How to Win Your Way with Video Keno

Decisions, decisions, decisions… an important aspect of any video keno player's gaming experience. For the video keno players out there, you know exactly what we are referring to when you sit down to play your favorite game. Winning with video keno can be challenging. You must have asked yourself this question at some point: Which game is the best to play when comparing the single-card, four-card, and multi-card games? The answer is...they all are as long as you are aware of how to
best utilize the features of each game.

Single-card keno is just that, a simple game with your choice of pay tables based on the number of spots you choose to mark. Your bet does not increase or decrease the short or long term odds and pays of the game.

Four-card keno allows you to play four games of keno at once where each game costs one credit to play. Obviously, your wager just increased to four times as much. Make sure you account for this in your bankroll if you decide to switch from playing single-card to four-card. You should always play four-card keno the same way you would play single-card keno. That is, the spots you feel comfortable playing on a single-card game should be the same spots you play across the four-card keno.

Multi-card keno allows the player to play up to 20 cards at the same time. Playing all the available cards will increase your wager by a factor of 20 from single-card keno. If you are used to playing single-card at one credit on a quarter machine, your bet can easily increase to $5 if you play all 20 cards at one coin.

The key to the different number of cards is understanding what happens when you start to overlap your spots on different cards. The more you overlap, the more you reduce the chances of winning across all the cards. The less you overlap, the more you increase your chances of winning across all the cards.


We won't bore you with a lot of math here, trust that as mathematicians, game designers, and slot machine experts, we know what we are talking about. Most everyone will be able to verify the following simplification of keno to illustrate our key point.

By overlapping your spots, you win less frequently, and when wins happen they pay on multiple cards. By not overlapping your spots, you win more often and pays happen on single cards only.

A 2 spot game across 9 numbers where two numbers are drawn and you win 1 credit when both of your numbers are selected. Your chances of winning are 1 in 36, your chances of losing are 35 in 36, with a long term expected return of just under 3% per credit bet.

The same game played on two cards with no overlap. Your chances of winning are 1 in 18, your chances of losing are 17 in 18, with a long term expected return of just under 3% per credit bet.

The same game played on two cards with one spot overlapping. Your chances of winning are 1 in 36, your chances of losing are 35 in 36, with a long term expected return of just under 3% per credit bet.

Your long term odds are the same the more cards you play. Your chances of having a win increase when you decrease the overlap. Your chances of having a win decrease when you increase the overlap. When a win happens, your wins will be "larger" with more overlap because there will be more wins at the same time. Your wins are "smaller" with less overlap because there is, generally, only one win per spin.

One of the worst examples we have seen of four-card keno play was an unfortunate soul at Casino Arizona—Indian Bend (before Talking Stick opened) who marked a line of six spots on four cards, all on the same numbers. She was basically playing single-card keno with a four credit wager!

Stay informed about the games you play, have fun, and ask us if you have any questions!

Originally Posted at Arizona Gaming Guide