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Terminology of Keno
Aggregate Limit - Total payout liability of a casino during any one game.
All or Nothing - A keno ticket that only pays if all picked numbers are drawn, or no picked numbers are drawn.
Ball Game - A keno game that uses plastic balls to represent the numbers. This is the most common type of keno game today.
Balls - Keno balls. Similar to bingo balls or ping pong balls. Numbered 1-80.
Bank - The casino's money available for keno operations.
Bankroll - A common term used by gamblers to describe the amount of money they are prepared to wager, and possibly loose.
Bet - The amount of money subject to loss in any one game by a player.
Bingo - The original name for keno. Although keno and bingo are very different today, both use similar balls to represent numbers drawn.
Blank - A keno ticket that has not been used.
Blower - Part of the machine used to dispense keno balls. The blower uses air to force the balls into a tube where they can be viewed and/or removed by the keno operator.
Bowl - The part of the ball machine that holds the balls when the blower is not on.
Buy-In Tournament - A keno tournament where players pay a set fee up front, and play a predetermined number of games and/or tickets. Players get to keep any winnings.
Cage - An old type of wire cage that held keno balls. Most cages have been replaced by plastic hoppers. Also used to rever to the employees-only area where keno workers operate.
Call - The actual act of calling the keno numbers, usually over an intercom. Performed by an casino employee.
Caller - The casino employee who calls out the numbers during the keno game.
Catch - A number marked on a ticket is said to be a catch when it is called during the keno game.
Catch-All - A keno game that requires you to catch all of the numbers you have marked on your ticket.
Catch-Zero - A keno game that requires you to catch none of the numbers you have marked on your ticket.
Close - The time when no keno tickets will be written by the casino. Normally just before the draw until just after the draw.
Combination Ticket - A single ticket with several different keno wagers on it.
Computer Ticket - A keno ticket generated by a computer.
Conditioning - The "terms" of the wager. Normally written on the ticket. Generally refers to wagers other than straight ticket plays.
Crayon - Used by a keno player to mark numbers on a ticket. Similar to a child's crayon, but usually black.
Deuce - Two keno spots grouped together.
Draw - The 20 numbers drawn for each keno game are collectively called "the draw".
Draw Sheet - A sheet available from the keno counter which shows the numbers drawn from the previous game. Has holes punched in it to facilitate checking your tickets.
Edge Ticket - A ticket with the 32 numbers marked that make up the outer edge of the ticket.
Enhanced Payoff - A greater payoff received by playing a combination of games on a single ticket. Pays more than would have been received if the games had been played on individual tickets.
Entry Fee Tournament - Players pay a fee up front an compete with each other for cash or prizes. Players do not keep winnings from individual games in the tournament.
Exacta - A ticket played for two games, with a special payoff rate.
Expected Value - The rate at which an outcome is expected to occur.
Field - A group of marked spots that is not circled.
Flashboard - The electronic signs that display the numbers drawn for a keno draw. Most are now LED, but older boards using light bulbs are still around.
Fractional Rate Ticket - A ticket played for some fraction of the normal rate. Normally only used on a way ticket.
Free Play - A keno win that pays no money, but lets you play your bet again.
Goose - A term used for the machine that blows the keno balls up into two long tubes.
Group - Spots that are circled or separated from the other spots marked on a keno ticket.
Handle - The total of all money taken in for a game, shift, day or some other period of time.
High End Ticket - A keno ticket that pays more for catching a high number of spots, but less (or nothing) for catching fewer spots (as compared to a regular ticket).
High Roller Ticket - A ticket that has a high minimum ticket price.
Hit - When a drawn number matches the spot on your ticket.
Hold - Handle minus payoffs, or the gross receipts after paying out all winning tickets.
House - The casino.
House Edge - Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%.
House Percentage - Also known as PC (percent to casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%.
Inside Ticket - A keno ticket that is completed and turned in to the casino.
Jackpot - The prize paid in a Stud . Technically, the jackpot is the amount above the regular payoff for the game. For instance, if the Stud payoff is $25,453 but the regular payoff is $10,000, the jackpot is $15,453. However the term is regularly misused to indicate the total payoff amount.
Jackpot Meter - An electronic display of some type that displays the current jackpot mount.
Keno - The modern version of an old Chinese lottery. Twenty number out of eighty are drawn, and players win by guessing which numbers will be drawn. Keno is a lottery; state lotteries are variations of keno.
Keno Board - The electronic signs that display the numbers drawn for a keno draw. Most are now LED, but older boards using light bulbs are still around.
Keno Balls - Similar to bingo balls or ping pong balls. Numbered 1-80.
Keno Computer - Used by casinos to enter wages, determine winners, print keno tickets, prepare management reports, etc.
Keno Counter - The counter where players place their wagers and collect their winnings.
Keno Crayon - Used by a keno player to mark numbers on a ticket. Similar to a child's crayon, but usually black.
Keno Lounge - The area where keno players can sit to mark their tickets and watch the game. Normally rows of connected seats with a small desk top with a cup holder. Always stocked with blanks, crayons, instructions, etc.
Keno Manager - The person responsible for the entire keno operation.
Keno Punch - The machine that punches holes in a draw sheet.
Keno Writer - The employee at the counter who takes your bet, produces the computer generated ticket, and pays the winners.
King - A single circled number. Works with other numbers to make a bet or way.
King Ticket - A way ticket that contains one or more kings.
Left-Right Ticket - A ticket marked vertically down the center. The object is to catch only numbers on one half of the ticket (or no numbers on one half of the ticket).
Limit - Total payout liability of a casino during any one game. Same as aggregate limit.
Live Keno - Regular keno played on tickets, NOT video keno.
Lounge - The area where keno players can sit to mark their tickets and watch the game. Normally rows of connected seats with a small desk top with a cup holder. Always stocked with blanks, crayons, instructions, etc.
Mark - A mark made on a keno ticket number, either my hand or by the keno computer.
Multi Game Keno Ticket - A ticket played for multiple keno games.
Net Win - The actual player winnings, after deducting the cost of the ticket.
Nevada Gaming Commission - The body governing gambling in the state of Nevada.
Odds - The mathematical probability of an outcome. Expressed as a ratio.
Open - Any time the counter is open for taking wagers.
Outside Ticket - The official game ticket returned to the player in exchange for his hand marked ticket and the appropriate wager.
Pattern - The shape made by the collective marks on a keno ticket or lights on a keno flashboard.
Pay Any Catch Ticket - A keno ticket that pays something, no matter how many spots are caught or not caught.
Paybook - The literature that details the casino's pay tables, instructions, rates, etc.
Payoff - The amount paid to a player for his played ticket. Not necessarily a net profit.
Pay Table - The chart that shows what each win pays.
PC - Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%.
Percentage - Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%.
Prize - The amount paid to a player for his winning ticket. May not be a net profit.
Probability - The mathematical probability of an outcome. Expressed as a percent.
Stud - A keno game where the top prize increases until it is won. The prize may increase by a percent of wagers, a set amount per time period (hour, day, etc.) or any other method determined by the casino.
Punch Outs - A sheet available from the keno counter which shows the numbers drawn from the previous game. Has holes punched in it to facilitate checking your tickets.
Push - A win equal to the amount wagered.
Quick Pick - A ticket with numbers chosen by the keno computer for the player, at the players request.
Quit Race - Cashing in a multi game ticket before all games have been played.
Race - A single keno game. A term held over from when the game was called Horse Race Keno. Also may be a reference to the "race" to the keno counter to cash in a winning ticket before the next game starts (which normally voids all previous tickets).
Rack - The tray that holds the keno balls when they are not in play.
Random Number Generator - A computer program used to randomly select numbers for a keno game.
Rate - The price for a ticket or way.
Rate Card - Provided by the casino. Shows payoffs for various bets.
Regular Ticket - The standard or basic ticket sold by a casino.
Replayed Ticket - Giving a played ticket to the counter to replay the numbers.
RNG Game - When a computer program is used to randomly select numbers for a keno game.
Runner - A casino employee who goes through the casino restaurants and seating areas collecting keno wagers, and paying winners. Almost always women.
Shift Boss - The shift supervisor.
Sleeper - A winning ticket that is not presented for payoff.
Special Rate - A rate different than the regular ticket rate. Does not necessarily indicate a better deal for the player.
Split Ticket - Two or more groups of numbers played separately on the same ticket.
Spot - The numbers marked on a keno ticket.
Straight Ticket - The standard or basic ticket sold by a casino.
Ticket - The keno ticket. Marked with 80 numbers, used by a player to mark her spots. Generally made from low quality paper.
Top-Bottom Ticket - A ticket marked horizontally in the center. The object is to catch only numbers on one half of the ticket (or no numbers on one half of the ticket).
Tournament - A series of keno games organized by the casino into a contest between players.
Video Keno - Keno played on a computerized machine similar to video poker. Uses a random number generator to pick the numbers.
Wager - The amount of money at risk on a keno ticket.
Way - A separate bet on a ticket with more than one bet.
Way Ticket - A ticket with two or more bets.
Win - Catching enough numbers to collect more than the amount wagered.
Winning Numbers - The 20 numbers drawn in the keno game.
Wire Cage - A cage used to mix keno balls. Older type game.
Writer - The employee at the counter who takes your bet, produces the computer generated ticket, and pays the winners.
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