The exact pay schedule employed at keno is rather complex and differs
from
casino to casino. Each casino's policy is detailed in a brochure that
can be
found in the keno lounge and wherever else blank keno tickets are
available.
There are three factors that determine the amount of money a winning
ticket
receives: the number of spots the player played on the ticket, the
number of
those spots that came up on the drawing, and the amount wagered on the
ticket. Every possible payoff based on these three elements is listed
in the
brochure. Since the player may mark anywhere from one to fifteen spots,
catch any number of them, and wager three or four different amounts on
the
ticket, the pay schedule is a pretty complex affair. The only practical
way
to present this information is in the form of the printed charts that
appear
in the brochure. The brochure contains fifteen charts in all, one for
each
type of card, from a one-spot ticket to a fifteen-spot ticket. The
player
consults the particular chart for the number of spots he played and
checks
along the top of the chart for the column that relates to his size bet.
Then
he looks down the side of the chart for the number of spots he caught.
The
point at which the correct column and row meet gives him the amount he
won.
For example, the brochure I have in front of me right now is from a
major
Strip casino. It lists the following payoffs for a six-spot ticket:
You will note that most of the three-catch payoffs consist of winning
back
the exact cost of the ticket. In some casinos, these payoffs will say
"free
play." Instead of returning your money, the casino will allow you to
play
another ticket of the same price at no cost.
