The Extra Bet That Changes Your Payout
You are looking at a keno screen and see a small checkbox or button labelled "Kicker" next to your regular number selection. It sits there quietly, costs a little more per draw, and promises to multiply something if you win. The first thing to understand is that it is not a separate game. It is a side bet attached to the same draw, and its only job is to change what happens to your payout when your numbers come in.
Keno itself is a lottery-style draw game. You pick a set of numbers from a board, usually between one and twenty depending on the operator, and a random draw selects twenty numbers from a pool of eighty. Your payout depends on how many of your chosen numbers match the drawn numbers, and that payout is printed on a paytable for the exact number of spots you played. The kicker does not change the draw. It does not change which numbers you picked. It changes the multiplier applied to your win, if any, and it does so only when the draw also produces a kicker number.
How the Kicker Number Is Selected
Before the draw, the game selects one extra number separately from the main twenty. That number is the kicker. You do not pick it, and you cannot influence it. It is drawn from the same pool of eighty numbers, but it is handled as its own event rather than as a twenty-first number in the main draw.
If the kicker number matches one of the numbers you selected on your ticket, your payout for that draw is multiplied. The multiplier is not a universal constant. It is printed on the kicker paytable, which is a separate table from the base keno paytable, and it usually varies with how many numbers you caught. A three-spot win with a kicker match might pay a different multiple than a five-spot win with a kicker match. The only way to know what applies to the game in front of you is to open the game information panel and read the kicker table before you place the bet.
| Element | Base keno bet | Kicker side bet |
|---|---|---|
| What you choose | Your numbers, usually 1 to 20 spots | Nothing; the kicker number is drawn by the game |
| What it costs | The base stake per draw | A fixed additional amount per draw, set by the game |
| What it changes | Your payout for matching numbers | A multiplier on that payout when the kicker matches one of your numbers |
| Where the terms are printed | Base paytable | Kicker paytable, shown in the game information panel |
| What happens on a miss | No base win | The side bet is lost, even if the base bet wins |
What the Kicker Costs and Why It Is Not Free
The kicker is a separate wager. When you activate it, the total cost of the draw increases by the kicker amount, which is shown on the bet panel before you confirm. If the base game costs one unit and the kicker costs one unit, a draw with the kicker active costs two units. Some versions price the kicker as a fixed multiple of the base bet, and the exact figure is printed on the screen where you toggle the feature.
Because the kicker is a side bet, it carries its own return profile. The base keno paytable and the kicker paytable are separate documents. Activating the kicker does not improve the base game. It adds a second wager with its own expected return, its own hit frequency, and its own conditions. The multiplier only applies when two things happen at once: your base bet wins, and the kicker number matches one of your selected numbers. If your base bet wins but the kicker misses, you receive the base payout and the kicker stake is gone. If the kicker matches but your base bet wins nothing, there is nothing to multiply.
Reading the Kicker Paytable Before You Bet
The paytable is the only reliable source for what the kicker pays. It is normally reachable through an information button, a question mark, or a "paytable" link inside the game window. The kicker table is usually displayed next to or below the base table, and it lists the multiplier for each catch count when the kicker matches.
What you are looking for is the relationship between the base win and the multiplied win. A table might show a multiplier only for higher catch counts, or it might apply a smaller multiplier to lower catches and a larger one to higher catches. The table also shows whether the kicker applies to every spot count you can play or only to certain ones. If the table is unclear, the game rules page, reachable from the same information panel, states the conditions in full sentences rather than table shorthand.
Two games can both call a feature "Kicker" and have different tables. The name is not standardised. One operator's kicker might multiply a four-spot win by a certain factor, while another's might use a different factor or a different trigger condition. The only way to know which one you are playing is to read the table attached to that specific game.
Why the Kicker Changes Variance More Than It Changes Return
The kicker concentrates its value in the moments when the base game already pays and the kicker number lands on one of your spots. That is a rarer event than a base win alone. The result is a bet that pays less often than the base game but pays more when it pays. That is a higher-variance structure. It does not, by itself, tell you whether the kicker is a better or worse wager than the base game; it tells you that the distribution of outcomes is spikier.
The base keno game and the kicker side bet each have their own return-to-player percentage, which is a long-run statistical average over a very large number of draws. The game information panel may publish these figures separately. If it does, you can compare them directly. If it does not, you are comparing two paytables without knowing their long-run averages, which is like comparing two prices without knowing the quantity attached to each. The honest position is that the kicker is a separate wager with its own terms, and the only decision you control is whether to pay for it on a given draw.
Where the Kicker Sits in the Draw Sequence
The sequence matters because it explains why the kicker never changes your base result. The game first resolves your base keno bet against the twenty drawn numbers. That produces either a win or a loss under the base paytable. Separately, the game checks the kicker number against your selected numbers. If the kicker matches and the base bet won, the multiplier is applied. If either condition fails, the multiplier does not apply.
This two-step resolution is why the kicker is sometimes described as a multiplier bet rather than a bonus feature. A bonus feature is usually built into the base game's return. A side bet is an additional wager with its own resolution. The kicker is the second kind. You can play keno without it, and the base game plays exactly the same either way. What changes is only whether you have also wagered on the kicker condition.
FAQ
Do I have to pick the kicker number myself?
No. The kicker number is selected by the game as part of the draw process. You only choose your regular keno numbers and decide whether to activate the side bet. The kicker number is then checked against the numbers already on your ticket.
Does the kicker multiply every keno win?
Only when the kicker number matches one of your selected numbers. If the kicker misses, your base win is paid at the normal base paytable rate and the kicker stake is lost. The multiplier also applies only to wins listed on the kicker paytable, which may exclude certain catch counts.
Is the kicker the same on every keno game?
No. The name is shared, but the multiplier values, the cost of the side bet, and the conditions for the multiplier are set per game. The kicker paytable inside the game information panel is the authoritative source for the version you are playing.
Gambling can be addictive. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the helpline printed in the footer below. Play responsibly and only with money you can afford to lose.
Play responsibly
Gambling should be treated as paid entertainment, never as a way to earn income or recover losses. 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738)
18+ or 21+ depending on where you are; follow the minimum age that applies to you.
This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.