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Kentucky Lottery Keno Game Best and Worst Plays

Most of the play options for the Kentucky Lottery’s Keno Game provide an expected payout of 65 cents per dollar played. However, the worst play on the board is playing one number (1 spot). Its only payout is hitting *that* number, and only pays $2. That means that you can only expect 50 cents back per dollar played.

The best paying option in the game is the two number option. You’ll hit a little more often than 1 in 17 times, but the payout is $11 per dollar bet.

The top prizes in the 8, 9, and 10 number plays get divided up between anyone who happens to hit that prize at the same time as you do. It’s not very likely to happen, but it makes all the expected payouts for the 8, 9, and 10 number plays less than 65 cents.

Keno Expected Payouts, Red Numbers Slightly Lower than Listed Due to Split Prize Payout
Keno Expected Payouts, Red Numbers Slightly Lower than Listed Due to Split Prize Payout
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Kentucky Lottery Pick 3 Best Value

I was going over the Kentucky Pick 3 odds and payouts and noticed something a little peculiar. Not all ways to bet pay the same “expected payout.” Typical on a pick 3 is that the payouts are arranged to average a pay out 60% of the the winnings. Your chances of winning on a 50¢ straight bet are 1 in 1,000, but the payout is $300, and for a 50¢ box bet, they are $50 or $100, depending on whether you have 3 different numbers or 2 of the same number.

However, if you play the 50¢ “Straight Box” bet, the payouts are $350 and $400 for hitting the straight and $50 and $100 for hitting the box bet. The 50¢ straight box costs $1 to play, and is effectively like playing a 50¢ straight ticket and a 50¢ box ticket. HOWEVER, if you played the straight bet separately, you’d only get $300, but the “straight” potion of the payout for a “Straight Box” bet is $350  or $400, depending on your numbers.

This makes the expected payout for the Pick 3 “STR BOX” option, $650 and $700, depending on your numbers, so always play the STR BOX for 50¢ (Which is $1 per set of numbers.)

Kentucky Lottery Pick 3 Payouts
Kentucky Lottery Pick 3 Payouts