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Keno

The game Keno is now often seen in modern gambling houses. It is a form of lottery or bingo that relies mainly on luck and probabilities to win. The conventional and most common keno game seen around is composed of an enclosed circular glass informally called a bubble. The enclosure has 80 balls inside with each ball having a unique number printed on it, from 1 to 80. The game begins with a blower turned on that causes all balls inside to mix at random. 

There are two key persons to this game. One is the caller who presses a lever to open a tube. The balls will be pushed to this tube when opened. The second key person is called the verifier. His job is record the 20 balls drawn and makes sure that the 20 balls are unique numbers. Most games of keno have computerized systems already that accurately calculate wagers from these 20 balls drawn.

To place a bet, there are tickets being distributed at the start of the game. This ticket has the numbers 1 to 80 printed on it. To wager, mark 20 numbers appropriately and these numbers will serve as your bets. The game then starts when the balls inside the glass are mixed on air. 20 balls will be pulled out one by one.

Paytables are set differently depending on the casino. These are pay scale choices where players could base their wagers. The more wagered numbers are matched with the 20 balls drawn, the more winnings for a player. The paytable will determine the amount to be paid on a person depending on how many matched numbers he got.

It is interesting to note that these paytables are greatly varied. In fact, it will be difficult to see two paytables that are identical to each other. The very thing sets apart one casino house from the other when it comes to keno games. In Reno and Las Vegas alone, there are about 20 to 30 different paytables to be found.

In most gambling games, the house typically has a winning edge. For keno, the house edge can be from 4% to 66%.

The term “keno” came from the French word “quine” meaning 5 winning numbers, and from the Latin word “quini” meaning five each. However, this game is said to have started in China. A legend says that keno was invented in China specifically to help save the land which was at war at that time. The game was used to help raise funds that will be used for warfare. Most of the profits were used to build a magnificent wall for defense, now known as the Great Wall of China.

The makeshift tickets for betting came in sheets printed with Chinese characters. Instead of numbers, the 80 balls bore 80 different popular Chinese characters. Some Chinese soon saw the need to immigrate and influenced the West of this game when they set off to cross the Pacific Ocean and live in America.

Payouts are simple in keno, and players have a good chance of winning. It is based on how many hits or matches a player gets. It is then multiplied by the base rate established in a paytable. The probability of getting all 20 numbers correct is very, very slim. If calculated exactly, the probability will only be 1 is to 3.5 quintillion. It is so slim that many people would agree it is almost impossible to hit the grand jackpot. However, the likelihood of hitting a couple of numbers in a given round is good enough to make this game very entertaining and fun to most leisure gamblers.

Modern keno games today are making use of technological advancements to ensure fair play and accurate results at all times. The rabbit ear blower is a machine used to blow air inside the bubble case and cause balls to be mixed inside. The AKV is another automated blower but with more features. Each ball in an AKV is encoded. A computer could read these codes and record it to a system for calculations.

There is also a random number generator that can be used for keno games instead of using the conventional balls in a glass case. An alternative to this is the Hand Cage which is actually a metal ball that could spin and mix the balls inside. The balls randomly fall through a designated slot. The verifier checks on the balls falling out.

Since so many players usually participate in a keno game, it is impossible for them to huddle around the glass enclosure. Instead, there are persons called keno runners who go around the gambling area shouting “keno!” The betting tickets are handed to the runners. The runners deliver the tickets to a booth to undergo close inspection before declaring a ticketholder a winner or not. The runner then brings out an outside ticket which is considered an official receipt. Players should take it upon themselves to check the accuracy of the receipt issued to them. Any errors should be brought up immediately for rectification.

Before, a winning ticket should be presented on the same day that the balls were drawn to be considered a valid win. Otherwise, the winning ticket is forfeited. But today, casino houses are more lenient. They set up a window for late claims to accommodate players holding winning tickets from previous draws. However, late claims still follow certain jurisdictions and rules depending on the management. There will normally be only a set number of days that these late claims will still be considered valid.

Keno can now also be played online. Wagers are done online and payments are coursed through bank deposits. Free software is available for downloading. It can be installed in a computer in only a matter of minutes after which one could immediately start playing. Computers with low hard disk memory may opt to just play keno in several online casinos offering this game. Payouts in online keno may be quite lower compared to traditional keno.