Guide hub
Keno Guides: Exact Odds, House Edge and How the Game Works
Keno is simple to play and expensive to play for long. These guides give you the exact chance of every result and explain why the paytable, not your numbers, decides the cost.
| Numbers drawn | 20 of 80 |
|---|---|
| 1 spot, 1 hit | 25% |
| 10 of 10 | about 1 in 8.9 million |
| Video keno house edge (Wizard of Odds) | 5%–16% |
| Live keno house edge (Wizard of Odds) | 20%–35% |
All guides in this section
- GuideFree Keno Games: Play Keno Online and See the Exact Odds of Every TicketPlay free keno online with no sign-up: pick 1 to 10 numbers and see the exact odds and RTP of your ticket. Plus every hit probability and the real keno house edge.
- GuideBest Keno Strategy: The Four Choices That Matter and the Myths That Don'tThe best keno strategy, math-honest: why your numbers don't matter, and how spot count, stake, paytable and pace set your cost, with our exact keno odds.
- GuideFree 20 Card Keno Explained: How Multi-Card Play Works and What 20 Cards Really CostFree 20 card keno explained: how multi-card keno works, why 20 cards multiply your stake and expected loss, and what our exact keno odds say per game.
- GuideKeno Patterns That Win: Why Shapes Don't Change the Odds and What Way Tickets Really DoDo keno patterns that win exist? The math shows every set of N spots has identical odds. We explain why, and how 246-way keno tickets actually work.
Keno is a lottery-style casino game. You pick between 1 and 10 numbers, called spots, from 1 to 80. The game draws 20 numbers, and you're paid according to how many of your spots were drawn. It's quick, there are no decisions after you pick, and it's widely available online, including in free versions.
The catch is the cost. Keno has one of the highest house edges of any casino game, and that edge comes from the paytable, which varies by game. This hub collects our keno guides and the exact odds we calculated for every result.
How to play keno
- Pick your spots: choose 1 to 10 numbers from 1 to 80, or let the game quick-pick them.
- Set your bet per game.
- 20 numbers are drawn at random, each number at most once.
- Count your hits. The paytable for your spot count says what you win. With few spots, one or two hits may pay; with 8 to 10 spots you usually need five or more.
That's the whole game. There are no decisions once the draw starts, which is why the paytable you choose matters more than the numbers you pick.
How keno odds work
Because 20 numbers are drawn from 80 without replacement, the chance of each result follows the hypergeometric distribution:
P(k hits with n spots) = C(n, k) × C(80 − n, 20 − k) ÷ C(80, 20)With 1 spot: 20 ÷ 80 = 25%. With 10 spots, catching all 10 is about 1 in 8.9 million.
These probabilities are the same in every standard keno game with 20 of 80 drawn, free or real money, online or live.
Key numbers: exact keno odds for 1 to 10 spots
| Spots | Chance of 0 hits | Chance to catch all | Catch all: about 1 in… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75.00% | 25.0000% | 4.0 |
| 2 | 56.01% | 6.0127% | 16.6 |
| 3 | 41.65% | 1.3875% | 72.1 |
| 4 | 30.83% | 0.3063% | 326.4 |
| 5 | 22.72% | 0.0645% | 1,550.6 |
| 6 | 16.66% | 0.0129% | 7,752.8 |
| 7 | 12.16% | 0.002440% | 40,979.3 |
| 8 | 8.83% | 0.000435% | 230,114.6 |
| 9 | 6.37% | 0.000072% | 1,380,687.6 |
| 10 | 4.58% | 0.000011% | 8,911,711.2 |
The house edge depends on the paytable
The hit odds above are fixed. The payouts aren't. The house edge equals one minus the sum of each result's probability times its payout, so two keno games with different paytables have different edges even though the draws are identical.
Wizard of Odds reports these ranges:
| Keno type | Return to player | House edge | Average loss per 100 USDT bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video keno | 84%–95% | 5%–16% | 5–16 USDT |
| Live keno | 65%–80% | 20%–35% | 20–35 USDT |
Picking more spots changes how your results are spread, with fewer small wins and rarer big ones, but the cost is whatever that game's paytable sets for your spot count. Always check the paytable or stated RTP. Playing several cards on one draw works the same way; see our guide to 20-card keno.
Our keno guides
- Free keno games: how to play and the exact odds: how keno works, the full hit distribution for 5 and 10 spots, keno's house edge range, free vs real-money play, and what strategy can and can't do.
Reading the table
Two patterns matter. First, zero hits gets more common as the spot count falls, but even at 10 spots you get no hits in 4.58% of games. Second, the chance of catching all your spots falls steeply: about 1 in 1,551 at 5 spots and about 1 in 8,911,711 at 10.
Strategy in one paragraph
You can't pick better numbers: every number is equally likely, and past draws don't affect future ones. Thinking a number is "due" is the gambler's fallacy. What you can control is the paytable you choose, your stake, your spot count (for the level of swings you want) and how many games you play. Expected loss = stake × games × house edge, and fast online keno racks up games quickly. Our guide to keno strategy covers the choices that do matter, and our look at keno patterns shows why shapes on the card make no difference.
Featured tool: compare keno with a 1% game
Keno and crypto games with USDT
If you play keno with USDT, the stablecoin keeps your bankroll steady, so only the draws move it. But compare the price of play: our dice game guide and crash gambling guide cover games with a published 1% edge, five times cheaper per bet than the best end of the video keno range. Mines uses the same drawing-without-replacement math as keno on a small grid. For converting the "1 in…" figures above into odds, see our odds vs probability guide.
Set a budget before you play, and see our responsible gambling page if you need support.
Frequently asked questions
How does keno work?
You pick 1 to 10 numbers (spots) from 1 to 80 and place a bet. The game draws 20 numbers. The paytable shows what you win for each number of hits at your spot count. With 1 spot, your number is drawn 25% of the time.
What is the house edge in keno?
It depends on the paytable. Wizard of Odds reports that live keno returns 65% to 80% of bets (a 20% to 35% house edge) and video keno 84% to 95% (5% to 16%). That is much higher than games like blackjack or 1% dice.
Are some keno numbers luckier than others?
No. Every number has the same chance of being drawn in every game, and draws are independent. Hot numbers, cold numbers and patterns on the ticket don't change the odds.
Sources
- Keno — Wizard of Odds
- Hypergeometric Distribution — Wolfram MathWorld
- Doctrine of the maturity of the chances — Encyclopaedia Britannica