If you are familiar with any lotto, you already know a lot of what you need to play Keno. Keno is similar to lotto only it offers better odds and more frequent games. The drawback; a whopping house advantage of around 30%! The game consists of 3 major components; the Keno ticket, the ball hopper or cage and a display board.

The game works like this:

Players mark from 1 to 20 spots on a ticket. A machine of some type selects 20 balls at random, out of 80. Each ball is marked with a number from 1 to 80. The 20 selected numbers are displayed on the display board. Players can win if enough of the spots selected on their ticket match the balls drawn.

Almost every winning combination for Keno has odds of greater than 10:1 and most are in the 100:1 range or beyond. Players can usually participate in a game of Keno in several locations throughout the casino, but the game is actually 'played' in the Keno Lounge.

The Keno Lounge usually consists of chairs, tables or desks in rows facing the display board. The display board shows 80 numbers with the ones selected highlighted. Bets are made in the area below the board using markers that usually look like crayons. Mark your cards, place your bet and watch the results of the draw. That's all there is to it! Of course there are some other nagging details such as wagering, payouts, odds, etc.

There are six standard Keno bets:

1.	Straight Tickets	This is the most common sort of Keno bet. You simply choose your spots on the Keno card and wait for the draw. Every casino has its own maximum total of numbers to bet. Most allow you to bet on between 1 and 15 spots but there are those that permit up to 40 numbers on a straight ticket. You also have to decide how much you want to wager. The most frequently encountered minimum bet is $1. You have the option of playing multiples of the base rate. For instance, if you played $2 on a $1 ticket, your eventual winnings will be double the $1 payout rate.
2.	Split Tickets	A split ticket allows you to play 2 or more games on the same Keno card field. From the field of 80 numbers you select 2 groups of numbers and then separate them with either circles or a line. If you wanted to bet $1 per group, your actual bet on a split ticket with 2 groups would be $2, which you mark in the appropriate space above the betting field.
3.	Way Tickets	Way tickets allow you to bet on multiple groups of numbers in a single Keno card field. They can be a little complicated; you must decide how many different combinations of numbers from among the various groups you've selected you want to bet on, and then compute your bets according to fractions you place to the right of the betting field. For example, if you were betting on 4 combinations of 4 numbers, 1 of 12 numbers and 3 of 5 numbers, you would write the fractions 4/4 1/12 and 3/5 to the right of the betting field and then add the numerators 4 + 1 + 3 for a total of 8, meaning that if your unit bet was $1, you would be placing an $8 bet; you then write $8 in the appropriate space above the betting field. One thing that makes Way Tickets popular among those who master them is that many casinos allow for fractional rates, which is to say that you can play for as little as 10 cents per way.
4.	Combination Tickets	A combination ticket permits you to combine groups of straight bets on one ticket in various manners. You wager one unit for each possible combination. Straight and way bets, for example, may be played on a single combination ticket. When betting groups of numbers you must clearly mark which groups you are wagering on to the right of the betting field.
5.	King Tickets	King tickets are a variation on Way tickets. You still bet on groups of numbers, but you select at least one single number as a 'King.' Each King number is circled by itself; groups are circled as groups.
6.	Special Tickets	Many casinos offer 'Special Tickets' which allow for varieties of particular bets with advantageous payout schemes. Special Tickets are generally used by casinos as promotional tools.

The purpose of these confusing tickets variations and methods of playing is supposedly to make it easier to play Keno, more exciting for players and allows for higher wagers and greater payouts. The simple fact is playing a way or combination ticket offers no real advantage, no disadvantage to the player other then your personal preference on how you like to play Keno online. The only way to take advantage of casino's and their online Keno games is discounted minimums. If you play more then 3 ways, many casinos will discount the price per way. It's not much of an advantage since you are only paid back what you bet if/when you win.

Keno is a fairly easy game to play and is based primarily on randomly generated odds. Enjoy the game, play some different combinations and if you stick with the numbers that have brought you some winnings in the past, at some point they probably will lend more winnings in the future.