Posted by James K.
May 11 2015
May 11 2015
The only keno I found in Macau, when I was there in August 2007, was at the Lisboa. It can be found in the shopping area in the "Old Lisboa", where the prostitutes walk around.
The game play is the same as in the U.S., where 20 balls are drawn randomly out of 80. There are two types of games. The first is the conventional way, where the player picks 4 to 15 numbers, and is paid according to the number he catches.
| Lisboa Conventional Keno Pay-Table | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catch | Pick | |||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 100 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 0 | 500 | 70 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 2000 | 200 | 50 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7500 | 1200 | 200 | 80 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18000 | 4000 | 1000 | 400 | 150 | 75 | 30 | 20 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20000 | 18000 | 6400 | 1200 | 500 | 200 | 100 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22000 | 20000 | 18000 | 5000 | 2500 | 1000 |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24000 | 22000 | 20000 | 15000 | 10000 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26000 | 24000 | 22000 | 18000 |
| 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28000 | 26000 | 24000 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30000 | 28000 |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30000 |
The next game shows the hit frequency and return according to the number of picks. The best bet is on the pick-11 at 74.77%.
| Lisboa Keno | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pick | Hit Freq. | Return |
| 4 | 25.89% | 73.52% |
| 5 | 9.67% | 73.22% |
| 6 | 16.16% | 74.72% |
| 7 | 6.16% | 58.93% |
| 8 | 10.23% | 61.70% |
| 9 | 15.31% | 58.95% |
| 10 | 6.47% | 59.46% |
| 11 | 9.83% | 74.77% |
| 12 | 13.97% | 74.06% |
| 13 | 6.23% | 74.07% |
| 14 | 9.05% | 74.73% |
| 15 | 12.50% | 76.69% |
In addition to the standard type of keno offered in the U.S., the player player may play High/Low/Middle. High is defined as the majority of the 20 balls drawn falling between 41 and 80, Low is the majority falling between 1 and 40, and Middle is a 10/10 split between the High and Low numbers.
The player indicates an exact sequence of High, Low, or Middle for one to three games. The following table shows all the various bets, what they pay, the probability of winning, and the return. Pays are on a "for one" basis, in other words, the player never gets his original bet back.
| Return Table for High/Low/Middle | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Pays | Probability | Return |
| High or Low | 2 | 39.84% | 79.68% | ||
| Middle | 4 | 20.32% | 81.3% | ||
| High or Low | High or Low | 4 | 15.87% | 63.48% | |
| High or Low | Middle | 8 | 8.1% | 64.77% | |
| Middle | High or Low | 8 | 8.1% | 64.77% | |
| Middle | Middle | Middle | 16 | 4.13% | 66.09% |
| High or Low | High or Low | High or Low | 8 | 6.32% | 50.58% |
| High or Low | High or Low | Middle | 16 | 3.23% | 51.61% |
| High or Low | Middle | High or Low | 16 | 3.23% | 51.61% |
| High or Low | Middle | Middle | 32 | 1.65% | 52.66% |
| Middle | High or Low | High or Low | 16 | 3.23% | 51.61% |
| Middle | High or Low | Middle | 32 | 1.65% | 52.66% |
| Middle | Middle | High or Low | 32 | 1.65% | 52.66% |
| Middle | Middle | Middle | 64 | 0.84% | 53.73% |
For more information on keno, please visit my companion site, Wizard of Odds.