Malcolm X on Keno: history and testimony

In Chapter 6- Detroit Red of his autobiography, Malcolm X who was one of the greatest and most influential African-Americans in history offers his view on casino games and more precisely gambling. The early pages of his book describe his life as a young adult and bring to the fore the eruption of gambling in society. Malcolm X, who called himself as a “gambler” gives some tips and strategies on how to hit the right numbers at lottery games –Keno included.

Never bet too much

Malcolm X starts Chapter 6 with a very interesting quote. Every day, the young man who lived back in the 1930s in Boston would play casino games and gamble all of his tips on the numbers. Malcolm X surely hoped to earn a lot of cash and dreamt of what he would do with this money; just like anyone else. But the author specifies that he would not bet more that fifteen or twenty dollars a day. Here is an important thing you have to keep in mind.

Indulge yourself after a hit

Malcolm Little confesses in his book that he was used to see people wild spending sprees on their long after big jackpots. Some of them were hustlers who already had money but most of them were quite ordinary people. Malcolm X thinks you can do whatever you want with the money, which is yours and only yours. Quit your job and work somewhere downtown? Buy yourself a Cadillac? Or just sit, set up drinks and buy steaks for all your friends? The choice is yours. It is your life!

Gambling is all about trend

In New York City, gambling had quickly become black people’s favorite leisure activity. According to Malcolm X, hundreds of thousands of NYC Negroes would play every day on 3-digit numbers. They would bet from a single penny to larger sums on the last three figures of the Stock Exchange’s printed daily total of U.S. domestic and foreign sales. Nowadays the trends have changed: you can bet on your birthday date or on any other lucky figure! Indeed some people play one number all year. Some other have lists of the daily hit numbers going back for decades.

Betting systems is the key

Malcolm X used to trust betting systems. Keno is actually all about increasing your odds. Back in the 1930s, the odds were at 600 to 1. A penny hit would therefore win $6 while a dollar would win $600. The author also tells that many players already practiced what they called “combinating”. For instance six cents would put one penny on each of the six possible combinations of three digits (see above). The number 950, combinated, would include 950, 905, 059, 095, 509 and 590. Looks like you’ve got additional clues to increase your odds at keno!