Instead of playing them as three six - spot bets, the three groups of
three
numbers marked in the illustration above could be players as three
separate
three - spot bets or one single nine - spot time. To indicate his
player
could do all of those things at the same time. To indicate his
intention, he
would write 3/3 in the margin. Beneath that fraction, he would write
3/6,
and beneath that he would write 1/9. He would be making seven different
wagers (the sum of the enumerators of all the fractions)
simultaneously.
This is known as a combination ticket. As in the way bet, he is making
several bets on the same ticket. Unlike a way ticket, he is combining
several different kinds of bets. A way ticket may comprise many bets,
but
they are all of the same kind - for instance, all six-spot bets or all
eight-spot bets. A combination ticket combines different kinds of bets
- for
instance, three-spot bets, six-spot bets, and nine-spot bets, as in the
example given above.
Each fraction in the margin of a keno ticket represents a different
type of
bet and is known as a condition. The process of calculating the
different
combinations and nothing them in the margin is called conditioning.
Another
way to distinguish between way tickets and combination tickets is to
say
that a way ticket contains several bets but only one condition, while a
combination ticket contains more then one condition as well as more
than one
bet. To reduce it to the simplest terms, a way ticket will have only
one
fraction in the margin, while a combination ticket will have more than
one
fraction.
Naturally, the number of possible combinations can be increased by
circling
more groups. The variety of kinds of combinations can be increased by
circling different-size groups of numbers. Indeed, most combination
tickets
involve combining different-size groups of numbers. Such tickets can
become
extremely complicated.
An example of this kind of ticket is given in the illustration below.
With a
group of two numbers, a group of three numbers, and tow groups of four
numbers, the following combinations become possible: one two-spot bet,
one
three-spot bet, two four-spot bets, one five-spot bet, two six-spot
bets,
two seven-spot bets, one eight-spot bet, two nine-spot bets, one
ten-spot
bet, one eleven-spot bet, and one thirteen-spot bet. A player who wised
to
play all these combinations would make the following notations in the
margin: ½, 1/3, 2/4,1/5,2/6, 2/7, 1/8, 2/9, 1/10, 1/11,1/13.
Note, however, that it is not necessary for the player to bet every one
of
these possible combinations simply because he has circled those four
particular groups of numbers. If you check the margin of the ticket,
you
will note that the player has chosen to play only four of the eleven
different possible types of tickets. He is playing seven different
combinations (the sum of the numerators of the four fractions) but only
four
types of tickets (the total number of fractions).
It is, however, necessary for the player to bet on every combination of
any
particular type he chooses to cover. Therefore, since the above ticket
allows two possible nine-spot bets the player may not wager on only one
of
these nine-spot combinations, since the house would have no way of
knowing
which nine-spot was being bet on and which was not. A player's ticket
must
be unequivocal. If there is more than one way to interpret what he has
written, the ticket is invalid. The casino is certainly not going to
let you
tell them what you really meant after the game has been called.
All of this points up the fact that simply circling desired numbers on
a
keno ticket is not enough. It is impossible to know how to interpret a
way
or combination ticket merely by nothing what numbers have been circled.
Reference must be made to the notations in the margin of the ticket to
know
what the player's intentions are in making the bet. Great care must be
taken
in conditioning any way or combination ticket. Otherwise, you may end
up
making a bet that is different from what you had intended, or you may
design
a ticket that is invalid.
Another point to remember is that all the groups of numbers you circle
on a
way or combination ticket must be mutually exclusive. Although it is
theoretically possible to construct a functional ticket using
intersecting
circles, so that the same marked number is included in two or more
groups,
such ticket are not permitted by the house. It is not necessary to
wager the
same amount on each type of bet on combination ticket. In our example,
the
player has chosen to wager a different amount on each. He indicates
this
fact by writing a different price under each fraction. The W nest to
each
amount stand for "way"; the player is betting that sum on each way the
numbers can be combined to form the kind of bet listed directly above
it. If
he had chosen to bet the same amount one ach one, he would have
indicated by
writing ".70 ea.," for example, under the entire column of fractions.
The
figure in the box at the upper-right corner represents the sum of all
the
amounts being wagered on all the various combinations the player is
covering. When the same amount is being wagered on every combination,
this
total can be figured by multiplying the amount of each wager by the sum
of
the numerators of all the fractions. When a different amount is being
wagered on each type of combination, it becomes necessary to multiply
the
numerator of each fraction by the amount being wagered on that type of
bet,
then adding up each of the totals arrived at.
The minimum betting limit the house imposes applies not to the total
sum bet
on a way or combination that is covered. In other words, every separate
bet,
as indicated by the sum of the numerators of all of the conditioning
fractions, must meet the house minimum. You can see that, when wagering
combinations, the amount of money involved can become substantial. Some
casinos soften the blow by lowering the minimum bet required on way and
combination tickets. Some cut the minimum in half; others lower it
still
further. You must ask a keno writer or a runner in order to find out
the
policy in that particular casino.
