Simulators

Keno Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Odds?

Pick a keno ticket size and a catch, guess how rare it is, then compare your guess with the exact calculated odds.

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Woman pressing a buzzer

How the quiz works

  1. Pick a spot countChoose how many numbers your ticket has. OLG's Daily Keno allows two to ten spots.
  2. Pick a catchChoose how many of your numbers appear in the draw, for example 0 of 10 or 10 of 10.
  3. Make your guessEnter how rare you think that catch is.
  4. See the exact answerThe quiz above shows the calculated odds next to your guess, so you see how close you were.

Surprising answers

Zero catches, ten spots

1 in 38.6

On a ten-spot ticket the Daily Keno paytable also has a prize for 0 of 10.

All ten caught

1 in 2,147,181

10 of 10 is the top prize line. It is far rarer than missing everything.

Every catch, every spot

See the exact odds for all spot counts and catches.

Why the numbers look like this

The hypergeometric formula, explained step by step.

Common guesses vs exact math

Guesses the quiz may show wrong

  • Missing all your numbers should be very common
  • The top catch is only a little rarer than zero catches
  • Numbers that came up often are due again

What the math shows

  • 0 of 10 has odds of 1 in 38.6
  • The highest catches are far rarer: 10 of 10 is much rarer than 0 of 10
  • Every number has the same chance in every draw

How the exact answer is found

Chance of k catches = C(spots, k) × C(board − spots, drawn − k) ÷ C(board, drawn)

Example: For example, on a ten-spot ticket the chance converts to odds of 1 in 38.6 for 0 of 10 and 1 in 2,147,181 for 10 of 10.

Words used in the quiz

Spot
A number you mark on your keno ticket.
Catch
One of your spots that appears among the drawn numbers.
Board
All the numbers the draw picks from.
Drawn
How many numbers the draw picks from the board each time.
Unpicked numbers
Board minus spots: the numbers on the board you did not mark.
Odds of one in N
A chance of one divided by N. A larger N means a rarer catch.
Paytable
The official list of which catches pay a prize for each spot count.

Sources

Questions

What are the odds of 5 of 5 in keno?

It depends on the game and its board. For OLG's Daily Keno, the keno odds calculator shows the exact odds of 5 of 5 and every other catch.

What are the odds of catching zero numbers in keno?

On a ten-spot Daily Keno ticket, 0 of 10 has odds of 1 in 38.6. In Daily Keno, only the ten-spot paytable has a prize for zero catches.

Why are keno odds hard to guess?

The odds of a catch depend on how many ways your spots and the drawn numbers can line up. Very few ways give the highest catches, so they are very rare, while middle catches are more common.

Does the quiz change my chances in real keno?

No. It only shows calculated odds. Every set of numbers has the same chance in each draw, and past results do not change the next one.