Keno odds and payouts: what each spot really pays
Twenty numbers are drawn from 80. Your odds depend on how many spots you mark and how many you must catch. The house usually keeps a quarter or more.
Reviewed Oct 14, 2026
Answer first
90s| Ticket | Catch all | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 spot | 1 of 1 | 1 in 4 |
| 2 spot | 2 of 2 | 1 in 16.6 |
| 3 spot | 3 of 3 | 1 in 72 |
| 4 spot | 4 of 4 | 1 in 326 |
| 5 spot | 5 of 5 | 1 in 1,551 |
| 6 spot | 6 of 6 | 1 in 7,753 |
| 8 spot | 8 of 8 | 1 in 230,115 |
| 10 spot | 10 of 10 | 1 in 8.9 million |
Key numbers
Keno at a glance
In short
Key takeaways
- Every spot you mark has a 25% chance to be drawn. The pay table, not the ball draw, decides how much you lose.
- Keno edges are among the highest in a casino. Slots and table games usually cost far less per dollar.
- More spots mean bigger top prizes and much longer odds. A 10-spot ticket can pay on 5 catches or more.
- Compare pay tables between casinos. The same ticket can return 5 to 10 points more at one counter.
On the ticket
A 6-spot ticket against one draw
Your spots
Drawn (sample)
4 of 6 caught — a small win on most pay tables
Your six spots are locked when the writer accepts the ticket. The board draws twenty numbers. You are paid on how many of your six appear.
Pay table
Chance of each catch on an 8-spot ticket
Glance before you bet
| Catch | Probability | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 8.83% | 11.3 |
| 1 | 26.65% | 3.8 |
| 2 | 32.81% | 3.0 |
| 3 | 21.47% | 4.7 |
| 4 | 8.15% | 12.3 |
| 5 | 1.83% | 55 |
| 6 | 0.24% | 423 |
| 7 | 0.016% | 6,232 |
| 8 | 0.0004% | 230,115 |
Most 8-spot tables pay from 5 catches up. Catching 0–4 happens about 98% of the time.
Sequence
How to read a keno pay table
Step 01
Pick your spot count
The brochure lists one pay table per spot count, from 1 to 10 or more.
Step 02
Find the minimum catch
Note the lowest catch that pays. On many 8-spot tables it is 5.
Step 03
Check the price basis
Pays are shown per $1, $2 or $5 ticket. Scale them to your bet.
Step 04
Look for the cap
An aggregate limit caps total payouts per game. A huge win can be shared or cut.
Step 05
Compare across counters
Copy two brochures side by side. The better table can save several percent.
Floor rules
Keno words on the ticket
Know before you sit
- Spot
- A number you mark. A “6 spot” ticket has six marked numbers.
- Catch
- A marked number that the draw hits.
- Way ticket
- Groups of spots played as several tickets on one slip, priced per way.
- Multi-race
- The same ticket played for several games in a row.
- Aggregate limit
- The maximum the casino pays on all tickets in one game.
How the pay table sets the edge
The draw is the same for every ticket: twenty balls from 80. What changes is how much each catch pays. Multiply each catch’s chance by its payout, add them up, and you get the return.
A typical 6-spot table that pays 1,500 for 6 catches and 90 for 5 returns about 70–75%. Raise the 5-catch prize a little and the return jumps by several points.
Before you play, ask the counter for the brochure and work out one ticket’s return. It takes five minutes and can save several percent on every game you play.
Keep reading
Related pages
Go play
Where to play in Las Vegas
Tap a resort — each row opens that casino’s White Gambling page (hours, game mix, floor facts). Venues with this game in official counts, sorted high to low.
Open a casino page
Real listings · not adsAfter the 90 seconds
Questions before and after you play
A 90-second guide cannot cover every table moment. Tap a group, then a question — answers are short paragraphs, not one-liners.
01Keno odds
What are the best odds in keno?
A 1-spot ticket wins most often, 25% of the time, but usually pays only 3 for 1 including your stake. Small tickets of 4 to 6 spots often have the lowest house edge on a given pay table. The real answer is in the brochure: compute the return for each spot count and pick the highest.
What are the odds of hitting 8 out of 8 in keno?
About 1 in 230,115. You need all eight of your numbers among the twenty drawn from 80. Typical pay tables offer 10,000 to 25,000 for 1 on that catch, well below the true odds, which is where the house edge comes from.
How many numbers should I pick in keno?
There is no best number for luck. Fewer spots give steadier small wins; more spots give rare large ones. Choose the spot count whose pay table returns the most, and size the bet so the session lasts the time you want.
What is the house edge on keno?
Live lounge keno usually keeps between 25% and 35% of money wagered, depending on the pay table. That is several times the edge on most slots and far more than blackjack or baccarat.
Is keno like the lottery?
The draw works the same way, but lounge keno runs every few minutes and pays from a fixed table. State lotteries often run keno too, with their own published odds and pay tables.
02At the counter
Do I need to be present to collect a keno win?
For a single game you generally collect at the keno counter before the next game is called, or the ticket may be void by house rule. Multi-race tickets are usually cashed after the last race. Check the time limit printed in the brochure.
03More questions
Can I play keno online?
Some state lotteries sell keno online or run it in bars and stores, with odds and pay tables on their websites. Casino keno lounges usually require you to buy the ticket in person. Check your state lottery’s website for its own keno game.
What is a way ticket in keno?
A way ticket splits your spots into groups and plays every combination as a separate ticket. For example, three groups of 4 can be played as three 8-spot ways. You pay per way, so the total cost grows with each combination.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds — Keno Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry)The gaming industry’s standard reference for casino-game math, by actuary Michael Shackleford. Not an official registry; our calculators compute these numbers independently. · accessed Oct 14, 2026Catch probabilities and pay-table returns
- Nevada Gaming Control Board — Gaming revenue reports · accessed Oct 14, 2026Keno win and percentage by area
- National Council on Problem Gambling — Help and resources Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry) · accessed Oct 14, 2026Free, confidential help: call or text 1-800-GAMBLER