Keno
January 28, 2008
Keno is a lottery-like or bingo-like gambling game played at modern casinos. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a “bubble” containing 80 ping pong-like balls which determine the balldraw result. Each ball is imprinted with a number 1 through 80. During the balldraw, a blower pushes air into the bubble and mixes the balls. A “caller” presses a lever opening a tube, where the balls lift one at a time into a “V” shaped tube called the “rabbit ears”. The caller and a “verifier” record each of 20 balls drawn, and the computerized keno system calculates all wagers based on the numbers drawn.
Players wager by marking an “X” over the “spot” choices on a blank keno ticket form with 80 numbered selection boxes (1 to 80). After all players successfully place their wagers, the casino draws 20 balls (numbers) at random. Some casinos automatically call the balldraw at preset timed intervals regardless of whether or not players are waiting to place a wager.
Each casino sets its own series of pay scale choices called “paytables”. The player is paid based on how many numbers drawn match the numbers selected on the ticket and according to the paytable selected with regard to the wager amount. Players will find a wide variation of keno paytables from casino to casino and a large deviation in the house edge set for each of those paytables. Additionally, each casino typically offers many different paytables and specialty keno bets for customers to choose from, each with its own unique house edge. No two casinos’ keno paytables are identical. There are several Reno and Las Vegas casinos offering as many as 20 or 30 different paytables from which the player can choose.
The house edge ranges from less than 4% to 66%. The typical house edge for non-slot casino games is between 0% and 5%
Keno history
Keno originated in ancient China in the Han Dynasty between 205 and 187 B.C. Chinese immigrants brought the game to America in the 19th century.
The word “keno” has French or Latin roots (Fr. quine five winning numbers, L. quini five each), but by all accounts the game originated in China over 2000 years ago. Legend has it that the invention of the game saved an ancient city in time of war, and its widespread popularity helped raise funds to build the Great Wall. According to one source, results of keno games in great cities were sent to outlying villages and hamlets by carrier pigeon. Eventually, Chinese immigrants introduced keno to the West when they sailed across the Pacific to help build the American trans-continental railroad in the 19th century.
Keno odds
Keno payouts are based on how many numbers the player choses and how many numbers are “hit”, multiplied by the proportion of the player’s original wager to the “base rate” of the paytable. Typically, the more numbers a player chooses and the more numbers hit, the greater the payout, although some paytables pay for hitting a lesser number of spots. For example, it is not uncommon to see casinos paying $500 or even $1,000 for a “catch” of 0 out of 20 on a 20 spot ticket with a $5.00 wager. Payouts vary widely from casino to casino. Most casinos allow paytable wagers of between 1 and 20 numbers, but some limit the choice to only 1 through 10, 12 and 15 numbers, or “spots” as keno aficionados call the numbers selected.
The probability of a player hitting all 20 numbers on a 20 spot ticket is approximately 1 in 3.5 quintillion (1 in 3,535,316,142,212,180,000 to be exact). If every person now alive played one keno game every single second of their lives, there would be about one solid 20 jackpot-winning ticket to date. If all these possible keno tickets were laid end to end, they would span the Milky Way galaxy — and only one of them would be a winner. Even though it is virtually impossible to hit all 20 numbers on a 20 spot ticket, the same player would typically also get paid for hitting “catches” 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 through 19 out of 20, often with the 17 through 19 catches paying the same as the solid 20 hit. Some of the other paying “catches” on a 20 spot ticket or any other ticket with high “solid catch” odds are in reality very possible to hit:
20 Spots 0 Hits: 1 In 843.380 Or 0.11857057%
20 Spots 1 Hits: 1 In 86.446 Or 1.15678605%
20 Spots 2 Hits: 1 In 20.115 Or 4.97142576%
20 Spots 3 Hits: 1 In 8.009 Or 12.48637168%
20 Spots 4 Hits: 1 In 4.877 Or 20.50318987%
20 Spots 5 Hits: 1 In 4.287 Or 23.32807380%
20 Spots 6 Hits: 1 In 5.258 Or 19.01745147%
20 Spots 7 Hits: 1 In 8.826 Or 11.32954556%
20 Spots 8 Hits: 1 In 20.055 Or 4.98618021%
20 Spots 9 Hits: 1 In 61.420 Or 1.62814048%
20 Spots 10 Hits: 1 In 253.801 Or 0.39401000%
20 Spots 11 Hits: 1 In 1423.822 Or 0.07023351%
20 Spots 12 Hits: 1 In 10968.701 Or 0.00911685%
20 Spots 13 Hits: 1 In 118084.920 Or 0.00084685%
20 Spots 14 Hits: 1 In 1821881.628 Or 0.00005489%
20 Spots 15 Hits: 1 In 41751453.986 Or 0.00000240%
20 Spots 16 Hits: 1 In 1496372110.872 Or 0.00000007%
20 Spots 17 Hits: 1 In 90624035964.712 Or 0.00000000%
20 Spots 18 Hits: 1 In 10512388171906.553 Or 0.00000000%
20 Spots 19 Hits: 1 In 2946096785176811.500 Or 0.00000000%
20 Spots 20 Hits: 1 In 3535316142212173800.000 Or 0.00000000%
Modern keno
The balldraw occurs at the “keno booth”. The balldraw is typically determined by one of four devices:
1. Traditional “Rabbit Ear” blower
2. “AKV”: Automated blower in which the balls are encoded, read by a computer, then sent to a computerized keno system for processing
3. Random Number Generator: An electronic number selection device approved by gaming authorities
4. “Hand Cage”: A spinning the metal ball cage which rolls the numbers into a slot where they are validated by a person
“Keno runners” walk around calling, “keno!” and offer to carry players’ wagers to the keno booth for processing. The keno runner is handed the wager payment and the “inside ticket” (keno wager forms filled out by the customer) and takes the wager and ticket to the keno counter for processing. The keno runner returns with an “outside” ticket, which is the official wager receipt. It is incumbent on the player to check the ticket for errors before the game balldraw is drawn. Any errors not corrected before the balldraw begins are not normally rectified and the “outside” ticket receipt governs in any disputes.
In modern keno, players are offered the option of playing multi-race keno, which books a keno ticket for a number of sequential keno races up to 1000. The races must always start on the next sequential race to be drawn. When the sequence of wagered games is finished, the player is able to redeem any winnings within the time constraints specified in the casino’s rules booklet.
After picking wager numbers, recording them at the keno booth and obtaining the “keno ticket” (official wager receipt), the player watches the balldraw in progress as the spot (number) selections light either on an electronic keno board or on a video monitor. Keno displays are typically found throughout the casino and sometimes even appear on a television channel in casino hotel rooms. Nowadays, after playing keno at a participating casino, keno players can even take their multi-race keno tickets out of the casino to watch the live balldraw or check historical draw results at [www.kenousa.com] anywhere there is a computer and an Internet connection.
In the past, a winning ticket needed to be taken to the keno booth for collection immediately after the race results were posted, and drawings usually took place approximately every five or six minutes. In days of old, if the player tried to redeem a winning ticket after the next sequential race began, the ticket was declared expired and no money was paid out even if it won. Nowadays most casinos set their “late pay” window to accommodate the player, however there is great variation in the published late pay window from casino to casino. Tickets played for 21 races or more typically offer one year for collection in most major gaming jurisdictions. Tickets played for under 21 races have a great disparity of late pay rules from casino to casino. Keno players are wise to read the rules published in the host casino’s keno paybook to determine when a keno pay will expire and become uncollectible. Gaming authorities require that all pay scales and keno rules be posted in a prominent location in keno areas.
An embellishment of keno is “way” keno or “combination” keno. When playing a way or combination keno ticket, the player circles groups of numbers within the spots marked and specifies combinations of groups which combine together to make different “ways”. For example, if a player marks four numbers, and circles two groups of two spots each, a combination ticket could be made in which the gambler plays one 4 spot and two 2 spots (2-2). If an additional group of two were added and circled, the player could play ways 1/6, 3/4 and 3/2 (2-2-2), which at $1.00 per way would create a $7.00 per race wager. Serious keno players use great imagination on keno tickets to make complex combinations of groups and ways with varying numbers of spots in each group. There is literally no limit to the way players can circle spots of like or a differing number of spots and in the resulting “ways” they can choose to play on a keno ticket.
As alternatives to traditional paytables which offer the selection of 1 to 20 spots, a number of special paytables are available and are often offered as a wager choice. For example, with the Top/Bottom paytable the keno player does not select any spots. Rather, the player is betting that the balldraw top 40 and bottom 40 ball distribution will be uneven. Top/Bottom typically begins paying on a 7/13 or 13/7 ball distribution between the top half (1 to 40) and bottom half (41 to 80) of the keno grid and the payouts increase with each higher balldraw distribution disparity. The same principle is applied for the Left/Right or Odd/Even paytables. Other specialty paytables are Top Only, Bottom Only, Left Only, Right Only, Odd Only, Even Only, Parlay, Exacta, Edge, Square, or eXtra Million, which is proprietary to XpertX Keno Systems. However the traditional 1 though 20 spot pick is by far the most popular variety of live keno.
Lottery versions of keno are now used in many National Lotteries or state licensed Lotteries around the world. The games have different formulas depending on the wanted price structure and whether the game is slow (daily or weekly), or if it is a fast game with just minutes between the draws. The drawn numbers are typically published on TV for the slow games and on monitors at the point of sale for the fast games. A video keno machine sometimes has a greater customer edge than a traditional keno game. However, because live keno payouts are configurable at will by the host casino, some live keno paytables house hold percentages match or are even lower those for video keno machines, which almost always have fixed paytables that don’t change.
Detailed mathematical analysis
The version of Keno played in Maryland serves as a case study in the precise calculation of win probabilities and expected return—the latter referring to the result to be realized in the long run from each unit invested.
In Maryland, anyone may play keno at any of thousands of establishments that are wired with a television screen and an impossible-to-overlook, hot pink machine resembling a cash register. The player uses a pencil to complete a small slip; the attendant feeds the slip to the machine, which generates a computer-printed ticket that is protected from tampering via cryptographic checksum. Games—which are played every four minutes or so—can be viewed over the accompanying television monitor. The computer selects twenty numbers between one and eighty. The payout is calculated based upon how many numbers were chosen and how many were matched. Intriguingly, for the nine-spot and ten-spot games, there is a payout if the player fails to match any numbers—it obviously being an unusual event for zero of nine or ten selected numbers to match any of the twenty “dealt,” so to speak, from the pool of eighty.
The probability that k of the n numbers chosen by the player, i.e.,
- Pn(k)
occur in the twenty numbers chosen by the computer can straightforwardly be derived:
1. The number of possible outcomes equals the number of combinations of eighty numbers taken twenty at a time.
2. The number of ways in which k of the n numbers selected by the player occur in the twenty numbers selected (putatively at random) by the central Keno computer is equal to the number of ways in which k numbers can be chosen from a set of n numbers.
3. The number of ways in which the remainder of the numbers do not occur in the twenty numbers selected is given by the number of ways in which 20-k numbers can be chosen from a set of 80-n numbers.
Combining the foregoing, one finds that:
The payouts for each result can be read from the Maryland keno Web site. For the purposes of our discussion, if the player participates in the n-spot game and ends up matching k of the twenty numbers selected, we will refer to that payout as:
- Wn(k).
The expected payout for the n-spot game can be determined by summing, over all values of i from one to n (from zero to n if the game pays out in the case of zero numbers matched), the product of the payout for that result and the probability of occurrence of that result:
which could alternatively be represented as the inner product (”dot product”) of the vector of probabilities and the vector of payouts.
One finds that the best game for the player is the three-spot game, which realizes an expected return of approximately 62 cents for every dollar invested, or approximately a 38% loss. The seven-spot game ranks close behind, returning just over 60 cents per dollar. Perhaps not surprisingly, despite the astonishingly high payoff for strong performance, the ten-spot game is by far the poorest from the player’s perspective.
Bingo (UK) Housie
January 28, 2008
Bingo (UK)
Bingo (United Kingdom) or Housie (New Zealand and Australia) is a gambling game. Players mark off numbers on a ticket as they are randomly called out, in order to achieve a winning combination.It is not to be confused with the similar American game Bingo, as the tickets and the calling are slightly different.
Description of the Game
A typical housie/Bingo ticket
A typical housie/bingo ticket is shown to the right. It contains fifteen numbers, arranged in nine columns by three rows. Each row contains five numbers and four blank spaces. Each column contains either one, two, or very rarely three, numbers:
- The first column contains numbers from 1 to 9,
- The second column numbers from 10 to 19,
- The third 20 to 29 and so on up until the last column, which contains numbers from 80 to 90 (the 90 being placed in this column as well).
The game is presided over by a caller, whose job it is to call out the numbers and validate winning tickets. He will announce the prize or prizes for each game before starting.The caller will then usually say “Eyes down” to indicate that he is about to start. He then begins to call numbers as they are randomly selected, either by an electronic Random Number Generator (RNG), by drawing counters from a bag or by using balls in a mechanical draw machine. Calling takes the format of simple repetition in the framework, “Both the fives, fifty five”, or “Two and three, twenty three.”
A typical “dabber” or “dauber”, used for both bingo and housie tickets
The different winning combinations are:
- Line — covering a horizontal line of five numbers on the ticket.
- Two Lines — Covering any two lines on the same ticket.
- Full House — covering all fifteen numbers on the ticket.
- In New Zealand in bonus (Super Housie) games, often three lines may be claimed - top, middle and bottom, usually with much larger prizes, are also played at various times throughout the session.
- In the UK, however, it is most common for a line game to be followed directly by a two line game and a full house game, or just by a full house game.
- In the UK’s National Bingo Game only a full house game is ever played. The record payout for the national bingo game was £950,000 and was won by a lucky customer from Gala Sheffield Parkway.
- In all cases, the last number called must be in the winning sequence. If you do not stop the game in time, beware, because if the caller starts the next number, your claim will be deemed invalid!
When players first come to the venue (often a church hall, rugby club or other place with sufficient tables and chairs, including in the UK many specifically designed bingo clubs) they can buy a book of tickets. Players generally play between one and six books. In New Zealand a book usually contains fifty tickets which are played over the course of the night. In UK bingo clubs, playing is divided into sessions with different books, each with a designated number of pages. Players in the UK usually prefer to buy books of 6 tickets containing all possible numbers in different combinations.
As each number is called, players check to see if that number appears on their tickets. If it does, they will mark it with a special marker called a “dabber” or a “dauber”, shown here. When all the numbers required to win a prize have been marked off, the player calls out “Line” or “House” depending on the prize, and an official or member of staff will come and check the claim:
- In the UK with the increasing computerization of bingo systems, an Auto-Validate system is often used in large clubs where a 1 to 8 digit security code is read out by a member of staff and checked against the entry for that ticket on the system. This saves the club from the time-consuming exercise of reading out every number on the ticket.
- In smaller clubs, however, each number in the winning combination must be read out. The caller will check to see if each number has been called, and if it has, he will say something similar to “House correct - please pay out”.
There will often be an interval halfway through the game. In Australia and New Zealand Super Housie tickets are played and raffles (if there are any) are drawn. In UK bingo halls it is most common for Mechanised Cash Bingo to be played (see below).
Chris Lamb, duty manager from Gala Bingo Nottingham Castle, says “Electronic gaming is now taking another step forward with the introduction of P.E.T (programable electronic tickets), that allows customers to play many more tickets on a small handheld terminal, connected to the caller via wi-fi.”
Business Aspect
In New Zealand and Australia, housie is often used a fundraiser by churches, sports teams, and other groups, and raffles are sold before the game.
Bingo, as housie is known as in the UK (not to be confused with the similar US game Bingo), is an expanding and highly profitable business, with many companies competing for the customers’ money.
The two largest companies with bingo halls in Great Britain are:
- Gala Bingo (Gala Group Ltd.)
- Mecca Bingo Ltd. (part of The Rank Group plc)
In Northern Ireland, one of the largest bingo club groups is the Planet Bingo Group, with seven clubs in the following towns/cities:
- Antrim
- Carrickfergus
- Belfast
- Newtownards
- Portadown
There are three clubs in the city of Belfast; Galaxy Bingo at the Yorkgate Shopping Centre, which is the Head Office, Star Bingo, and Planet Belfast, a.k.a. 321 Club due to its address; 321 Newtownards Road.
Online Bingo is also becoming increasingly popular with many different companies launching sites including Ladbrokes and Ann Summers
As well as offering the familiar Housie/Bingo played by marking numbered books, most large clubs have their tables modified for the playing of Cash Housie or Mechanised Cash Bingo [Parti Bingo] (using coin slots or, increasingly in the 21st century, an electronic credit system). This is highly profitable for the operator, with a typical “take” of fifty percent of the stake.
Mechanised cash bingo differs from paper bingo, because it is played on a plastic bingo board, that is 4×4 square, and split up into four columns of colours. The customer chooses when they want to play, and insert a credit into a coin slot. The company involved will then use a computer (called a stage rig controller) to automatically take a “participation fee” which is set by the operator (usually between 40% and 60%). The rest of the credit is then put into the prize pool to be played for. There are only 80 numbers in play. The numbers are called a lot faster by the caller (usually around 1.5 seconds a number) and when a customer has a winning combination they press a claim button to stop the game. This is profitable for the operator as the games are so fast, and a huge parfee can be made in a few minutes. Winning combinations are usually any line down, across, diagonal, four corners or four centre squares.
In Northern Ireland bingo clubs, where the laws governing bingo games are different than in England, Scotland and Wales, it is common, when playing “parti bingo” for the caller to announce that a position or “card” has won, and ending the game, without the participation of the person playing. This enables the customer to play more positions in hope of a better chance of winning.
Calling nicknames (UK Bingo)
In New Zealand, calling nicknames are not used as much as in the UK, but here are some of the more common ones. When calling, the caller will usually say both digits on their own first, and then the number itself, for example, “Three and two, thirty-two”. Some callers will use many of these slang terms, others just a few. However, “Kelly’s Eye”, “Legs Eleven” and “Top of the Shop” are often used, even if none of the others are. See section below for usage.
| Number | Slang Expression |
| 1 | Kelly’s Eye / On its Own / At the Beginning / Start the Game / Number one, just begun |
| 2 | One Little Duck |
| 3 | Cup of Tea / One Little Flea / My little Fly / Dixie Lee |
| 4 | Knock at the Door |
| 5 | Man Alive / Jack’s alive |
| 6 | Just a Click / chopsticks |
| 7 | Lucky for Some / hope in heaven |
| 8 | One Fat Lady / The Garden Gate |
| 9 | Doctor’s Orders (”Number 9 pill”) |
| 10 | Gordon’s Den (forename of current prime minister) / Big Ben / cock and hen / Downing Street |
| 11 | Chicken Legs / Legs Eleven |
| 13 | Unlucky for Some / Lucky for Some |
| 16 | Sweet Sixteen |
| 17 | Never been kissed |
| 21 | Key of the Door |
| 22 | Two Little Ducks / all the twos / dinky doo |
| 23 | Thee and Me |
| 24 | Two Dozen |
| 26 | Half a Crown / Pick and Mix / bed and breakfast |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie |
| 33 | Come in For Ya Tea / all the threes / Feathers |
| 37 | More Than Eleven |
| 38 | You’re Late!! / Top Date! |
| 39 | All the steps (Novel “The Thirty-Nine Steps”) |
| 40 | Over the Hill |
| 44 | Droopy Drawers / All the fours |
| 45 | Halfway There |
| 50 | Bulls eye / Blind 50 / Halfway House / Hawaii |
| 51 | Tweak of the Thumb |
| 55 | Snakes Alive / All the Fives |
| 57 | Heinz Varieties |
| 59 | Brighton Line |
| 64 | Red Raw / knock on the door / you’re poor / cats paw |
| 66 | Clickety-Click / All the sixes |
| 69 | Thats Rude / Two can chew / Any way you look at it |
| 71 | Bang on the Drum |
| 72 | In for a Poo |
| 76 | 7 and 6 - Was she worth it? / Trombones |
| 77 | All the sevens / Seventy plus Seven |
| 79 | One More Time / Seventy plus nine |
| 81 | Stop and Run / Cinnamon Bun |
| 86 | Between the Sticks / Dogs dicks |
| 88 | Two Fat Ladies / All the eights |
| 89 | Almost there |
| 90 | Top of the Shop / Top of the House |
There is at least one nickname for each bingo number called. See sources for more.
Usage of Bingo nicknames in the UK
Since the introduction of the electronic Random Number Generator (RNG) in Bingo Halls in the UK, the usage of the nicknames above in mainstream Bingo has dramatically decreased. Bingo with an electronic RNG is much less time consuming and it has been discovered that replacing the nicknames with a simple repetition (in the pattern “All the fives, fifty five” or “Two and four, twenty four”), has allowed bingo halls to focus on the more lucrative business of Mechanised Cash Bingo (MCB), known in Gala Bingo Clubs as Party Bingo, and Mecca Bingo Clubs as Cashline.
It is perhaps nostalgic to note that the usage of these nicknames tends to be greater where the focus of playing bingo is upon fun rather than big business; this includes British holiday resort chains such as Haven, British Holidays and Pontins, and also church halls, social clubs etc.
Trivia
- An average British game of bingo takes between four and four and a half minutes.
- The average speed of a British bingo caller is 23 numbers per minute.
- The average time to check a winning claim is 30 seconds.
- There is a UK Caller of the Year Competition in which bingo callers compete for a cash prize and the chance to call the numbers in Las Vegas, as well as to become the bingo ‘ambassador’ for Britain.
- The bingo industry employs over 20,000 people from callers, and change givers to cleaners and accountants.
- There are 699 licensed and operating bingo clubs in Great Britain.
- For the year 2000 the total estimated market was around 89 million admissions.
- Over 3 million people regularly play bingo in licensed clubs.
- Players are often members of more than one club.
- Players often arrive 2 hours before the game starts, to enjoy a meal or chat with friends.
- More than two in three people go to bingo for social, rather than financial reasons.
- Many celebrities like to play bingo, including Denise van Outen, Elle MacPherson, Damon Hill, Mariah Carey, Bianca and Jade Jagger.
- In 2004 more people attended bingo than football matches in both UK leagues.
- The current Bingo Caller of The Year is Blake Robson, from South Shields.
- All bingo halls in the UK participating in the National Bingo Game must adhere to the somewhat more strict rules on calling numbers because of the overwhelmingly large prize money (sometimes up to £500,000). This includes a double repetition of every single number, in the format, “Fifty five, both the fives, fifty five”.
- Castle Bingo in Canton, Cardiff, was the first purpose built Bingo Hall in the UK
- 60% of bingo players are smokers.
- For somebody to achieve a full-house, a group of ten players would (on average) need 77 numbers to be called out. One hundred players would need 67, one thousand players would need 59 and one million players would need 40. (Note: these figures require an unsafe assumption regarding the manufacture of tickets.)
Bingo North America
January 28, 2008
Bingo (North America)
This article is about the American version of Bingo. For other uses, see Bingo.
Bingo
Bingo is a game of chance in which randomly selected numbers are drawn and players match those numbers to those appearing on 5×5 matrices which are printed or electronically represented and are known as “cards.” The first person to have a card where the drawn numbers form a specified pattern is the winner and calls out the word “Bingo!” to alert others and inform the caller of the win. The card must first be properly checked for accuracy before the “win” is officially confirmed at which time the prize is secured and a new game is begun.
The version of the game described in this article is played in the United States and Canada. A very similar game is played in the United Kingdom and in Australia (where it is called housie). These games differ only in ticket layout and calling.
Description of the game
Each bingo player is given a card marked with a grid containing a unique combination of numbers. The winning pattern to be formed on the card is announced. On each turn, a non-player known as the caller randomly selects a numbered ball from a container and announces the number to all the players. The ball is then set aside so that it cannot be chosen again. Each player searches his card for the called number, and if he finds it, marks it. The element of skill in the game is the ability to search one’s card for the called number in the short time before the next number is called.
The caller continues to select and announce numbers until the first player forms the agreed pattern (one line, two lines, full house) on their card and shouts out the name of the pattern or bingo. One of the most common patterns, called full card, blackout and cover-all simply consists of marking all the numbers on the card. Other common patterns are single line, two lines, the four corners, centre cross, L, T, Y, postage stamp (2×2 and in a corner) inner square (4 × 4), roving square (3 × 3), and roving kite (a 3 × 3 diamond). Lines can be made horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Inner and roving squares and kites must be completely filled; roving squares and kites may be made anywhere on the card.
Bingo cards
A typical American bingo card
Bingo cards are flat pieces of cardboard or non-reusable paper which contain 25 squares arranged in five vertical and five horizontal rows; Dual dab, or “double-action” cards have two numbers in each square. Each space in the grid contains a number, except for the center square, which is considered filled. The highest number used is 75. The letters B, I, N, G, O are pre-printed above the five vertical columns, with one letter appearing above each column. The center space is marked “free.” The printed numbers on the card correspond to the following arrangement: 1 to 15 in the B column; 16 to 30 in the I column; 31 to 45 in the N column; 46 to 60 in the G column and 61 to 75 in the O column.
There are about 5.52*1026, (exactly 155 × 145 × 135 × 125 × 114) possible arrangements of the numbers on a bingo card.
The most chips one can place on a Bingo board without having a Bingo is 19, not counting the free space. In order for this to happen, only one empty cell can reside in each row and each column, and at least one empty cell must be in each diagonal, for instance:
O O _ O O
O _ O O O
O O F O _
O O O _ O
_ O O O O
Note: in addition to a straight line, many bingo halls consider other patterns as a valid “bingo.” For example, in the illustration above, the 2×2 square of marked squares in the upper right-hand corner would be considered a “postage stamp.”
Equipment
Most bingo halls have 1-2 bingo blowers and 1-2 flashboards. The blowers all have four features, a chamber to blow the balls from, a tube to permit 1 ball at a time, a master board, and a way to return the balls from the board to the chamber. Most modern blowers have a simple computer, that can be programmed to display certain games, in a certain order, called a session. Some new blowers run off standard household computers, and have their own GUI or Graphical User Interface, to operate the blower.
Culture
A typical bingo dauber, which is also used for housie tickets
Games often have multiple bingos — for example, the players may first play for a single line, then after that is called continue playing for a full card, then for a consolation full card.
Players often play multiple cards for each game; thirty is not an unusual number. Because of the large numbers of cards played by each player, most halls have the players sit at tables to which they often fasten their cards with adhesive tape. To mark cards faster the players usually use special markers called daubers. At commercial halls, after calling the number the caller then displays the next number on a television monitor; bingo cannot be called until that number is called aloud, however.
Bingo is often used as an instructional tool in American primary schools and in teaching English as a foreign language in many countries. Typically, the numbers are replaced with beginning reader words (such as those drawn from the Dolch word lists), pictures, or unsolved math problems. Recently many teachers have taken to using software to automate the creation of bingo cards, as it is slow and laborious to do it by hand for large numbers of cards.
Terminology: Being Ready – When someone only needs one number in order to complete the Bingo pattern, he/she is considered to “be ready”.
Breaking the Bubble – The bubble is the minimum number of balls required to complete the Bingo pattern. This is the earliest point anyone could have a valid bingo. Example: Winning pattern is 1 hard way bingo, a straight line without the free space. The minimum number of called numbers is 5 although it is not considered “Breaking the Bubble” until 1 number in each column or 5 numbers in a single column have been called.
Etiquette – It is considered rude to carry on conversations with others or on cell phones during an active game. Making excess noises with daubers or allowing your cell phone to ring is also considered rude.
Jumping the Gun – One who calls bingo before having a valid bingo. The most common situation is someone calling bingo using the next number in the screen before it has been called.
Wild numbers – Many bingo halls will have certain games with a wild number. Wild numbers allow bingo players to start with multiple called numbers. Typically the first ball drawn is the determining factor. Standard – All numbers ending with the second digit of the first number. Example: First ball is 22. All numbers ending in a 2 including B2 is considered a called number. Forwards/backwards – All numbers beginning or ending with the wild number. Example: First ball is 22. All numbers beginning or ending with a 2 is considered a called number. If the first ball ends with an 8, 9 or 0, another number may be drawn as there are no numbers starting with a 8 or 9 and only 9 numbers starting with a zero. Some halls will also redraw a number ending with a 7 as there are only 5 numbers beginning with a 7.
History
Bingo can be traced back to a lottery game called “Lo Giuoco Code Loto”, played in Italy in 1530. By the 1700s you could find it maturing in France where they were using playing cards, tokens and added the reading out of numbers. The 1800s saw bingo widely used in Germany for educational purposes, to teach children spelling, animal names and multiplication tables.
At a travelling carnival near Atlanta in 1929, Beano was being played with dried beans, a rubber stamp and cardboard sheets. Edwin Lowe, was watching this game and noticed how engaged the players were. The Carnival worker had to kick the players out at 3 am. Lowe, took the idea with him to New York where he introduced the game to his friends. He conducted bingo games similar to the ones he had witnessed, using dried beans, a rubber numbering stamp and card board. His friends loved the game. It is said that one of his players made bingo history when he was so excited to have won that he yelled out “Bingo” instead of “Beano.” The Lowe Bingo Game had two versions; the first a 12-card set for $1.00, the second a $2.00 set with 24 cards. Bingo was a wild success. By the 1940s Bingo games were all over the country. Lowe had many competitors and all he asked was that they pay $1.00 a year to conduct the games and of course to use the name Bingo.
The business of Bingo
In the US, the game is primarily staged by churches or charity organizations. Their legality and stakes vary by state regulation. In some states, bingo halls are rented out to sponsoring organizations, and such halls often run games almost every day. Church-run games, however, are normally weekly affairs held on the church premises. These games are usually played for modest stakes, although the final game of a session is frequently a coverall game that offers a larger jackpot prize for winning within a certain quantity of numbers called; a progressive jackpot may increase per session until it is won.
Commercial bingo games in the US are primarily offered by casinos (and then only in the state of Nevada), and by Native American bingo halls, which are often housed in the same location as Indian run casinos. In Nevada, bingo is usually offered only by casinos that cater to local gamblers, and not the famous tourist resorts. They will usually offer several two-hour sessions daily, with relatively modest stakes except for coverall jackpots. Station Casinos, a chain of locals-oriented casinos in Las Vegas, offers a special game each session that ties all of its properties together with a large progressive jackpot. Native American games are typically offered for only one or two sessions a day, and are often played for higher stakes than charity games in order to draw players from distant places. Some also offer a special progressive jackpot game that may tie together players from multiple bingo halls.
As well as bingo played “in house”, the larger commercial operators play some games linked by telephone across several, perhaps dozens, of their clubs. This increases the prize money, but greatly reduces the chance of winning due to the much greater number of players.
Bingo halls are sometimes linked together (as by Loto Quebec in Canada) in a network to provide alternative winning structures and bigger prizes.
Bingo is also the basis for online games sold through licensed lotteries. Tickets are sold as for Lotto, and the players get receipts with their numbers arranged as on a bingo card. The daily or weekly draw is normally broadcast on TV. These games offers higher prizes and it is typically more difficult to win.
The Bingo logic is frequently used on scratch card games. The numbers are pre-drawn for each card and hidden until the card is scratched. In lotteries with online networks the price is electronically confirmed to avoid fraud based on physical fixing.
Alternate variations
Christmas bingo
Each player brings three presents to the event. The presents should arrive at the facility wrapped and hidden in a brown paper bag; it is important that no other participant knows which presents each other player brought. After all participants have arrived, the presents are taken out of the undistinguished bags and put in the center of a circle formed by the players.
Before play begins, each participant receives a blank bingo card with 25 squares. Each player then fills in their card by putting any number between 1 and 40 in each empty box. No number should appear more than once on any card.
Play begins as a caller - who can also be playing - picks a number out of a hat. Each person who has that number on their card crosses the number off and selects a present from the center. After each person who had the called number has taken a gift from the center, the caller picks another number. Play continues as before until all of the presents have been selected from the center. At this point with each number called a player must ’steal’ one from another player.
Play ends when the caller has picked all the numbers. Each player then gets to keep each present that they ended the game with.
Slot machine
January 28, 2008
Slot machine
Slot machines in the Trump Taj Mahal
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English), or poker machine (Australian English) is a certain type of casino game. Traditional slot machines are coin-operated machines with three or more reels, which spin when a lever on the side of the machine is pulled. The machines include a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. (The slot machine is also known informally as a one-armed bandit because of its traditional appearance and its ability to leave the gamer penniless.) The machine typically pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot machine concept. Today, slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70% of the average casino’s income.
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Pachinko
January 28, 2008
January 28, 2008
Pachinko is a Japanese gaming device used for amusement and prizes and is related to pinball machines. Although originally strictly mechanical, modern pachinko machines are a cross between a pinball machine and a video slot machine.
The machines are widespread in establishments called “pachinko parlors”, which also often feature a number of slot machines. Pachinko parlors share the reputation of slot machine dens and casinos the world over — garish decoration; over-the-top architecture; a low-hanging haze of cigarette smoke; the constant din of the machines, music, and announcements; and flashing lights. Modern pachinko machines are highly customizable keeping enthusiasts continuously entertained.
Roulette
January 28, 2008
Roulette is a casino and gambling game named after the French word meaning “small wheel”. In the game, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular surface running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually falls on to the wheel and into one of 37 (in European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. Players place bets on the winning number and the color of the pocket, whether the number is odd or even, etc.
Wheel layout
The main pockets are numbered from 1 to 36, alternating between red and black, but the pockets are not in numerical order around the wheel, and there are instances of consecutive numbers being the same color. There is a green pocket numbered 0, and, in American roulette, there is also a second green pocket marked 00.
Betting
Players can place a variety of ‘inside’ bets (selecting the number of the pocket the ball will land in, or range of pockets based on their position), and ‘outside’ bets (including bets on various positional groupings of pockets, pocket colors, or whether it is odd or even). The payout odds for each type of bet is based on its probability. The table usually imposes minimum and maximum bets, and these rules usually apply separately for all of a player’s ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ bets for each spin. Players can continue to place bets until the dealer announces “No more bets.”
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The Big Six wheel
January 28, 2008
January 28, 2008
The Big Six wheel, also known simply as The Big Six, is an unequal game of chance, played using a large vertical wheel that can be spun.
Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom, under The Gaming Clubs (Bankers’ Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (Statutory Instrument 2002/1130).
[edit] Rules
The wheel is divided into a number of equal segments separated by spokes or pins. Each segment is associated with a number. The wheel is spun by a dealer, and the winning segment is indicated by a pointer mounted on a flexible piece of rubber or leather, which also rubs against the pins to impart friction and slow the wheel down.
The player with max points at the end of the set of Q will be the winner.
[edit] Variants
There are a number of variants of the game, that divide the wheel into a different number of segments, use different symbols in the segments, and have different odds if a symbol is selected.
[edit] Money wheel
This variant is the most common in casinos in the United States. The symbols are the $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 bills — and two special symbols, usually a joker and the casino logo, which appear only once each. Players wager on the symbols. The $1 bills pay at odds of 1 to 1, the $2 bills at 2 to 1, the $5 bills at 5 to 1, and so on. The joker and the logo pay at odds of 40 to 1 or 45 to 1, depending on local gaming regulations or the practice of the casino.
The house advantage or edge (the proportion of the stakes that the casino expects to win on average) of this game is one of the highest of most casino games. In the United States it ranges from 11.1% on the $1-bill bet to more than 24% on the joker or logo (when it pays at 40 to 1). In Australia the house edge is 7.69% on all bets such that the payouts are: 47:1, 23:1, 11:1, 5:1, 3:1 and 1:1 on a 52 segment wheel.
[edit] Dice wheel
The symbols on the wheel represent some of the 216 possible combinations of three dice. Sometimes the same symbol appears in more than one segment. Players wager on the numbers 1 through 6. If the number appears on one of the dice in the winning segment, the dealer pays at 1 to 1. If the number appears on two of the dice, the dealer pays at 2 to 1. If the number appears on three of the dice, the dealer pays at 3 to 1.
One example of a dice wheel, manufactured by H. C. Evans & Co. of Chicago (or its successor), is divided into 54 segments. Each of the triples appears four times. The following doubles each appears four times: 2, 1, 1; 2, 2, 1; 4, 3, 3; 5, 4, 4; 6, 5, 5; and 6, 6, 3. The following combinations each appear three times: 3, 2, 1; and 6, 5, 4.
In the example above, there are 54 possible outcomes for a single spin of the wheel. For a specific number:
* there are 7 possible outcomes, where one die only will match the number;
* there are 4 possible outcomes, where two dice only will match; and
* there are 4 possible outcomes, where all three dice will match.
At odds of 1 to 1, 2 to 1 and 3 to 1 respectively for each of these types of outcome, the expected loss as a percentage of the stake wagered is:
1 - [(7/54) * 2 + (4/54) * 3 + (4/54) * 4] = 22.2%
The symbolism of the game is redolent of chuck-a-luck or sic bo, games of chance played with three dice. However, the house advantage or edge is greater than for chuck-a-luck, which itself has a higher house advantage than other casino games.
This variety is seldom seen in casinos, but frequently seen as a carnival game, or at a charity “Monte Carlo night” fund-raiser.
[edit] Variants in casinos in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
A legal game in a licensed casino in the United Kingdom,Australia or New Zealand involves a wheel at least 1.5 metres in diameter divided into 52 segments, each marked with one of seven symbols (referred to as A to G). The table below sets out the frequency of the symbols, their probability, the associated odds specified, and the house advantage or edge.
Symbol Number of segments Probability of winning Odds offered in UK House edge in UK Odds offered in AUS & NZ House edge in AUS & NZ
A 1 out of 52 1.9% 50 to 1 1.9% 47 to 1 7.7%
B 1 out of 52 1.9% 50 to 1 1.9% 47 to 1 7.7%
C 2 out of 52 3.9% 20 to 1 19.2% 23 to 1 7.7%
D 4 our of 52 7.7% 10 to 1 15.4% 11 to 1 7.7%
E 8 out of 52 15.4% 5 to 1 7.7% 5 to 1 7.7%
F 12 out of 52 23.1% 3 to 1 7.7% 3 to 1 7.7%
G 24 out of 52 46.2% 1 to 1 7.7% 1 to 1 7.7%
[edit] Other variants
Other variants, using different symbols and odds, are relatively rare in the United States.
One variant called “Mississippi Derby” was used for a short time at the Grand Casino in Gulfport, Mississippi. (The casino was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.) The symbols were combinations of three of a number of different horses, arranged to represent a winner, a second-placed horse and a third-placed horse. (The horses were represented in three concentric rings, with the winner on the outer ring.) Players wagered on particular horses to “win”, “place” or “show”, as with beting in horse racing. The payoffs varied from horse to horse, depending on how many times and where the horse appeared on the rings. Odds ranged from 40 to 1 for the “longshot” to win, down to 1-2 for the “favorite” to show.
Pai Gow
January 27, 2008
Pai gow is a Chinese gambling game that is played with a Chinese dominoes tile set. Pai gow is played in unsanctioned casinos in most Chinese communities.[citation needed] It is played openly in major casinos in Macau, China, Las Vegas, Nevada, Atlantic City, New Jersey, in many California cardrooms, and in some Australian and New Zealand casinos. It dates back to at least the Song Dynasty, and is a game steeped in tradition.
The name “pai gow” is sometimes used to refer to a card game called pai gow poker (or “double-hand poker”), which is loosely based on pai gow.
Rules
Starting the Game
Tiles are randomized on the table, and are stacked into eight stacks of four tiles each in an assembly known as the woodpile. Various ritualistic “shuffles” are made, rearranging the tiles in the woodpile in standard ways that result in a new woodpile. Bets are then made.
Next, each player (including the dealer) is given four tiles with which to make two hands of two tiles each. The hand with the lower value is called the front hand, and the hand with the higher value is called the rear hand. If a player’s front hand beats the dealer’s front hand, and the player’s rear hand beats the dealer’s rear hand, then that player wins the bet. If a player’s front and rear hands both lose to the dealer’s respective hands, the player loses the bet. If one hand wins and the other loses, the player is said to push, and gets back only the money he or she bet. Generally seven players will play, and each player’s hands are compared only against the dealer’s hands.
Evaluations of three basic hands.
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