How To Play Keno – Best Keno Strategy With Hot & Cold Numbers

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Written by Dmytro Sipko | last updated 13 November 2025

Knowing keno rules and odds at a pay table can drastically improve punters’ experience and let them enjoy continuous winnings. This page contains the basic info about the nature of this popular online lottery, explains how to play keno, factors that can help individuals reap rewards more often.

How to play keno?

Table of content

What is Keno

To properly answer how to play keno, we must first look at the origins of this popular gambling activity. This pastime dates back to ancient China, and its rules have stayed basically the same in the modern era. Keno is a fast-paced lottery game in which people select numbers they think will win in the next round.

Big keno payouts are the main selling point of this game as the more numbers people guess, the higher their total winnings become.

Of course, its journey started in land-based clubs, but the game had no problem finding a robust online following. Here, users can find video keno titles with different number limits. Usually, such games allow punters to pick only 10, but there are entries with 15 and 20 numbers that people can choose as the winning ones.
How To Play Keno

Those who have played roulette and lottery before will have no problem figuring out how this type of game works. However, complete newcomers can find this process a little confusing, so we’ve produced this simple keno game guide to assist in their first experience.

Find a game to play Find a game to play

Many top-notch platforms offer a number of keno games for users to explore and pick options with slightly different layouts and mechanics.

Choose the numbers Choose the numbers

Afterward, people are presented with a grid of 80 numbers to select from, which are also called keno spots. Most games set the limit at 10, but some have more options.

Check the keno pay table Check the keno pay table

Once users have picked spots on the grid, they can see the payouts for each selection. The more numbers match, the more money punters receive. Some versions even award account holders for guessing none of the spots.

Choose the bet size Choose the bet size

When the players have picked their numbers, they can decide to multiply their bet size if the spots match. Afterward, they may continue with a current selection or choose a new one.

The game begins The game begins

Once a person makes all their choices, they press play. The rounds in keno happen really fast, with the results appearing on the screen in seconds. Some entries in this niche even show the most and least recent spots.

Keno Numbers

Since this is a game similar to the lottery, numbers or spots play a central role in its outcomes. The more of them match, the higher the prize funds punters get. A typical grid in these titles has 80 spots in total, which is important to the odds, game mechanics, and prize structures.

Keno pay table

​All keno numbers have different punter payouts tied to how rare they match during play sessions. This allows players to adjust their picks and playstyle by focusing on more frequent but less rewarding spots or trying their luck with less common combinations.

Best keno numbers

While there are no spots that land 100% of the time, some of them do so more frequently. Experienced punters often refer to them as hot numbers due to how often they appear on the screen. We would like to stress that it doesn't make them foolproof keno winning options in all titles and sessions. These spots include:

1, 4, 23, 34, 44, 56, 61, 72, 74

Of course, for every hot keno number, there exist cold ones that rarely match during games of keno. These spots are as follows:

3, 12, 17, 28, 38, 47, 59, 66

​Keno Odds

Like all casino games, these titles have an element of randomness in their results for players. Users can increase the odds by choosing more numbers, but in doing so, they decrease the total sum of their payouts. Here’s a small table of keno odds, depending on how many spots people choose when playing a game:

Chosen numbersOdds
11 in 4
21 in 17
31 in 73
41 in 327
51 in 1,551
61 in 7,753
71 in 40,980
81 in 230,115
91 in 1,380,688
101 in 8,911,712

Keno Payouts

These games have lower payout percentages than other pokie titles. They are influenced by the number of drawn numbers and player bets. As a rule, online platforms have keno payouts set between 93.8% and 94.1%, but the actual number depends on how many numbers players decide to bet on.

For example, if they match two numbers out of ten, the payout is 92%, but on one, it’s only 75%. This means that online clubs deliver $98 on every $100 made in bets and pocket a $2 difference as profit. Please note that this is a statistical average delivered from thousands of play hours at various keno games and doesn’t serve as an indicator for particular sessions.

Keno payout chart

Reading theory without knowing the real chances might not be too helpful for beginners. That’s why we’ve decided to make this table containing possible keno payouts for a $1 bet, which is often the minimum at Australian online houses.

Total NumbersPayout
0$0
1
2
3$1
4$2
5$5
6$25
7$100
8$500
9$1,000
10$5,000

Best Keno Strategy Principles

When it comes to methods of playing these titles, every punter has their own set of rules and guidelines. With that said, some of our experts have spent considerable time with keno games, both in regular and demo versions, and came up with the following guidelines:

  • Choose 4 – 8 spots. This strategy helps users find a balance between odds and payouts, placing themselves right in the middle.
  • Bet low, play longer. Since these games have a high house edge of 20-35%, it's better to focus on the long run and bet with small, frequent wagers.
  • Keep it simple. Instead of switching between different numbers, punters can concentrate on one set to deal with stress and overthinking.
  • Manage the bankroll. Users must set aside a budget for their keno sessions and follow it to avoid overspending.

These principles will help users keep their cool and enjoy the casino keno offers no matter what happens. They can also help punters even the odds against the house in the games of online blackjack and baccarat.

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FAQ

How does keno work?

Keno is a lottery-style game in which players select 10-20 numbers from a pool of 80 available spots. Once they make a choice, the machine randomly draws 20 numbers from the RNG. The more numbers match, the bigger the payouts punters can expect.

How to win at keno?

To win at this game, bettors must successfully guess winning numbers. In many online titles, matching at least 3 of them is enough for players to gain victory. However, there’s no 100% chance of success as the game has a high house edge and entirely random outcomes.

What does 5 numbers pay?

The payout for this number depends on the quantity of played spots and the specifics of the particular keno entries. This sum can be as low as $2 or as high as $1,035, depending on how many additional spots a player picked on a $1 bet.

Dmytro Sipko photo
Dmytro Sipko Head iGaming Expert
I have over 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. At Pokiesworld, I handle in-depth analysis of brands and bonus promotions.