Keno is becoming an increasingly popular game at casinos, but with this growth in popularity come a number of myths surrounding it. While many of these are merely innocuous superstitions that players believe increase their winning potential, some can hurt your casino bankroll if you buy into them and play accordingly.
Here we will discuss the 5 most common Keno myths below, so that you know the truth about these and not make costly errors the next time you play this exciting game.
1. Keno has the worst odds of all casino games
You may have read that you should avoid playing Keno at all costs because it has the worst odds of all casino games. To a certain extent this can be true because the casino’s house edge can be up to 30% at some land based casinos.
This does not however mean that you should assume all Keno games have the same house edge as this does vary from one casino and game variant to the next. Video Keno generally has a 10% house advantage and if you play the game at online casinos like Casino Tropez you generally face between a 5% and 8% house edge. So you can’t automatically assume that you should avoid it completely, but you should always find out what the payout rates are and compare them to other casinos before you play.
2. The best Keno Strategy is to select numbers that haven’t come up in a while
Contrary to some beliefs, Keno is a game of chance and luck rather than skill so there is no legitimate strategy or system that can improve your odds of winning. So even though some players may advise you to pick numbers that haven’t come up in a while because they are “due” to hit, the reality is that results are completely random and no single number is more likely than any other number to come up at any given time.
So if you’re continually picking number 20 because it hasn’t hit in the last 30 straight tries, you’re not achieving anything at all.
3. Picking your Lucky Numbers
If you’re superstitious then you may believe that picking your lucky numbers will increase your chances of winning, and while this may add to the fun factor of playing the game, there is no factual evidence that any numbers are more likely to come up than others. So never get so caught up in picking your lucky numbers that you lose sight of solid bankroll management practices.
4. Video Keno games run hot and cold
As any slots player knows, it is a common belief, albeit a misconception, that slot machines run hot and cold. The same myth is applied to video keno games and many players will leave a machine if they feel that the machine is cold, or continue to play a machine that they think is hot, even if it means going over budget.
The truth of the matter is that both slots and video keno games are governed by a Random Number Generator (RNG) that determines the results, making them completely random. This means that if the game is treating you well or badly, this won’t last forever and results will vary in upcoming spins/games.
5. There is no game play strategy in Keno
In comparison to skill based casino games like video poker and blackjack, keno is a game of chance and therefore has no strategy that can alter the casinos house edge on the game you play. That said however, your game play strategy should be to find the best possible odds when playing which means you may have to do some research on which land based and online casinos offer the best odds thanks to lower house edges and avoid those with higher margins on this game.