Author
Posted by James K.
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.