Keno Payouts and Odds Chart Explained: The Definitive Guide

Learning about the keno payouts and odds is crucial, especially if you want to make more informed decisions. 

Not only will it help you stay ahead of your game, but it will also provide you with the know-how to evaluate your chances to win.

This guide to Keno odds and payouts will give you a basic introduction for estimating your chances to win at Keno 

Nonetheless, it will also teach you whether other factors affect the numbers in the draw.

Here’s what you’ll learn: 

• What are Keno Odds and Payouts
• The Best Keno Odds
• Keno Payouts Chart
• How to Calculate Odds in Keno
• Keno Odds Charts by Spots (for a Standard Game)
• Why Special Odds and Rules are Important
• Strategies and tips to increase your odds
• Expert advice on keno payouts

Fun, right? Without further ado, let's get started.

What are the Keno Payouts and Odds?

In a standard Keno, 80 numbered balls are used to generate the results, with only 20 numbers getting drawn. The player may pick 1 to 20 numbers before the draw, on a card.

A “spot” is a number that the player marks on the card to participate in the draw. From all spots, a number that gets matched with the draw is called a “catch.” 

As such, each particular number on a 20-number card has 1 in 4 odds (or a 25% chance) of being drawn.

Paytables can be different from state to state or casino to casino, depending on what type of Keno you’re playing. Online gaming sites also determine their payouts for Keno, even between two games in the same category.

 For example, let's have a look at the payouts for Banana Keno:

With so many ways to play, Keno offers a lot of ways to win. The payouts can range from $1 to $1,000,000 or more, depending on how much you wager, plus how many numbers you picked.

The Best Keno Payouts

Here is what you will typically encounter at land-based casinos throughout the U.S. and online gambling sites for playing a game of Keno with just a $1 wager.

Payouts decrease significantly if the number of catches is smaller:

Now, what you win in an online game also depends on how much you wager. 

Let’s take a look at the following chart:

This goes on. However, things change drastically when you have:

Since these tables only represent an example of what you could expect in terms of Keno payouts, always check the paytable of the game you’re playing. 

This way, you can make a comparison and find a version with the best payout for the prize you aim at.

Keno Payouts Chart

Now that you have some basic knowledge about Keno payouts and odds, how about building it up with a table of Keno payouts chart for a classic 80-number 20-draw game?

We will use a $1 bet as an example, while the prize will depend on how many numbers are picked or matched, respectively.

In most cases, the maximum prize that can be won on any Keno ticket is $200,000. 

How to Calculate Odds in Keno

To comprehend how to calculate odds in Keno you must use a complex math formula called the combinatorial function. The following general formula returns the probability of matching k numbers from m spots (k ≤ 20 ≤ m) :

There are 3,535,316,142,212,180,000 ways the casino can draw 20 numbers out of 80.

However, we are interested in the odds of matching any two, three, or whatever numbers from the spots and the probabilities of such events are obtained by using the combinatorial function above. This is what the odds of winning would approximately look like:

The best advice before playing Keno is to learn how the game works. 

Knowing your odds before making a bet can help you make informed decisions that positively affect your winning potential.

Keno Odds Charts by Spots (for a Standard Game)

Despite popular belief that single numbers have better theoretical odds than the others, every online version of the game uses a random number generator (RNG) to determine the results of a draw. 

RNG is programmed to generate genuine unexpected results in each draw. Therefore, it is absurd to claim that certain Keno spots have better odds of winning or appearing in the draw than others.

Since Keno payouts can be extremely different from one game to another, having an example might always come in handy. 

This is where the Keno odds chart can be very useful, because the odds of having a specific number of catches remain constant.

To find the best odds in Keno and scoop the biggest prize, take a look at the following tables. They show the exact odds of catching a number in a typical 80 ball game plus 20 draws with 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 spots:

Please note: The "#" represents the number of catches.

Things really get quite complicated and virtually impossible with 15 spots:

Nonetheless, players keep coming back, because even with these odds, Keno is a casino game with the biggest possible payouts. 

On a lucky day, a simple wager of merely $1 could win $100,000. 

That’s why Keno has gained so much popularity over the years, not just at land-based casinos, but in sports bars and online sites too.

Special Keno Odds

There are some online keno versions with special odds and rules. Don’t get confused if you come across a game that is not based on the usual 80-to-20 balls system. 

To discover other highly popular variations of Keno and their odds, have a look at the following titles:

Packaged Keno Odds

The biggest difference between this and the standard version of Keno is that you get tickets for less money if you buy more. 

The probability remains the same as usual, nothing more or less. Packaged Keno To Go is also a trademark and brand of the Maryland State Lottery.

Cavemen Keno Odds

Playing this version of Keno doesn’t require any extra knowledge. 

Notwithstanding, it comes with multipliers attached to all regular winnings if at least two computer-chosen numbers are among the 20 balls drawn.

Club Keno Odds

Often described as fast-paced Keno, this version lets you select up to 10 numbers where the wagers per draw start at $1 and increase all the way to $20. 

Club Keno usually comes with an option of ‘easy pick’. 

The prize paid for a $1 wager in a 10-spot game for matching 10/10 is $100,000 while the odds hang around 1 in 8,911,711.

Cleopatra Keno Odds

Perhaps the most interesting version of the game on the market, Cleopatra Keno, activates 12 free spins if the last drawn number contributes to the win. 

During free spins, all prizes are doubled.

Keno Strategies and Tips to Increase Your Odds

To get the most out of Keno’s payout potential, it is essential to apply some smart strategies and tips. 

Even though it’s a game of chance, there are certain tricks that can help you manage your money properly and increase the odds of winning.

Remember, there is no cheat sheet to win a game of Keno. Some keno strategy tips provide results over time, so there’s no harm in trying them, right?

You can start by following these instructions:

Step 1 

Choose casinos and games with better payouts like Banana Keno from Caleta Gaming

Step 2

Play with 4 to 8 numbers to have a good balance between winning odds, payouts, and possible profit.

Step 3

Always select consecutive numbers, as it sometimes gives results just like sticking to those numbers that haven’t been drawn for a longer period of time.

Step 4

Know your odds before playing to leverage them in your favor.

Expert Advice: Consider the "Hottest" Keno Numbers

According to a study by Auralcrave, there are 5 numbers that are most often drawn in Keno, such as 1, 4, 23, 34, and 72. 

They are referred to as “hot numbers”, so using them often per a single draw should provide you with good results.
 
The other most drawn Keno numbers are 3, 12, 27, 31, 32, 35, 40, 49, 50, and 65, with 27 having the highest frequency of 25.59%.

The Bottom Line

If you’re eager to play this fast-paced game of chance, we hope that our comprehensive guide on keno payouts and odds will help you win more.
 
Remember, it’s a game of luck, and sometimes, it is extremely unlikely that you will influence your keno odds. Better keep it simple and claim some Keno casino bonuses instead. 

The odds of luck smiling on you will surely increase. 

Have fun!