Keno Terms Glossary

Aggregate Limit - The accumulated ceiling on payoffs by the casino for any individual keno game.

Will differ according to the casino.

All or Nothing - A keno ticket that can pay you in two ways, and two ways only - if all the numbers you pick get drawn, or if none of the numbers you pick get drawn.

Ball Game - Type of keno game where the numbers drawn are represented by plastic balls blown through a plastic tube.Balls - This refers to the balls, numbered 1-80, that are used to determine the numbers drawn in a keno game.

Bank - The money used by the house to back its action in keno.

Bankroll - The amount of money the player has available for wagering.Bet - The amount of money wagered by the player in an individual game or on an individual ticket.

Bingo - A game where numbers are drawn at random from a field of 75.

Players have cards with 25 numbers on them in a 5x5 grid and must be the first to complete a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on their card with numbers drawn in order to be declared a winner.

Blank - A keno ticket that has yet to be played.

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Blower - Plexiglas "bubble" from which keno balls are blown through a tube and drawn for the game.

Bowl - Before the "blower" goes to work, this is where all the keno balls are stationed on the machine.

Buy-In Tournament - A contest where players pay a designated fee to compete, which is actually in the form of usable bankroll, with monetary losses sustained and winning kept. This contest is played under an express set of rules, which will usually mandate that a specific number of keno tickets are played..

Cage - A wire cage used to roll the keno balls around, after which they will be picked out. Also referred to as a "bird cage" or a tumbler.

Call - The process of announcing the keno balls as they are drawn.

Caller - When numbers are drawn for the keno game, they are "called." This is the employee who does that. Catch - A number marked by the player that is subsequently selected during the draw.

Catch-All - A game where all the numbers you select on your keno ticket must be drawn in order for you to win.Catch-Zero - A game where none of the numbers you select on your keno ticket must be drawn in order for you to win.

Close - The moment the casino stops writing keno tickets. Right before the draw, for example, wagering "closes" out. Combination Ticket - A ticket that can have a number of different keno wagers on it, thus creating more ways to win.

Computer Ticket - The official ticket you get back from the keno writer confirming those selections you manually make on the one you handed in.Conditioning - Usually when there are ways or options available for the player on the combination tickets, these are the rules or terms under which the bets and determination of winners will be governed..

Crayon - Customarily black, it's the instrument used to mark numbers on a player's keno ticket.

Deuce - Two numbers, or "spots" grouped together by the player as marked on the keno ticket.

Draw - The full set of numbers selected for each keno game. Consists of 20.

Draw Sheet - The printed record of numbers drawn for a previously played keno game. Perforated holes are made in the sheet, corresponding to selected numbers.

Edge Ticket - Where the numbers marked are those that completely make up the outside edge of the ticket.

Enhanced Payoff - The payoff that results from playing combinations contained within one keno ticket as opposed to putting each one on a separate ticket.

Entry Fee Tournament - Contest where players put up a straight fee to compete against each other for prizes. Unlike the buy-in tournament, there are no cash wins or losses on the individual game within the tournament.

Exacta - A keno ticket which is good for two games, offering a special payout.

Expected Value - The rate of occurrence of a certain outcome in a keno game.

Field - The numbers that a player marks on a keno ticket but does not circle. Also refers to the entire board of 80 numbers in a keno game.

Flashboard - See "keno board." Also known as the "Big Board."

Fractional Rate Ticket - A ticket offering a discounted minimum. Generally offered on a way ticket, where the price per "way" is less than the usual minimum.

Free Play - A keno ticket that wins without a payoff, other than to allow you to play "free" the next time.

Goose - The apparatus that takes one keno ball at a time and sends it into the tube to be drawn.

Group - A collection of spots that are circled on a ticket.

Handle - The amount of money the casino "handles"; i.e., the amount it pulls in from keno over some specific period.

High-End Ticket - A keno ticket that pays off more handsomely for a large number of matching spots, with much less reward for matching a low number of spots.

High Roller Ticket - Generally, the tickets that carry the highest minimum bets.

Hit - A number marked on a ticket matching that of a drawn number.

Hold - That portion of the handle the casino keeps after paying off all winners.

House - The casino which the players is essentially competing against in the game of keno.

House Edge - This is the percentage advantage the house has over the player in keno. Thought to be around 30%.

House Percentage - See "House Edge."

Inside Ticket - A ticket after it is marked by the player and turned into the keno window.

Jackpot - The amount of "bonus" money, so to speak, that is paid off as the top prize in a progressive is won. Calculated as progressive payoff minus customary payoff.

Jackpot Meter - A sign - usually electronic - which indicates a jackpot that is current at that time.

Keno - A lottery-type game, with origins in ancient China. In the modern version, the house draws 20 numbers from a field of 80, and players mark tickets with selected numbers in an attempt to match as many numbers as possible to those "winning numbers" the house draws.

Keno Board - Also known as the "Big Board," it is the display that shows the numbers drawn for each game of keno. Located around the casino, the keno lounge, bars, restaurants and other areas where players may be participating.

Keno Balls - See "Balls."

Keno Computer - The apparatus used by the casino to run the keno game and perform many of the functions associated with it, including writing tickets, designating winners, generating payouts, keeping records of past games, and more.

Keno Counter - Also known as the keno "window." This is where the keno transaction actually takes place; where the player or keno runner brings the wager and the marked ticket and receives the computerized ticket.

Keno Crayon - See "Crayon."

Keno Lounge - Centralized area where participants can sit, relax and watch the games. The keno counter is nearby, the flashboards are in plain view, and there are all necessary materials readily available, including brochures, crayons, blank keno tickets, etc.

Keno Manager - The person who is responsible for overseeing a casino's keno activities. Would fall into the category of middle management within the casino infrastructure.

Keno Punch - Apparatus that punches holes in a draw sheet that correspond to the numbers that were drawn for a keno game.

Keno Writer - In effect, the "clerk" who accepts the wagers, pays off the winners, prints the tickets, and interacts with the customers and the keno runners.

King - One single number that is circled on a keno ticket. Used by some people in conjunction with various "way" bets.

King Ticket - A ticket that contains at least one king, each circled so as to identify it as a "group of one."

Left-Right Ticket - A ticket where the player bets on whether numbers drawn will be on the left side or right side of the ticket.

Limit - See "Aggregate Limit."

Live Keno - Keno played in a so-called "paper" setting, using tickets and crayons, as opposed to video keno or internet keno. In live keno, there is nothing pre-programmed; the numbers are drawn "live."

Lounge - See "Keno Lounge."

Mark - The designation of a number the participant/bettor intends to play on a keno ticket.

Multi Game Keno Ticket - A ticket which can be used for a number of keno games, sometimes up to thousand.

Net Win - The player's payoff, minus the amount wagered. For example, if $18 was won, on $1 wagered, there would be a $17 net win.

Odds - The chances an event will occur, expressed quantitatively as a ratio. For example, if there is a one in four chance something will happen, the odds on that event are 3-to-1.

Open - The period during which wagers on keno can be taken - before and after which it is "closed."

Outside Ticket - The computer-generated ticket that is the result of the player marking his ticket and executing a transaction at the keno counter. This is the only ticket that is official for the purposes of paying off winners.

Pattern - Groups of selected numbers selected on a keno ticket that takes on a distinctive and intended formation. For example, the "bottom row" pattern, a box pattern, or a "sideways cross."

Pay Any Catch Ticket - A ticket that pays off, regardless of the numbers of "catches" the player has.

Paybook - A brochure explaining many of the aspects of the keno game, including the payouts, rules, ticket prices, types of wagers, instructions on how to play, etc.

Payoff - The amount of money a player gets paid when he wins.

Pay Table - A schedule detailing the payoffs for each individual winning scenario.

PC - See "House Edge."

Percentage - See "House Edge."

Prize - See "Payoff."

Probability - Essentially the same as the odds, except it can be expressed as a percentage. For example, something that has a one in four chance of occurring has a 25% chance of happening.

Progressive - A game where the top prize is not automatically won at the conclusion of each game, but instead continues to increase in value until that ultimate prize is won. The criteria for winning, along with the intervals at which the progressive will increase, are determined by the casino.

Punch Outs - See "Draw Sheet."

Push - A tie, in effect. The win comes out to the same amount as the money bet.

Quick Pick - A ticket where the player chooses the option of having the casino's computer generate the selection of numbers, as opposed to the player himself making those selections manually.

Quit Race - The act of a player taking his or her ticket and cashing it out before all of the games covered by the ticket have been completed.

Race - Another name for a game of keno. The game was named Race Horse Keno, in which each number was designated as a "horse." This was in order to get around laws in Nevada that did not allow lotteries.

Rack - Where the keno balls reside until they are drawn for each game.

Random Number Generator - A program designed to select numbers at random for a keno game.

Rate - The price the casino establishes per ticket played, and also for each "way" on a combination ticket.

Rate Card - Indicates the "rate" at which each winning bet pays.

Regular Ticket - The standard keno ticket.

Replayed Ticket - A ticket which contains the same numbers the player had marked for a previous game, which is handed into the keno counter for the purposes of "replaying."

RNG Game - A keno game which uses a random number generator to draw the numbers.

Runner - An employee that picks up wagers and pays winnings to people who are sitting in areas of the casino other than the keno lounge. They exist for the convenience of players who are in bars or restaurants, or who are playing other games in the casino.

Shift Boss - The casino employee who oversees keno operations on a shift-by-shift basis. Generally responsible to the keno manager.

Sleeper - A ticket that yields a win but has not been cashed in yet.

Special Rate - A rate that varies from the regular rate established at the casino for a ticket.

Split Ticket - A ticket that gives the player the option of playing more than one game on an individual ticket. The games are signified by the designation of groups of numbers on that ticket. The split ticket generally does not allow the same numbers to appear in two different groups.

Spot - A number that is marked by the player on a ticket.

Straight Ticket - See "Regular Ticket."

Ticket - The piece of paper the player uses to select numbers and combinations for a game of keno. It is turned into the keno counter, along with a wager, to constitute an official transaction.

Top-Bottom Ticket - Type of ticket where the player bets on the top 40 numbers or bottom 40, and gets paid depending on how many of them hit.

Tournament - A keno "contest" where players compete against each other, in addition to the house, with prizes offered for the best finishers.

Video Keno - Keno which is played on an electronic machine, and which moves faster than live keno. A random number generator is used for this type of game. Online keno may also be considered a form of video keno.

Wager - The amount the player decides to put at risk in a keno game.

Way - Another method of betting on a keno ticket, usually the product of grouping two or more numbers or spots on a combination ticket.

Way Ticket - A ticket which allows for many different wagers - groups or combinations of numbers - theoretically producing a number of "ways" to win

Win - Hitting enough numbers to yield a payoff offering the player a net profit.

Winning Numbers - The full draw of twenty numbers. If these numbers are matched on a player's ticket, it can constitute a win.

Wire Cage - See "Cage." also known as "Bird Cage."

Writer - See "Keno Writer."