How to Play

How to Play Slots

A slot has reels carrying symbols. You choose a stake, start the round, and the reels stop on a set of symbols that is compared against the game's paytable.

1. Open the paytable first. It lists what each symbol pays, how many lines or "ways" the game uses, and what the special symbols do.
2. Set your stake. Some games let you set a coin value and a number of lines; others use a single total-bet control. Your stake is what you risk on the round.
3. Play the round. The reels stop and the result is read against the paytable.
4. Read the result. Any return is added to your balance straight away.

Terms you will see

• Reels and rows — the grid the symbols land on, for example 5 reels by 3 rows.
• Paylines / ways — the patterns that count as a combination. "243 ways" means matching symbols count from the left regardless of position.
• Wild — substitutes for other symbols under the game's rules.
• Scatter — usually pays regardless of position and often triggers a feature.
• Free rounds / bonus — extra rounds triggered by a specific combination.
• Volatility — how a game tends to distribute its returns: high volatility means less frequent, more variable results.
• RTP (return to player) — a long-run theoretical percentage over a very large number of rounds. It says nothing about your session.

Every stop comes from a random number generator and is independent of everything before it. A result is never "due", and a game is never "hot" or "cold". Browse titles on Online Slots.

How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is a card game against the dealer. The aim is a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's, without going over 21.

Card values: numbers count face value, picture cards count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11 — whichever helps the hand. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is called "soft".

1. Place your bet in the betting box.
2. You receive two cards face up; the dealer receives one or two, one of them face up.
3. An ace with a ten-value card is blackjack, normally paid at 3:2 (check the table — some pay 6:5, which is worse for the player).
4. Decide how to play the hand.
5. The dealer then draws to the table's rule, usually standing on 17.
6. Closer to 21 without going over wins; equal totals push and your stake is returned.

Your options

• Hit — take another card.
• Stand — keep your total.
• Double — double the bet and take exactly one more card.
• Split — with two cards of the same value, split into two hands with a second equal bet.
• Surrender — where offered, give up the hand and recover half the bet.
• Insurance — a side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace. It is a separate wager with its own odds, and it is not protection.

Going over 21 is a bust and the bet is lost immediately, whatever the dealer then does. Rules differ by table — number of decks, blackjack payout, whether the dealer draws on soft 17 — so read the table rules before you sit down. Tables are on Table Games.

How to Play Roulette

A ball is spun around a wheel of numbered pockets. You bet on where it will come to rest.

Wheel types: European has 37 pockets (0–36); American adds a double zero for 38 pockets, which increases the house edge; French uses a single zero and may return half of an even-money bet when zero lands.

Bet types

• Straight up — one number, pays 35:1.
• Split — two adjoining numbers, 17:1.
• Street — a row of three, 11:1.
• Corner — four numbers meeting at a corner, 8:1.
• Line — six numbers, 5:1.
• Column / dozen — twelve numbers, 2:1.
• Red or black, odd or even, 1–18 or 19–36 — even-money bets, 1:1.

1. Choose a chip value and place chips on the layout during the betting window.
2. Betting closes and the wheel is spun.
3. The winning number is marked and losing bets are cleared.
4. Winning bets are paid at the odds above.

Each spin is independent. A run of reds does not make black more likely, and no betting pattern changes the odds — systems that increase stakes after a loss only increase how much you can lose. Tables are on Table Games.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is one of the simplest table games: you bet on which of two hands — Player or Banker — will be closer to 9, or on a Tie. You do not make decisions during the hand.

Values: aces count 1, cards 2–9 their face value, and tens and picture cards count 0. Totals drop the tens digit, so 7 + 8 = 15 counts as 5.

1. Bet on Player, Banker or Tie before the deal.
2. Two cards go to each hand.
3. A total of 8 or 9 is a "natural" and the hand ends.
4. Otherwise a fixed drawing rule decides whether a third card is dealt. Nobody chooses; the rule is automatic.
5. The hand closer to 9 wins.

Payouts: Player pays 1:1. Banker pays 1:1 less the table's commission, commonly 5%, because it wins slightly more often. Tie pays much more — often 8:1 — but happens far less frequently and carries a much higher house edge. Some tables use "no commission" rules with a reduced payout in a specific case; the table states this.

Side bets such as Player Pair or Banker Pair are separate wagers with their own odds. Tables are on Table Games.

How Live Dealer Games Work

A live dealer game is a physical table in a studio, streamed to you in real time. The dealer handles real cards, a real wheel or a real shoe; software reads the result and settles the bets.

1. Join a table. Each table shows its minimum and maximum stake and how many seats are free. On many tables you can bet even without a seat.
2. Wait for the betting window. A timer shows how long is left.
3. Place your bets. Choose a chip value and place chips on the layout. You can usually undo the last chip, repeat your previous bet or clear the table until the window closes.
4. Betting closes. Once the dealer announces it, no further bets are accepted for that round.
5. The round runs on camera and the result is displayed.
6. Winning bets are paid under the table's published rules, and the next window opens.

A stable connection helps, but if your stream drops the round still resolves on the table and is settled to your account. Live chat is moderated and the conduct rules in the Terms and Conditions apply. Because live tables run continuously it is easy to lose track of time — a session limit is worth setting. Tables are on Live Dealer Games.

How Jackpot Games Work

A jackpot game is a normal game with an extra prize attached.

• Fixed jackpot — a set amount defined in the game's rules. It does not change.
• Progressive jackpot — a pool that grows because a small share of each qualifying stake is added to it. When it is awarded it resets to a seed amount.
• Tiered jackpots — several pools of different sizes (for example mini, minor, major, grand), each with its own trigger.
• Networked jackpots — a pool shared across several games or operators, which is why they can grow large.

The trigger is set out in the game's rules: often a specific symbol combination, sometimes a bonus round entered at random. Some games require a minimum stake or a side bet to qualify — if you do not meet it, the jackpot cannot be awarded even on the right combination, so check the help screen first.

Titles are on Jackpot Games.

Before you play

Set a deposit limit, a loss limit and a session time limit in Player Controls, read each game's own rules, and stop when you reach the limit you set. If gambling stops being fun, ConnexOntario is on 1-866-531-2600, 24/7.