Kenoka - It's superlicious!

Kenoka is an old(er) game on Slingo that a lot of people pass by. In truth, I only played it on a whim one day, and then suddenly three hours were gone. Whoops! *^_^*

This highly addictive game is a combination of Keno and Poker. (I guess "Kenoka" sounded better than "Kenoker.")

You start out with 10 cards, held at the bottom of the screen. Then the dealer flips over 20 cards, one at a time. Any matching cards on your side will pop up and be highlighted. If a Joker is flipped then YOU get to pick which card it matches up with.

Hmm... What do I want?

Sometimes a golden coin will appear under a card. This is a bail token, and is only useful for the final round. (I'll get to that!)

The more matches you have, the more points you earn.

*Squints*

The most matches I've ever had were 9. I might have had 0 matches once. It's pretty rare.

Now, whatever cards are picked during Keno are what you get to play Poker with. You can have up to 3 cards redealt at a cost of 500 points per card. Since I usually have four cards or less to work with, I don't use that option very often. And it doesn't always pay off.

Picture... so.... tiny......  o_o

You have to have five cards for any flush, straight, or full house. So if you only have four cards, don't think you can try for a flush. If you're unfamiliar with these terms I suggest you check out the overview on Quick-Draw Poker. ^_^

I'm flushed with pride!

Here I traded in two cards and picked up a flush!  In the upper right corner you can see the score for each section. I earned 3,000 points in the Keno section, then spent 1,000 trying to get the flush. For actually *getting* the flush I picked up another 2,500 points. It worked out in my favor, for once. ^_^

After the Poker round you head into the BONUS ROUND!

I feel like I should have an impressive image to go with that intro, but I don't. Just imagine confetti and sirens.

The concept is simple. You're shown a card and you have to guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than the card in front of you. (Aces are both high and low.) If you win, you double your bet and move to the next round. If you lose, you lose ALL of your points unless you have a bail token. A tie (push) means that nothing happens.

You have a total of 4 chances to double your winnings here. Or you can cash out at any time if the odds are against you.

A seven?? Crap....

A measly win of 500 points could end up at 8,000 if you're lucky! Or, if you have more to start with, like 5,000 points, then four correct guesses would net you 80,000 points!!

This may be my favorite part of the game. *^_^* I'm a sucker for big wins. Though it really bites when I get a 3, bet "HI," and the next card is a 2. But that's part of the fun too! Even though the odds may be in your favor, reality may go the other way!

Oh! Key thing to remember here: the bail token will keep you from losing, but it also resets your points back to where you started. If you're on the 3rd round with 40,000 points in your pocket, you may want to pass up the bet on that 7.

Not sure when to bet HI or LO? Keep this cheat-sheet handy for a little bit.

• 2-5 ~ Bet HI.
• 6-7 ~ Slightly better odds that the next card will be high instead of low.
• 8-9 ~ Slightly better odds that the next card will be low instead of high.
• 10-K ~ Bet LO.
• Ace ~ Bet whatever floats yer boat! It'll work!

I always wince when I flip a 7 or 8 because it's nearly a 50/50 chance for HI or LO. If you're playing for points, consider your winnings before you place your bet. If you're playing for fun, do whatever you like! I've lost hundreds of thousands of points on this part of the game, but I've had a blast doing it. ^_^ (Don't freak out! You don't wager any Slingo coins in Kenoka.)

Moving on!

The Keno, Poker, and bonus game all comprise one round in Kenoka. You get a total of six rounds to earn your points and cash'em in! For every point you earn in Kenoka you'll earn one Slingo coin.

Game over?? Bah. This should totally have inifinte rounds.

After a short commercial break you can get right back into Kenoka!

You can probably tell that I like this game. ^_^ Unfortunately, it seems that not many people share my enthusiasm. (Sadness!) There's no timer so this would make a great social game, but the room is usually pretty empty.

Maybe people just don't like Keno + Poker. (I think the combo is rather brill.) But I suspect that people are pushed away more by the dated graphics. It looks boring when it pops up on the screen, and I don't think it's been touched since it's initial release in 2002.

*Long look at the screen*

It looks older than 2002, doesn't it? Oi... Poor neglected Kenoka.


Final Rating

Graphics aside, I love this darn game! ^_^ If you haven't played it yet, GO!! Try it out and let me know what you think!!

5 friggen' stars, baby!