History of the Kino game

Keno is quite possibly the oldest of all the gambling games that you will find at any casino, either online or off. Its roots go back to an ancient Chinese game that started over 3000 years ago. In fact, though the game has changed some since that time, it is quite surprising just how close the modern-day game is to the age-old one.

Three thousand years ago in China, the country was straining under the financial and emotional strain of a very costly war. In the many villages of the extraordinarily large country, the villagers refused to pay for anymore weapons or supplies for the war. A man named Cheung Leung decided he had to raise the money to fight the war, so he made up the game, hoping it would catch on and he could sell tickets to buy the much-needed supplies for the soldiers. His plan worked brilliantly.

The original game that Cheung invented was similar to today"s Keno in that it had 80 choices to pick from. The difference is that today we pick from 80 numbers, but back then they picked from 80 characters that were based on a very popular poem called the 1000 Characters poem. It is rumored that the game started with 120 characters, though this, like much of history so old, is unconfirmed. The game was sometimes referred to as the White Pigeon Game, because carrier pigeons were used to send the results from village to village, since roads at the time were scarce or poorly routed.

The game came to the US during the railroad boom in the 1800s. As railroads were being built along the newly-settled West coast of the United States, many Chinese immigrants came to work on them and settle there. In doing so, they brought much of their culture, including Keno. In fact the game was so much a part of the new Chinese-American fabric that it was known as the "Chinese Lottery" for years.

Though the casino operators in Las Vegas heard about the popular game in the early 20th century, they actually could not legally begin to offer the game in their city. The reason- gambling was completely legal, but lotteries were not. So some casinos changed the name from "Chinese Lottery" to "Race Horse Keno", replacing the numbers with race horses. When track betting was banned, they simply changed the name to Keno, and the name has stuck.

Online Keno Strategy

• Decide if you want to win a large amount of money once or twice, or small amounts over several games. This will play hugely into your strategy.

• If you wish to win bigger amounts, you will want to place a larger bet on a smaller number of games. For instance, if the minimum bet is $1, you may want to place several dollars on a game, that way your payout is much larger if you win. You will also have to pick the max amount of numbers, as this is the only way to get the large jackpot.

• If you wish to simply have more playing time and don't necessarily care if you win the huge jackpot, you can pick fewer numbers. Doing so makes it easier for you to hit 100% of your numbers, thus ensuring a payout. However, the amount will be small, as your payout is proportional to the number of picks you made. Also, you would bet a smaller amount on each ticket, so that you can play more games. Your bankroll will last a whole lot longer this way.

• Realize that numbers in Keno are randomly generated. Therefore, just because a number has not come up for several games, it does not mean that the number will 'hit' the next time out. Technically speaking, a single number could never come up for dozens of games in a row because of the random number generators used at most casinos may simply never pick it.

• If your online casino offers free practice games, it is advisable to take advantage of this, as it can help you get a feel for the game and ensure you do not make a mistake in picking your numbers.

• Play for fun only. This is good advice for any game of chance. If you play expecting to win, you will be sorely disappointed, as big wins in Keno are rare. Play for fun and without expectations of winning, and you will then be pleasantly surprised if you do win.

• Decide on a bankroll and stick to it. Whatever amount of money you decide on, do not spend more than that. If you do, it will likely only lead to further loses.