Keno Heads, Tails and Evens explained
Heads or Tails in Keno is a bet on which half of the board gets more of the 20 drawn balls. Heads wins when more than 10 of the 20 balls are from 1 to 40, Tails when more than 10 are from 41 to 80, and Evens when it is exactly 10 and 10. At OpalRove Heads and Tails each win 39.84% of the time and return $2.36 for every $1, and Evens wins 20.32% of the time and returns $4.63.
The three calls
| Call | Wins when | Chance | Returns per $1 | Return (RTP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heads | 11 or more of the 20 balls are 1-40 | 39.84% | $2.36 | 94.02% |
| Tails | 11 or more of the 20 balls are 41-80 | 39.84% | $2.36 | 94.02% |
| Evens | Exactly 10 balls from each half | 20.32% | $4.63 | 94.10% |
The amounts returned include your stake: a $1 Heads bet that wins returns $2.36.
Why Evens comes up about one draw in five
The 20 balls are drawn from 80 without replacement, so the split between the two halves follows the hypergeometric distribution. An exact 10 and 10 split is the single most likely result, at 20.32%. Heads and Tails share the rest equally.
Heads or Tails, or numbers?
A Keno ticket is either a call or a set of numbers, not both. Number tickets of 1 to 10 numbers return between 93.59% and 94.35% at OpalRove, so the house margin is about the same either way.
The difference is the shape of the result: a call wins often and pays a little more than double, while number tickets can pay up to 10,000 times the bet but win less often. The Keno guide on how many numbers to pick lists every ticket.
Questions
- What is the Heads bet in Keno?
- A bet that more of the 20 drawn balls come from 1-40 than from 41-80. At OpalRove it wins 39.84% of the time and returns $2.36 per $1.
- What does Evens mean in Keno?
- Exactly 10 of the 20 balls come from each half of the board. It happens 20.32% of the time and returns $4.63 per $1 at OpalRove.
- Can I pick numbers and Heads on the same ticket?
- No. A ticket is either a call or a set of numbers. Choosing one clears the other.
- How often is there a Keno draw?
- Every three minutes at OpalRove. A ticket can play one draw or up to ten in a row.
More guides
Updated 2026-11-04.