200 BC. The theory is that Keno was started as a way to help the city prosper during the war time when supplies were limited and people needed food. The game was to raise food or money for the army. The truth is when you look at this ancient game it is like Keno in several aspects.
The game was completely helpful and began to move throughout the rest of China. It was supposedly a game used to get funds for the Great Wall. The game later evolved so that the winnings and numbers were passed around by Pigeons to players in the field of battles or other cities. It was renamed White Pigeon Game because of this aspect.
Poems have also told of the Keno game derived from Chinese culture. In fact Keno was used to help children learn according to the studies on the history of Keno. Though it was a game the characters used allowed the children to learn a little easier. The boards in China still use the original characters, though there are now only 80 rather than 120.
History is ripe with tales and from the tale of the Chinese we move to a more uninteresting section of the Keno history. With the advent of the railroad in China the game began to spread even further around Asia and eventually reached other countries. By this time gambling was illegal in China so many had to seek underground options or move out of the area. It is said that from the illegal aspect of the game many transported it to places such as San Francisco. Today you will see a lottery game in the Chinese district of San Francisco mirrored on Keno. The United States didn't take this game seriously in the 1800's as much as we do now. In fact many casinos reintroduced the game Keno such as Las Vegas, in the last 20 years.
The characters on the cards were of course replaced with the numbers rather than characters so that more and more individuals could play the Chinese lottery game. Today you will see several types of tickets and be able to have a lot of fun. There are different options and different house edges to contend with.
Keno Rules
Keno is similar to bingo and the lottery. Most believe the roots to Keno started in China around 200 BC, but that is not substantiated with full documentation. There have been several other thoughts on the origins. The game was first introduced into the US in the 19th century by the Chinese. The Chinese came to work on the railroads and mines of the US to make more money for their families. The Keno game offers great winnings for a smaller wager compared to other games.
Keno is played in the lounge of Casinos around North America. You can also play the game when you dine or while sitting at a slot machine. There are Keno Runners or casino employees that take your ticket and wager to see if you will win on the spin. You can just sit and relax and the runners bring you the ticket and winnings. You can also go collect the winnings if you would like to. The TV's in the lounges or other areas will display the winning numbers for you to compare with your ticket.
Keno can also be found online as a video. It is much like the slot machines in which you get to spin the wheel to get a faster payout on the game then waiting around for the television show. In Keno you need to select between 4 and 10 numbers. The numbers are between 1 and 80. You can also play multiple tickets with multiple wagers for a better chance at winning the game.
All you have to do when you play Keno is take a ticket that is at the table or in the lounge area. You will mark the numbers you want on the ticket according to the wager you want to place. Then you offer the ticket to a runner or other personnel at the casino. They will wait until the next round of balls are dropped and see if you have a winning ticket. If you are a winner you get the payout according to the odds.
Most video Keno will allow for a five cent bet, but in a land casino you must wager a dollar per ticket. The casino will have a specific payout table as they are not all the same.
The type of ticket is also going to determine the payout you will earn. You may get $50,000 in winnings for a dollar bet depending on the ticket and whether the game is progressive or not.
The house edge is usually going to vary, but it is around 30 percent. The chance of getting one number to win on the ticket is .25 percent, so very low.
Keno Strategy
Keno like bingo is based on luck. It is a game in which you cannot predict what numbers are going to be popped out of the machine on any given round. It is a random process; having said that, there is only a small strategy that could enhance your chance of winning a payout. If you choose five numbers on a ticket you have the same chance of a different five being the winners. The fact is that every number has the same chance of being drawn.
Your picks are not going to make any difference to what numbers will be offered. In other words it is a lot like Poker or Blackjack in which the cards are shuffled at random. The balls in Keno are spun in a random fashion. You can't make a choice that numbers 10, 50, 79, 4, and 35 will be the winning numbers and be correct. Yes, once one ball is drawn you will have 79 more possibilities for the next number. So the chance that you will get one number right is there, in fact if you bet up to 10 numbers in Keno you have a better chance of getting at least one number right.
Like bingo you shouldn't expect the same numbers in a recent game to be redrawn. This will at least give you a bit of a chance. You can bet on numbers that have not been drawn in the last five to ten games. You might just see more of a win from this strategy, but it is still random, so don't think it is fool proof.
On the other side of the coin some players actually bet on the numbers that have come up in recent games. They believe these numbers have more of a pattern to them. In other words they study the numbers for what comes up in 10 games, and whether some numbers have been repeated. Then they will bet on these repeated numbers thinking they have more of a hope since they found a "pattern" of sorts.
You might even find that choosing a sequence of numbers is a better option such as 15 and 16 or 35 and 36. It is again just a superstition that could help you win. Some players have had success.
Using the same numbers such as consecutively could be important. Again the options are random therefore a strategy is really all about your thought process, rather than the winning chance.