Keno has become one of the most popular lottery-style casino games played online. The simple nature of the game and the huge winning potential makes it popular with both novices and seasoned casino experts. Being a lottery game, there is no real way to predict the outcome of a keno game, and unlike blackjack rules, there is little to observe, and even less to play by. Each and every round is as random as the one before. This makes it difficult to create a useable strategy. All things being equal, there is no real way to improve your odds. However, with online keno, there are lots of little ways to get more out of the game.

Find a Game with Favourable Payouts

Let’s start off by looking at the Keno paytable. This is one area where you can take control. In most cases, different online casinos will have different Keno payouts. If you are going to be playing a high-risk game like Keno, make sure the rewards are worth the risk and find yourself a game with favourable payouts. In Keno, there are three factors that influence how much you get paid out. The first is how many numbers you pick, the second is your bet size and the third is how many numbers match up to your chosen amount.

Finding the Right Balance of Numbers

This is where you can start implementing a type of betting strategy. Let’s take a look at playing a single number. The odds of landing 1 is around 1 in 84 or just over 1%. That seems a bit low and the payout is 3x your total bet size. Playing 3 numbers will increase your chances of winning to around 12.4% with a payout of 16x your total bet for all 3, or 2x your bet for 2 out of the 3. Already we can see that playing three numbers is a lot more beneficial. In terms of odds, the highest percentage of winning comes from playing five numbers which will equate to around a 23% chance of winning. The payout is for landing all five is 50x your total bet stake.

The Risk of Playing Higher Numbers

From 6 numbers upwards, the chances of winning starts dropping again, going from 23% down to 19%, then 11% and just 4% on an 8 number pick. If you are going to playing the higher numbers and taking the bigger risks, then it should be compensated with a reasonable payout. In terms of the high numbers, there is a significant jump between 8 numbers and 9 numbers with the payout almost doubling. From 10 numbers up, the chances of winning are so low, that there is really no point in betting big.

Bet Low and Keep Playing

One of the great things about Keno is that you stand a chance of winning a significant payout for a very little outlay. In this way, the game is similar to slots where a single spin can pull in thousands of dollars. However, in Keno, playing the maximum bet is not going to get you very far. With slots, the max bet usually triggers a progressive jackpot. In the case of Keno, there is no progressive jackpot that you are aiming for and you just end up blowing your bankroll before you have even started.