Roger Martin. Playing to Win - How to make strategy work. It is about answering two fundamental and interrelated questions: where to play and how to win. Strategist and author of the bestseller Playing to Win, Roger Martin was challeging the typical strategy processes where we try to control the risk and uncertainty through elaborate.

Introduction: How to Play Nine Ball

Okay, so you now know how to break in Nine Ball, but how do you play?

This Instructable teaches basic rules, handling fouls and win conditions in Nine Ball.

For a detailed look at materials needed, cue handling/spin, and breaking in Nine Ball, go to my tutorial, How to Break in Nine Ball.

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Step 1: Basic Rules

In Nine Ball, the rules are simple: pocket the 9 ball and you win. However, as with most other billiards games it’s not as simple as that.

When playing, you must always hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first. This does not necessarily mean you have to sink that ball first, just that it make contact with the cue ball before any other ball. If the lowest ball is pocketed, the second lowest ball takes its place as the required ball to hit.

If you pocket a ball fairly, or without committing a foul, you may continue until no balls are pocketed or a foul has been committed. When a turn ends fairly, the next player will begin from the position the cue ball was left in, following the same rules as described before. For handling fouls, see the following steps.

Let’s go back to the lowest number rule. As said before, you don’t necessarily have to pocket the lowest ball – you simply need to hit it first. Therefore it is entirely possible to sink the 9 with the 1 still on the table, which is the same principle why sinking the 9 on the break is a win condition. Be careful, however – sinking an incorrectly ordered ball will not only cause a foul but also keep that ball off the table, therefore putting your opponent closer to sinking the 9.

For an example, let’s say that balls 1-9 are on the table. You hit the 1 into the 3 and sink it. This is a fair shot since the 1 was hit first, however since the 1 is still in play it must be hit first on the next turn. You hit the 1 and pocket it. From here you must hit the 2 first. After attempting a shot on the 2, you hit the ball but miss the pocket. It is now your opponent’s turn.

So how do you commit a foul?

Step 2: Committing a Foul

In Nine Ball there are multiple ways to commit a foul. Considering that there are only nine balls on the table at any given time, it is crucial to avoid these scenarios as best as you can

The first, and classic, foul is the scratch. This occurs when the cue ball is pocketed. In most billiards games the scratch will cause a foul so it’s best not to sink the cue ball when possible.

The second foul is the table scratch. There are two ways to commit a table scratch, by not hitting the lowest numbered ball first or by not hitting the lowest numbered ball at all. Either way incurs a foul, so it is considered strategic to line up shots so that if you miss your opponent has a tough time hitting the correct ball.

The final two fouls are rare but still possible, one being the no rail and the other the off-of-table foul. If no ball is pocketed, to ensure fair gameplay at least one ball (including the cue ball) must touch a rail, or bank, on the table. Failure to do so results in a no rail foul. An off-the-table foul occurs if the cue ball physically leaves the table, usually due to a bad jump shot.

With these fouls in mind, let’s move onto how to handle them.

Step 3: Handling Fouls

If your opponent has committed a foul, their turn immediately ends and the cue ball is turned over to the next player. This starts what is called a ball-in-hand scenario, as you are literally holding the cue ball. A ball-in-hand is one of the most powerful positions in Nine Ball, so it is important to know what you can and can’t (as well as shouldn’t) do.

Unlike games such as Eight Ball or Cutthroat, a ball-in-hand in Nine Ball allows for the cue ball to be placed anywhere on the table, as long as the cue ball is not in contact with another ball. Remember that all foul rules still apply, however, so make sure that your placement ensures hitting of the lowest numbered ball first. Most players will attempt placement of the cue ball for a double hit (hitting the lowest ball into another ball) to try and sink the higher denomination balls, or possibly the 9 ball, first.

You should not be placing the ball for a difficult shot, unless entirely necessary. A ball-in-hand practically guarantees at least one pocketed ball, so don’t attempt a difficult shot unless it 1. Sets up placement for a better shot than one possible through ball-in-hand, or 2. Places your opponent at a disadvantage if nothing is sunk. Your shot placement should either aid your next shot or force your opponent into fouling whenever possible, and ball-in-hand is no exception.

After shots have progressed, let’s look at how to win.

Step 4: Win Conditions

Winning or losing in Nine Ball depends on who sunk the 9 ball, and how.

If the 9 ball is sunk fairly, the player who sunk the ball is declared the winner. This can be either when the 9 ball is the lowest ball on the table or that the lowest ball was hit first to pocket the 9 via a combination shot.

If the 9 ball is sunk unfairly, or a foul has been committed that pockets the 9 ball, the player who sunk the 9 loses.

It is important to note that a foul can be committed while only the 9 ball is on the table as long as the 9 is not sunk since it gives the next player the advantage of ball-in-hand. That being said, you should not foul when only the nine ball is on the table. It is never good to foul but in that case it practically guarantees victory for your opponent.

Now that you know all of the rules, you can successfully play Nine Ball! Have a great time playing!

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Table Of Contents

• This is the most complete collection of Keno tips on the web
• It's a perfect article to know how to win at Keno machines
• It covers the best Keno numbers and the top bonus you can use to play Keno online

Keno is probably the most underrated Casino game out there. Many players still imagine it as a game only played at the elderly home. Or that there is no way how to win at Keno other than being extremely lucky.

Let's get it clear from the get-go: that is not the case.

Contrary to the popular belief, you CAN use your smarts and skills to win at Keno.

And since you're reading this guide on PokerNews (and not some suspicious site promising to tell you how to win at Keno every time), it seems you're already using them to choose trustworthy sources on how to win at video Keno.

Use these Keno strategy tips to play the top Keno games online - with a welcome bonus! Sign up for free to reveal the offer.

Good for you!

You can find plenty of Keno strategies that are created to make you lose every time. That's what many Casinos want, after all.

And while you can't really beat the house edge at any Casino game, I prepared a few tips for you that actually work to win more at Keno.

It's not a betting system with a funny name. Neither it is a strategy cheatsheet what to do every single bet. And it's not the kind of tips that would get you kicked out of a Casino in Las Vegas.

But these are the Keno strategy tips that were proven to work by many players worldwide. And there's no harm in trying them yourself, especially since you start by playing Keno for FREE here.

1. Choose Casinos (and Games) With Better Payouts

This may seem obvious to you but you'd be surprised for how many players it's not.

Even when you have your favorite online Casino to play Slot machines or other Casino games, it may not be the perfect fit to play Keno there.

You need to check how many variants of Keno they have and what are the payouts for guessing the right numbers.

In most online Casinos you can either choose up to 10, 15, or 20 numbers to bet on and 20 numbers out of 80 are drawn.

The best payouts online usually look like this.

This progression can follow further if you can choose more than ten numbers. For example, if you can choose 15, for guessing all of the right you'd be paid out 10000 to 1.

Not bad, right?

These are the optimal payouts when playing Keno online. Don't go for anything offering less.

As a rule, online Casinos have better payouts than the brick-and-mortar ones. Thus, it's always better to play online.

And let's be honest, much more easier, too.

The best payouts I've seen are available at Quickfire (Microgaming) Keno platforms. There is a simple classic platform to play. Also, a colorful and cheerful one, called Monkey Keno.

If you play the later one, the numbers are not drawn but thrown to the board by a monkey. And they come in a form of coconuts.

But essentially, both of the platforms have the same payouts and odds of winning, and the return to player ratio is 94.9 percent.

Though, you may prefer Monkey Keno because of a few special features:

• you can choose games randomly instead of selecting individual numbers
• you can choose to autoplay the game
• it shows hot and cold maps (the numbers which were drawn most and least in the game)

2. Play For Free to Get A Hold of The Game

Keno is not a complicated game. Thus, many Keno players dive right into the real money play. And they lose, a lot.

No matter what Casino game it is, always play it for free first to get a hold of the game.

There may be some major differences in payouts or minor differences in the game platforms. Casino may be lagging a lot and thus restarting the game before it's finished.

While it makes little difference when playing for free, it may cost you lots of bets when playing for real money.

And even if you learn the best tips on how to win at Keno and you're 100 percent sure of your skills, still practise for free first. You never know what can happen.
But it's always better if something wrong happens and yoou don't lose your cash in the process.

3. Select Between Four and Eight Numbers

When you have an option to choose up to 15 or 20 numbers with the same wager, the logical question is how many numbers is the right number?

Many Keno beginners believe the more, the better. It makes sense, considering the more you choose, the better chances of getting more of them correct you have.

But keep in mind that the payouts change depending on how many numbers you choose in total.

If you guess five out of five chosen, your payout may be 50 to 1. That's really sweet. But if you guess five out of 10 chosen, that reduces to 3 to 1.

So, what's the optimal number?

Think about it. When you choose less than four, any chance of winning is extremely low. There are 80 numbers in the Keno machine (or RNG), after all.

Then again, if you choose more than eight, you will always need to hit at least four or more numbers to get any extra money above what you've already spent for the wager.

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And that's not that easy either.

Though, if there is a progressive jackpot attached to the game, it may be worth to choose more numbers. Especially if you play the the saying win big or go home.

4. Choose Consecutive Numbers or The Cold Ones

The next tip related to numbers is which numbers to choose when betting. A common advice is to choose the consecutive numbers.

When it comes to playing video Keno, the numbers are drawn by a random number generato, thus the outcomes are random. But many Keno players researched the outcomes and believe playing consecutive numbers can help you win a lot more.

Same goes for the cold numbers - the numbers that haven't been drawn the longest period of time.

Does it work betting like that?

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. If you don't have a different betting strategy, you may as well try it.

If you play for free, you have nothing to lose. And maybe you'll discover what Keno numbers are most worthy of betting on.

When it comes to betting on cold numbers, or opposite, choose a platform that shows what were the most and least drawn numbers in the game.

One of such platforms is Monkey Keno.

5. Play at a Reliable Casino

If you want to know how to win at Keno game, many of your choices need to be related to a specific game platform and Casino. Since we talked about the payouts and platforms already, it's time to cover the Casinos.

Where To Play How To Win Strategy Framework

The Casino needs to be trust-worthy. Even if you discovered a brilliant strategy on how to win at Keno every time, it's pointless if all your money will go to the illegal Casino and you'll never see your winnings.

My advice?

Play To Win Book

Not only it has both of the Keno platforms mentioned (the classic game of Keno and Monkey Keno), but there are also great Keno variants you can try for free and for real money - if you are not in the United States.

Yes - you can play all of these games FREE. No registration or deposit necessary.

And once you're ready to play for real money, check out this surprise bonus!

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So - you only have one decision to make:

What Keno game will you play first?

Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.