How to play

What it is

Poor Man's Keno is a free fan app. It shows live Keno draws, and it adds a little game for you and your friends on top.

A new draw comes about every 4 minutes during the day, with a break overnight. Each draw picks 20 numbers from 1 to 80.

The game shows play amounts like $5 or $20. They are just for fun. They can't be bought, sold or turned into anything.

This app is not affiliated with or endorsed by any lottery operator. Results may be delayed or wrong. The official numbers are the ones the lottery publishes.

Start a table

1. One person is the dealer. On the home screen, type your name, choose an ante, and start the table. You can add a table name if you like.
2. The table gets a 4-letter table code. The dealer plays too.
3. Share the code or the watch link so others can follow along.

Ante choices

The ante is the amount each player adds to the pot every round.

Pick $1, $5, $10, $15 or $20, or tap Other and type your own whole amount from $1 to $10,000. The table starts at $1. The ante is set when the table is made and stays the same for that table.

Add players

1. The dealer types a player's name and taps Add.
2. That player opens their personal link on their own phone and sits down.
3. The dealer taps Confirm, and the player is in. A table holds up to 30 seats.

Joining after the pot has been rolling? A new player adds the antes the pot has already seen (one ante for each round since the last win), plus their first ante. The dealer sees the total before tapping Confirm.

Pick your number

• Each player picks one number from 1 to 80.
• No two players can hold the same number. If you both tap it, the first tap gets it. Greyed numbers are taken.
• Not sure? Tap Random free number.
• Your number stays for every round until you change it or tap Sit out.

How a round works

• Every Keno draw is one round.
• Numbers lock when the draw time arrives, while the result comes in. A countdown shows how long you have to pick or change. Picks made after that count for the next draw.
• A round counts when at least 2 players have a number locked in. If not, the round is skipped: nobody adds an ante and numbers carry on.
• In a counted round, every player with a number adds their ante to the pot.
• When the draw lands, the app checks which players' numbers are among the 20 drawn.

Who wins the pot

• Exactly one player's number is drawn: that player wins the whole pot, and the pot starts again from zero.
• Nobody's number is drawn: no winner, and the pot rolls over to the next round.
• Two or more players' numbers are drawn: it's a tie, so no winner, and the pot rolls over too.

So the pot keeps growing until one player is the only one to hit. A round-end popup shows the result, the scoreboard keeps track of what each player has put in and won, and History lists past rounds.

Example: 3 players with a $5 ante make a $15 pot. If only one of their numbers is drawn, that player wins the $15. If none are, the pot rolls to the next round and $15 more goes in, making $30.

Heads or tails between draws

A little side game, just for fun. When a draw's result comes in, a coin card opens on the table. Everyone with a seat taps HEADS or TAILS and can change their call until 30 seconds before the next draw (the card counts down). Then one coin is flipped for the whole table and everyone sees the result and who called it right.

Each correct call adds 1 to that player's Coin tally on the scoreboard. It is kept apart from the pot and never changes the pot game. The dealer can turn the side game off or on for the table (it starts on). If the next draw time is not known yet, calls stay open until it is.

Ending a game

When everyone is done, the dealer taps End game. The pot and scores freeze, no more rounds are played, and everyone sees a summary with the rounds played and the final scoreboard. Anything left in the pot just stays there.

A quiet table gets a gentle reminder, but a game never ends by itself. The dealer can reopen an ended game, and rounds start again with everyone's current numbers.

Removing old games

Only the site moderator can remove old games. Dealers and players can't erase a game, so a finished game stays in its summary and History until the moderator removes it.

When a game is removed it can't be brought back. It disappears for everyone, including their saved lists. If you want a fresh start, use Start a new game or Same players, new game.

Watch with a code

Just want to follow along? On the home screen, type the 4-letter table code under Watch a table, or open the watch link the dealer shares. No sign-up. Watching is read-only: you see the draws, the pot and the scoreboard, but you're not playing.

Tip jar

The app is free. If you enjoy it, you can leave a tip. It's totally optional, and tips don't buy anything in the game. Tip jar (opens a separate page).