Keno Basics
Let's talk about the keno basics. Really, it's quite a simple game. It's a bit like a lottery, and a bit like bingo. However, unlike bingo, the players get to pick their own numbers. Every keno card has 80 numbers, and a player can pick as many of these numbers as he or she likes. They do this by circling them or marking them in some manner with a pencil, after which they must bring the card to a clerk at the keno booth. After this, players watch a big board that shows the winning keno numbers, which light up on the screen. As the winning numbers light up, players mark them on their card with a bright marker.Here's a basic keno lesson: Winning tickets must be taken immediately to the keno booth if it is an individual game ticket. This is because new drawings are done every five minutes. If a player attempts to cash in a winning ticket after the next draw starts, no payment is possible. If you win big, in other words, don't spend any time celebrating or bragging. Cash in your winnings!
One way to avoid having to purchase a new ticket each time, and to avoid finding yourself with a void ticket, is to get "multi-race" tickets. These are tickets with the same numbers picked on anywhere from two to 20 tickets. Once the number of games takes place that correspond to your number of tickets, you can cash in any of the winnings for those tickets, thus avoiding any chance of missing out on the ability to collect your winnings. Another thing you can do is what is known as "stray the play", which is a ticket that lasts for typically more than 30 games. Unlike normal tickets, these tickets don't have to be redeemed right away, often lasting for up to a year.
For more information on some keno basics, check out our Keno Rules section, where you'll find some additional information that will help you get comfortable with walking into a casino to play keno. Or, if you'd like to learn about why playing online might be a good option, check out our Keno Online section to learn about the basics of playing keno online.
