The short answer
A $1 California Hot Spot ticket pays a typical $100,000 for matching all 10 numbers on a 10 spot play, $435 for 5 of 5, and $78 for 4 of 4. California is unusual: the Lottery publishes these as typical amounts, not fixed prizes, and the top prize on the 8, 9 and 10 spot games is a pool shared between everyone who hits it that draw. Prizes scale with your wager. Draws run every 4 minutes. The optional Bulls-eye add-on pays from a separate, larger prize table.
Why These Amounts Say "Typical"
California does not publish fixed prizes for Hot Spot, and it is the only game on KenoSpots where that is true. Every amount the California Lottery lists, and therefore every amount on this page, is what it calls a typical prize. Treat the numbers here as what a win normally pays, not as a figure you are owed.
There are two kinds, and the difference matters most at the top of the table.
- Typical Prize Amounts cover every match level except the three below. The California Lottery describes these as full prizes awarded to each winner, so your prize does not shrink because other people won too.
- Typical Prize Pools are the top prizes on the 8, 9 and 10 spot games, meaning 8 of 8, 9 of 9 and 10 of 10. These are a fixed pot split between everyone who hits it on the same draw. If you match all 10 numbers and one other player does too, you do not get $100,000 each. You get half of it.
That is worth knowing before you play a 10 spot ticket, because the headline number is the one most likely to be shared. The odds on this page are not affected: those come from the maths of drawing 20 numbers out of 80 and do not change draw to draw.
California Hot Spot Top Prizes and Odds by Spot Count
The headline view: what each spot count pays for a perfect ticket, how likely that is, and the theoretical return on a $1 play once every prize in the table is weighted by its chance of landing.
| Spots Played | Typical Top Prize ($1) | Typical Top Prize with Bulls-eye | Odds of Matching All | Return per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Spot | $2 | $54 | 1 in 4 | 50.0% |
| 2 Spots | $10 | $70 | 1 in 17 | 60.1% |
| 3 Spots | $25 | $155 | 1 in 72 | 62.4% |
| 4 Spots | $78 | $300 | 1 in 326 | 62.5% |
| 5 Spots | $435 | $1,000 | 1 in 1,551 | 63.0% |
| 6 Spots | $900 | $2,000 | 1 in 7,753 | 62.5% |
| 7 Spots | $2,000 | $10,000 | 1 in 40,979 | 62.3% |
| 8 Spots | $10,000 | $30,000 | 1 in 230,115 | 62.9% |
| 9 Spots | $30,000 | $65,000 | 1 in 1,380,688 | 62.2% |
| 10 Spots | $100,000 | $300,000 | 1 in 8,911,711 | 62.8% |
Amounts marked are Typical Prize Pools: one pot split equally between everyone who hits that level on the same draw, rather than a prize paid in full to each winner. Every other amount is a typical prize paid in full. What this means.
How Bulls-eye works
Bulls-eye is an optional add-on that costs an amount equal to your California Hot Spot wager. One of the 20 numbers drawn each game is designated the Bulls-eye number. If that number is among the numbers you matched, you win the larger Bulls-eye prize for that match level instead of the base prize. You do not pick any extra numbers for it. Both prize tables are shown side by side below.
Wager Amounts and How Prizes Scale
Every prize on this page is quoted per $1 played. Prizes scale with the amount you bet, so a $2 play pays double the amounts shown and a $5 play pays five times. Wager options vary by retailer, so check the California Lottery play slip for the exact amounts you can bet per draw.
That scaling does not turn a typical amount into a guaranteed one, and it does not apply cleanly to the three top prizes that come out of a shared pool. Those are covered in the section above.
Full California Hot Spot Paytable: Every Match Level
1 Spot
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 1 | $0 | $0 | 75% | 1 in 1.3 |
| 1 of 1 | $2 | $54 | 25% | 1 in 4 |
2 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 2 | $0 | $0 | 56.01% | 1 in 1.8 |
| 1 of 2 | $0 | $15 | 37.97% | 1 in 2.6 |
| 2 of 2 | $10 | $70 | 6.013% | 1 in 17 |
3 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 3 | $0 | $0 | 41.65% | 1 in 2.4 |
| 1 of 3 | $0 | $6 | 43.09% | 1 in 2.3 |
| 2 of 3 | $2 | $20 | 13.88% | 1 in 7.2 |
| 3 of 3 | $25 | $155 | 1.388% | 1 in 72 |
4 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 4 | $0 | $0 | 30.83% | 1 in 3.2 |
| 1 of 4 | $0 | $4 | 43.27% | 1 in 2.3 |
| 2 of 4 | $1 | $11 | 21.26% | 1 in 4.7 |
| 3 of 4 | $4 | $37 | 4.325% | 1 in 23 |
| 4 of 4 | $78 | $300 | 0.3063% | 1 in 326 |
5 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 5 | $0 | $0 | 22.72% | 1 in 4.4 |
| 1 of 5 | $0 | $3 | 40.57% | 1 in 2.5 |
| 2 of 5 | $0 | $6 | 27.05% | 1 in 3.7 |
| 3 of 5 | $2 | $16 | 8.394% | 1 in 12 |
| 4 of 5 | $15 | $80 | 1.209% | 1 in 83 |
| 5 of 5 | $435 | $1,000 | 0.06449% | 1 in 1,551 |
6 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 6 | $0 | $0 | 16.66% | 1 in 6 |
| 1 of 6 | $0 | $5 | 36.35% | 1 in 2.8 |
| 2 of 6 | $0 | $2 | 30.83% | 1 in 3.2 |
| 3 of 6 | $1 | $7 | 12.98% | 1 in 7.7 |
| 4 of 6 | $6 | $40 | 2.854% | 1 in 35 |
| 5 of 6 | $67 | $250 | 0.3096% | 1 in 323 |
| 6 of 6 | $900 | $2,000 | 0.0129% | 1 in 7,753 |
7 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 7 | $0 | $0 | 12.16% | 1 in 8.2 |
| 1 of 7 | $0 | $5 | 31.52% | 1 in 3.2 |
| 2 of 7 | $0 | $2 | 32.67% | 1 in 3.1 |
| 3 of 7 | $1 | $3 | 17.5% | 1 in 5.7 |
| 4 of 7 | $3 | $20 | 5.219% | 1 in 19 |
| 5 of 7 | $12 | $68 | 0.8639% | 1 in 116 |
| 6 of 7 | $190 | $575 | 0.07321% | 1 in 1,366 |
| 7 of 7 | $2,000 | $10,000 | 0.00244% | 1 in 40,979 |
8 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 8 | $1 | $1 | 8.827% | 1 in 11 |
| 1 of 8 | $0 | $5 | 26.65% | 1 in 3.8 |
| 2 of 8 | $0 | $2 | 32.81% | 1 in 3 |
| 3 of 8 | $0 | $2 | 21.48% | 1 in 4.7 |
| 4 of 8 | $0 | $7 | 8.15% | 1 in 12 |
| 5 of 8 | $12 | $50 | 1.83% | 1 in 55 |
| 6 of 8 | $80 | $200 | 0.2367% | 1 in 423 |
| 7 of 8 | $550 | $1,300 | 0.01605% | 1 in 6,232 |
| 8 of 8 | $10,000 | $30,000 | 0.0004346% | 1 in 230,115 |
9 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 9 | $1 | $1 | 6.375% | 1 in 16 |
| 1 of 9 | $0 | $5 | 22.07% | 1 in 4.5 |
| 2 of 9 | $0 | $2 | 31.64% | 1 in 3.2 |
| 3 of 9 | $0 | $2 | 24.61% | 1 in 4.1 |
| 4 of 9 | $0 | $5 | 11.41% | 1 in 8.8 |
| 5 of 9 | $6 | $20 | 3.26% | 1 in 31 |
| 6 of 9 | $30 | $90 | 0.572% | 1 in 175 |
| 7 of 9 | $135 | $475 | 0.05917% | 1 in 1,690 |
| 8 of 9 | $2,750 | $6,000 | 0.003259% | 1 in 30,682 |
| 9 of 9 | $30,000 | $65,000 | 0.00007243% | 1 in 1,380,688 |
10 Spots
| Match | Typical Prize ($1 play) | Typical with Bulls-eye ($1) | Chance | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 10 | $2 | $2 | 4.579% | 1 in 22 |
| 1 of 10 | $0 | $5 | 17.96% | 1 in 5.6 |
| 2 of 10 | $0 | $2 | 29.53% | 1 in 3.4 |
| 3 of 10 | $0 | $2 | 26.74% | 1 in 3.7 |
| 4 of 10 | $0 | $2 | 14.73% | 1 in 6.8 |
| 5 of 10 | $3 | $9 | 5.143% | 1 in 19 |
| 6 of 10 | $17 | $60 | 1.148% | 1 in 87 |
| 7 of 10 | $42 | $215 | 0.1611% | 1 in 621 |
| 8 of 10 | $575 | $1,400 | 0.01354% | 1 in 7,384 |
| 9 of 10 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 0.0006121% | 1 in 163,381 |
| 10 of 10 | $100,000 | $300,000 | 0.00001122% | 1 in 8,911,711 |
Source: calottery.com. Bulls-eye is an optional add-on that costs an amount equal to your Hot Spot wager. One of the 20 numbers drawn each game is the Bulls-eye; if it is among your matched numbers, the Bulls-eye prize table applies instead of the base prize. Always verify the current prize chart with the California Lottery before you play.
How California Hot Spot Compares to the Average Paytable
Keno prizes are not the same everywhere. This table puts the California Hot Spot top prize for each spot count next to the typical prize across the 22 other lottery keno paytables we track. The comparison figure is the median rather than the mean, so one unusually rich schedule cannot drag it out of shape.
| Spots | California Hot Spot | Typical Game | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 spot | $2 | $2 | In line with the rest |
| 2 spots | $10 | $10 | In line with the rest |
| 3 spots | $25 | $25 | In line with the rest |
| 4 spots | $78 | $72 | 8% above typical |
| 5 spots | $435 | $410 | 6% above typical |
| 6 spots | $900 | $1,150 | 22% below typical |
| 7 spots | $2,000 | $4,750 | 58% below typical |
| 8 spots | $10,000 | $10,000 | In line with the rest |
| 9 spots | $30,000 | $30,000 | In line with the rest |
| 10 spots | $100,000 | $100,000 | In line with the rest |
California Hot Spot lands in the middle: 2 spot counts above the typical top prize, 2 below, and 6 in line with it. Top prizes are only half the picture, though. Weighing every prize by its chance of landing, a $1 California Hot Spot ticket returns about 61.1% averaged across all spot counts, a shade behind the 62.7% typical for the comparison group. Either way the paytable is fixed, so no pick pattern and no spot count turns keno into a positive bet.
Run your own California numbers
Open the keno payout calculator and choose California Hot Spot to model any spot count and bet size against this exact paytable, or use the keno odds calculator to check the probability of a specific catch.
Frequently Asked
On a $1 play, California Hot Spot pays a typical $2 for matching 1 of 1 up to a typical $100,000 for matching all 10 numbers on a 10 spot ticket. A 5 spot ticket tops out at $435 and a 4 spot ticket at $78. These are the California Lottery's published typical amounts rather than fixed prizes, and the top prize on the 8, 9 and 10 spot games is a pool split between everyone who hits it that draw. Prizes scale with your wager. The full prize table for every spot count is on this page.
The odds of matching all 10 numbers on a 10 spot California Hot Spot ticket are 1 in 8,911,711. Those odds are fixed by the math of drawing 20 numbers from a field of 80, so they are the same at every retailer and on every draw.
Bulls-eye doubles what you spend and replaces the base prize with a much larger one whenever the designated Bulls-eye number is one of your matches. On a 10 spot ticket that is the difference between a typical $100,000 and a typical $300,000, both of them shared pools. It raises both the cost and the swings; the base game alone is the steadier way to play.
Weighing every prize by its chance of landing, the 5 spot game returns the most on California Hot Spot, about 63.0% of a $1 play over the long run, against roughly 61.1% averaged across all spot counts. Higher spot counts are not better value, just more volatile: they trade frequent small wins for a rare large one.
KenoSpots carries California Hot Spot results at kenospots.com/states/california-keno/results/, updated straight from the California Lottery, with a checker that matches your saved numbers against every draw. Match your picks against the prize table on this page to see what a ticket is worth.