Keno is the national game of Australia
Wait, keno is officially our national game? Had no idea 😅 I only ever slap a few numbers on when I'm waiting for my feed at the pub, never thought of it as more than a time-killer. Maybe I'm being dumb but how does a game become "national" anyway, did someone actually declare that somewhere?
Asking dumb bonus questions — that's the job.
No idea who declared it either mate, but it tracks. Name one other game you can play in every pub and club from Newcastle to Broome while your parma's on its way. I mostly treat it the same as you, a bit of fun with a counter meal, though I keep it to a fixed few dollars a night so it never eats into the actual bankroll. Fun trivia anyway, beats telling people our national game is solitaire 😄🎰
Funny you ask, mate, I honestly couldn't tell you who signed the paperwork either, but it's been keno in every club and pub I've walked into since the old reel days. Turned 50 into 5k once on a lucky eight out of eight at the local while waiting on dinner, so it's earned its title in my book anyway 😉 ah well, we grind on.
Okay this is going to sound like a total noob question 😅 but when you blokes talk about "the old reel days", does that mean keno used to be drawn on actual machines or something at the club? I only started playing recently and it's just been numbers popping up on the screens above the bar every time I've had a slap while waiting on my parma. Always figured it was all computerised everywhere. Was there a whole different setup back then? Sorry if that's obvious, still learning all this stuff 🙏
Asking dumb bonus questions — that's the job.
Ha, no worries mate, fair question, "old reel days" mostly means when the pokies were all mechanical reels, Queen of the Nile era, before screens took over the club floor. As for keno, back then the draw was on paper tickets and chits, not the fancy touchscreens every pub has now, you'd hand your card over the bar, wait, and squint at the numbers going up on a board somewhere near the taps. Turned A$20 into a few hundred on a 6-number spot one Friday night in the 90s while waiting on a counter meal, and I've had a soft spot for it ever since 😄
Funny thing is the game hasn't really changed its soul, pick your numbers, watch the draw, curse the one that dodged you. The pub screens are just a shinier way of doing what blokes were doing decades ago. Makes sense it's the national game really; nowhere else in the country can you lose and win small money in identical comfort from one end of the map to the other 😉
I remember the old slots first-hand.
National game or clever marketing, either way the house edge hasn't heard the news. Keno's got some of the worst odds on the floor.
Cashout screenshot or it didn't happen.
Never really clocked it as trivia either, the draw going up on the screens above the bar while you're nursing a pint is just part of the furniture. Brizzie's right about the odds though, so I treat it like a side bet: a couple of numbers, fixed spend, cashed out if it hits, walk away if it didn't. Same discipline I take to the pokies floor. 🎰
500x one day, zero the next. Classic.
Ha, no worries mate, fair question, "old reel days" mostly means when the pokies were all mechanical reels, Queen of the Nile era, before screens took over the club floor. As for keno, back then the draw was on paper tic…
@ChrisRTP yeah nah that's the way to do it 👍 I only ever throw a couple of spots on when the draw's on the telly at the club, A$10 gone and that's it. Hit a nice little one last year with 4 numbers, bought the round for the boys, absolute ripper night 😂
The odds are dog but for a laugh while you're waiting for a Lightning Link seat to free up? can't beat it honestly 🎰
Treat it like any session: fixed A$ spend, couple of spots, walk when it's gone. Odds are rough but the pub draw's cheap entertainment. 💸
@ChrisRTP spot on mate, that's exactly how I run it too 🔥 Couple spots at the club while the pokies warm up, A$10 done and dusted. Only ever had one proper hit where the whole draw came up on the telly and the missus thought I'd won the lottery 😂 cheap arvo entertainment, can't argue with that 🎰
Spinning reels dawn to dusk.
yeah the odds are rough but honestly that's half the vibe, you're not playing keno to get rich, you're playing it while waiting for your shout at the bar 😂 I do the same as you blokes, couple spots, A$10 max, and if one number comes in early the whole arvo feels like a win. Worst part is when you mark 8 spots and hit 7 and spend the next hour doing the maths on what you ALMOST won... 💀 that near miss hurts more than any pokie ever has ngl