A keno odds calculator shows how likely your ticket really is. Pick 6 numbers and the chance of matching exactly 4 is 2.85%, or 1 in 35. Matching all 6 is 1 in 7,753. Matching none happens 16.7% of the time, more often than most people would guess.
Keno draws 20 numbers from 80. The free calculator above works out every result for tickets of 1 to 20 spots.
Keno odds calculator: the chart for 6 spots
| Matches | Chance | 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0.0129% | 7,753 |
| 5 | 0.31% | 323 |
| 4 | 2.85% | 35.0 |
| 3 | 12.98% | 7.7 |
| 2 | 30.83% | 3.2 |
| 1 | 36.35% | 2.8 |
| 0 | 16.66% | 6.0 |
Change the number of spots and the matches you want, and the calculator gives the chance of exactly that result and of that result or better. On a 10-spot ticket, all 10 is 1 in 8,911,711. On a one-spot ticket, it’s simply 1 in 4.
Which keno ticket has the best odds?
Fewer spots give better odds of hitting all of them, but that’s not the same as better value. What matters is the paytable, and it’s different in every game. A one-spot ticket that paid 4 for 1, stake included, would be a fair bet, because your number comes up 1 time in 4. Real games usually pay 3 for 1, which returns 75%. The house edge on keno is often 25% or more, far above most casino games.
To check a paytable, multiply each prize by its chance from the calculator and add them up. That’s the return to player. Anything under 90% is expensive entertainment.
The maths
P(k matches) = C(20, k) × C(60, spots − k) ÷ C(80, spots)
It’s the same counting as the lottery: ways to choose k of the 20 drawn numbers, times ways to choose the rest from the 60 not drawn, out of all possible tickets. If your game uses a different size, open “More options” and change the numbers. For lotteries, the lottery odds calculator does the same job.
Keno draws come round fast. Set a budget per session and stop when it’s gone. BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential if it stops being fun.