Keno game: chance of every hit count, RTP and how the pay table works
You mark numbers on a board, the game draws some of them, and the pay table pays by how many of yours came up. The draw is pure chance. The pay table is where titles differ, and this page shows how to read both.
How to play Keno
- Mark your numbers on the board. The title sets how many you may pick.
- Some versions add a risk level. It swaps the pay table and leaves the draw as it is.
- Choose your stake, then start the draw. The game picks its numbers at random, each one only once.
- Every number that is both yours and drawn is a hit. The pay table gives a multiplier for each hit count, and many counts pay nothing.
Keno odds: the chance of each number of hits
Hit chances follow from three numbers: the size of the board, how many are drawn and how many you picked. The table takes a board of 40 with 10 drawn and 10 picked, as an example. Other boards give other chances, and the keno calculator works them out exactly.
| Hits | Chance | Once in this many draws |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3.54% | 28 |
| 1 | 16.9% | 6 |
| 2 | 31.1% | 3 |
| 3 | 28.8% | 3 |
| 4 | 14.7% | 7 |
| 5 | 4.24% | 24 |
| 6 | 0.679% | 147 |
In this setup the average is 2.5 hits per draw and the most likely result is 2 hits, at 31.1%. No hit at all comes up in 3.54% of draws. All 10 picks hit once in 847,660,528 draws. With a single pick on the same board the chance of a hit is 25.0%.
How many numbers to pick in Keno, and what risk levels do
Picking more numbers does not raise the return by itself. The game has a separate pay table for every pick count, and the return is whatever that table adds up to. More picks spread the prizes over more hit counts and put a very large prize at the far end, where it almost never lands. Fewer picks give a shorter table with hits that come more often. A risk level works as it does in Plinko: low risk pays small amounts on many results, high risk pays nothing on most results and a lot on a few. The guide Plinko risk levels explained shows that idea with numbers. The real return of a table is the sum of each chance times its multiplier. Type the multipliers of your game into the calculator to get that figure.
Where to play Keno: casinos in our data and the RTP on record
All casinosAcross 7 casino lobbies we counted 36 different keno titles. Only 7 of them have an RTP we could confirm, from 94.87% to 97.0%. On 100 staked that means an average cost between 3 and 5.13, and the expected loss calculator scales it to a session. For the other titles the figure has to be read in the rules of the game. What RTP means in crash games applies to keno as well. The casino list opens each lobby with its titles.
Drakaris
Glorion
DragonSlots
Ragnaro
Alawin
Golisimo
WestaceIs online Keno random? What a player can verify
Every number on the board has the same chance in every draw. Numbers that came up often in the past are not due to stop, and numbers that stayed away are not due to appear. A draw has no memory.
In a provably fair keno the drawn numbers are derived from a server seed, a client seed and a nonce, and a finished draw can be recomputed with the provably fair verifier. Keno with a studio draw offers no such check, and not every instant version does. For those the published figure is the RTP in the rules.
Keno demo: see the hit counts for yourself
A free mode is listed for 36 of the 36 keno titles we have on record. Play a few dozen demo draws with the same picks and note the hits each time. The counts will gather around the average for that board, and the high hit counts will be missing.
Keno calculator and session cost
Questions about the Keno game
What are the odds of winning at Keno?
They depend on the board, the draw, your pick count and the pay table. With 10 picks on a board of 40 and 10 drawn, 2 hits is the most common result at 31.1%.
How many numbers is it wise to pick in Keno?
No pick count costs less by rule. Each count has its own pay table, and the return of that table is what counts.
Do hot and cold numbers work in Keno?
No. Each draw is independent, so a list of past numbers does not point to the next ones.
What is the RTP of Keno?
In our data the confirmed figures for keno titles go from 94.87% to 97.0%. Many titles show their RTP only inside the game.
Is Keno a game of skill?
No. Nothing you choose changes which numbers are drawn. Your choices only decide which pay table applies.
