The type of ticket we have been discussing so far is known as a
straight
ticket or basic ticket. It is the most commonly played kind of ticket.
Since
the player may mark anywhere from one to fifteen spots on such a
ticket,
there are fifteen different kinds of straight tickets. The most popular
ones
are the six-spot and the eight-spot tickets. The illustration below
shows an
eight-spot ticket in which the player has bet on numbers
9,12,15,33,36,37,55, and 78. Note that in addition to marking the
desire
numbers with Xs, the player has written the number of spots marked in
the
right margin of the ticket and has also written the amount wagered in
the
box in the upper-right corner. Dollar and cent signs are not used in
writing
the amount wagered. Instead, the cents are distinguished by being
written
smaller and being underlined.
The casino's pay schedule printed in the brochure contains only the
payoffs
on straight tickets. This is because, strictly speaking, a straight
ticket
is the only kind of wager that a player can make. However, he may play
as
many different straight tickets as he wishes in each game. What makes
things
interesting - and sometimes complicated - is that he can indicate each
of
these different wagers on the same ticket.
In its simplest form, this might involve playing three different
three-spots
on the same ticket. To do this, the player would mark the first three
numbers he wishes to play and draw a circle around them.
He would repeat the process with the second group of three he wished to
bet
on, and then again with the third group, so that he would end with
three
circled groups of numbers, each of which contained three marked
numbers.
(Any unmarked numbers that happened to fall within the circle would be
ignored.) To let the keno writer know that this ticket was intended as
three
different three-spot tickets, the player would write the fraction 3/3
in the
right margin of the ticket. Below this, he would mark the amount he
wished
to bet on each of these three-number combinations. This amount would
have to
be one of te sums accepted by the house as indicated in the keno
brochure.
(If the player wished to bet different amounts on each group, he would
have
to go to the trouble of writing three different straight tickets.)
Finally,
in the box on the upper-right corner he would write the total amount he
was
wagering, which would, of course, be triple the sum he wished to wager
on
each three-spot.
However, it sometimes happens that a player wishes to make several
wagers by
combining several different groups of numbers in different ways. While
no
different in principle from the kinds of bets we have discussed so far,
the
details of such bets can become very complex. These types of wagers
fall in
to two categories, way tickets and combination tickets.
Suppose a player wished to make several six-spot bets. Instead of
filling
out a number of different tickets or circling different six-number
groups on
the same ticket, he might proceed as follows. He circles three
different
three-number groups. He then indicates that he wishes to bet each of
these
groups in combination with each of the others 3/6 in the margin. The
denominator of the fraction means that he wants to play six-spot bets,
while
the numerator indicates that the groups he has circled may be combined
with
the second group, the first group combined with the third group, and
the
second group combined with the third group. Below the fraction he
writes the
amount he wishes to wager on each of these ways. In our example, this
amount
is seventy cents. Finally, he writes the total amount wagered in the
box.
This comes to two dollars and ten cents, seventy cents on each of the
three
ways. This kind of ticket is illustrated below.
Way tickets can become far more elaborate - and expensive - than the
one
just described. For example, if the player had circled five different
groups
of numbers, he would be betting on ten ways. If he circled nine groups,
he
would be betting on thirty-six ways. Players really do make such
complicated
bets. In fact, one popular way ticket involves betting on 190
eight-spot
combinations. This is done by marking off every other group to form 190
eight - spot bets.
When playing a way ticket, you must wager on every possible way, or the
ticket will be involved. For example, on a ticket that permitted
fifteen, if
you only wagered on fourteen ways, the house would have no way of
knowing
which combination you wanted to exclude. If they were to allow such
equivocation, if could be used by unscrupulous players who would decide
after the drawing which ways they wanted covered.
When more than three groups have been circled, it is far from obvious
how
many different ways these groups can be combined to achieve the desired
bet.
A simple formula can be used for calculating all the possible bets on a
way
ticket. Let's assume you have circled four three-number groups to form
a
nine-spot way ticket. The fact that there are four groups and the fact
that
those groups must be taken three at a time to for a way provide the
information you need to calculate all the possible ways. You are going
to
construct a fraction. The denominator of the fraction will be: 1 X 2 X
3.
You stop multiplying at 3 because that is the number of groups needed
to
form each way. The numerator must have the same number of factors as
the
denominator. You will begin with the number 4 because that is the
number of
groups you have circled on the ticket. Your denominator will be 4 X 3 X
2.
When this is all multiplied out, you will be left with the fraction
24/6,
which can be simplified to the number 4. You now know that you have
constructed a four - way nine - spot ticket.
One more quick example should clarify the process. This time we will
assume
that you have constructed an eight - spot way ticket by circling five
four -
number groups. The calculation would be: 5 X 4/ 1 X 2 = 10. Your ticket
is a
ten - way eight - spot.
