Have You Been Inside a Keno Lounge?

Keno is fast gaining popularity as a casino game owing to its ease of play and fairly handsome prizes. This is despite the fact that keno has one of the worst odds inside a casino. But for many gamblers, keno is a cheap, fast and easy way to win money with no effort or hard thinking involved.

Unlike other casino games, keno usually is not played in a regular casino hall alongside other games, but has its own special place called a keno lounge. This is where keno players converge to play the game and at the same time relax and socialize in a comfortable setting.

Upon entering a keno lounge, you will see many seats and tables meant to accommodate hundreds of people. The place is often separated from the other areas of the casino by glass partitions. Most keno lounges double as restaurants or bars and serve food and refreshments to the players.

Some casinos use the traditional way of randomly selecting the winning numbers using plastic balls dropped into a hopper and blown by air. Other casinos use computer-driven random number generators in picking the winning numbers. The results are then displayed in video screens strategically located inside the keno lounge, and often in other areas of the casino.

When you start playing, you are usually provided with markers or pens known as keno crayons which you use to mark your numbers on the ticket. Some casinos supply you with markers of different colors so that you can easily identify and mark the winning numbers as they come up on your ticket. It's advisable to bring your own markers in case the casino doesn't provide you with markers.

Some high-end Las Vegas casinos still use India ink and brushes to mark your keno tickets, just like in the original Chinese lottery game. Ink was used to mark the spots in the tickets during olden times so that there were no confusion and misunderstanding regarding the winning numbers.

Keno is a fast-paced game, with keno draws every 5-10 minutes or so. That is why it is important to be alert and attentive when you play keno as it is possible to miss the winning numbers and fail to claim your prize. Some casinos will forfeit unclaimed prizes when the next draw starts.

To speed things up inside the keno lounge, the casinos employ keno runners who collect your marked tickets and deliver them to the keno writer's cage. The keno runner then delivers the computerized tickets to you and take additional bets. Keno runners help reduce the long lines to the cashier and allow you to relax and enjoy the game without having to stand up and go to the counter every now and then.

If you want fewer hassles, it's a good idea to buy a multi-draw ticket which allows you to play multiple draws using one ticket. You can play dozens or even hundreds of draws without buying another ticket. You can play the same set of numbers draw after draw and this reduces the time and effort needed to keep track of your marked numbers.

So the next time you go to a casino, don't forget to visit a keno lounge and start playing keno. Relax, dine and have fun inside a keno lounge, while at the same time get the chance to win extra money.