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Tickets
One of the most irritating aspects of playing a
state lottery is when the winning number is composed
entirely from three or four of your choices. Experienced
lottery players avoid this by wheeling. It's a system
of betting every possible combination of a particular
number set. Unfortunately, a lottery player must
write every wager separately.
Keno has a way of making that easier. It's appropriately
called a way ticket. Four sets of three numbers
have been selected. The sets are circled and the
notation on the right indicates how many bets have
been placed. The top figure above each slash is
the number of bets; the bottom figure is the number
of spots. 4/3 means three spots four ways. 6/6 means
six spots six ways. 4/9 is nine spots four ways,
and 1/12 is twelve spots one way. It's one ticket
with fifteen bets (6 + 4 + 4 + 1) for $15 total.
Fifteen straight tickets could be written for the
same wagers, but one way ticket saves time and insures
you won't miss a number combination (unless that
is what you choose). This ticket also pays for as
few as two spots, depending on which numbers are
drawn. A straight ticket with twelve numbers wouldn't
pay for anything less than six spots.
Eight spots are marked and they're separated into
groups of two. The bets are 4/2, 6/4, 4/6, and 1/8.
The total wager is $7.50. Notice that the price
for each bet is only fifty cents. Casinos allow
the minimum wager per way to be less than what would
be required for the same bet on a straight ticket.
The more ways you bet, the lower the price for each
way. Some tickets are only ten cents per way. The
Casino keno brochure will have the exact price information.
The payout on each winning combination is reduced
proportionately when the bet amount is reduced.
If all eight numbers were to catch for this ticket,
the top prize would be $11,000 instead of $22,000.
The other fourteen wagers would win too, but the
total would be only $14,384. Remember, the straight
ticket costs $1.00. This way ticket costs $7.50.
What happens if four numbers catch? The $1 straight
bet would pay nothing. This way ticket would win
$138. A way ticket increases the chances for winning
and allows you to spend less per way, but that lowers
the total possible payoff.
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