Free Casino Games / Keno / Hot and cold keno numbers
Hot and cold keno numbers
Hot keno numbers are the ones drawn most often in recent games, and cold numbers are the ones drawn least. They are a record of the past, not a prediction: every draw is independent, and every number has the same 1-in-4 chance in the next draw whether it is hot, cold or neither.
What our board shows
Our Live Keno board shows the hot and cold numbers from recent draws, next to the last draws themselves. They are there because watching the numbers is part of the fun of live keno. They change after every draw.
Why hot numbers don't stay hot
Each draw takes 20 fresh numbers from all 80. Nothing carries over: no ball remembers being drawn, and no number gets "used up". So the chance of any number in the next draw is 20 in 80, every time.
If 1 in 4 is the chance, why does one number come up 35 times in 100 draws and another 15? Because random results spread out. Across 5,000 runs of 100 random draws, the most-drawn number came up about 36 times on average and the least-drawn about 15, even though every number had exactly the same chance. Some numbers are always hot and some always cold. Which ones changes from run to run.
Why cold numbers aren't due
A number is never "due". The chance a given number misses 10 draws in a row is 0.75 to the 10th power, about 5.6%. With 80 numbers, that means about 4 or 5 numbers have missed every one of the last 10 draws at any moment, just by chance. Each of them still has a 1-in-4 chance in the next draw, the same as everything else.
Believing a number is due after a long miss is called the gambler's fallacy. It feels right and it is wrong.
A streak is not a signal
A number drawn in 5 draws in a row looks very hot. The chance of that for one particular number is 1 in 1,024. Across 80 numbers and hundreds of draws a day, streaks like it happen. Its chance in the sixth draw is still 1 in 4. The same goes the other way: a long miss doesn't make a hit any closer.
An example
Say the last 10 draws show 174263 as hot, each drawn 5 times, and 82975 as cold, not drawn once. Your ticket of the three hot numbers and your ticket of the three cold numbers have exactly the same odds in the next draw:
| 3-spot ticket | Catch 2 | Catch 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Hot: 17, 42, 63 | 1 in 7.21 | 1 in 72.1 |
| Cold: 8, 29, 75 | 1 in 7.21 | 1 in 72.1 |
| Any three numbers | 1 in 7.21 | 1 in 72.1 |
Hot numbers for today
Lists of today's hot keno numbers come from today's draws so far. They tell you what happened this morning, and nothing about this afternoon. That holds for any keno game where the draw is fair, including ours.
Should you play hot numbers?
Play them if you like following the board. Play the cold ones if you like rooting for an underdog. Play your birthday. All of these have the same odds, so pick the way that is most fun to watch. Are there best keno numbers?
What changes your results
Not which numbers, but how many. Your spot count sets how often you get paid and how big the top prize is. Keno strategy · Keno odds.
Over the long run
Over thousands of draws, every number's share settles close to 25%. The hot and cold lists keep changing, and none of them stays on top. That is what a fair draw looks like.
Watch it happen
Our Live Keno draws every 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the hot and cold lists for an hour and watch them reshuffle. Live keno.
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Questions
What are hot and cold numbers in keno?
Hot numbers were drawn most often in recent games; cold numbers were drawn least. They describe the past only.
Do hot keno numbers work?
No. Every draw is independent, so a hot number has the same 1-in-4 chance in the next draw as any other number.
Is a cold keno number due to hit?
No. A number that has missed many draws still has a 1-in-4 chance in the next one. Believing it is due is the gambler's fallacy.
What are today's hot keno numbers?
The numbers drawn most so far today. Our live board shows them from recent draws. They don't change the odds of the next draw.
Why do some keno numbers come up more than others?
Chance. In 100 random draws each number is expected about 25 times, but the most-drawn usually comes up about 36 times and the least about 15. Over a long run they even out.
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