How Gambling Works

When thinking about placing a bet it is vital that you know how the product you are playing works. If you do not, then do not place a bet.

The main risk when gambling is losing money so knowing what you are betting on means that you can make informed decisions about the money you are spending when gambling.

Slots are an online game, these are online versions of the physical slot machines you would see in Casinos. To play slots, choose your stake and press spin. Winnings are then determined by the combination of symbols that appear on the screen when the reels stop spinning.

The result is generated at random by a Random Number Generator.

Nothing you do will affect the outcome of a game; remember this when you place your bets and never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

Blackjack is a strategic game, requiring a good understanding of probability and the odds to play properly.

The game begins by you placing an opening bet, at this stage you are gambling on chance as you have nothing to base your opening bet on.

You are then dealt two cards (one at a time in sequence with the dealer always getting the last card to be dealt). At this stage you have an opportunity to place another bet, based on the strength of your two cards and the one card of the dealers that is always dealt face up (the other is face down). This is where the game really begins.

You will then decide whether to stick with what you have or ask for another card, with the aim being to get to as near to 21 (or ideally 21) without getting more than 21, which is known as going ‘bust’.

You can ask for as many extra cards as you want, with the aim of ending up with a higher final score than the dealer without going over 21.

The key to playing blackjack is to know when to take another card, 'hit' or 'stand' with what you have got. This choice should be based on two things; firstly, what is the dealer showing and secondly, if you do take another card what is the probability of it improving your chances of winning?

With all games of chance you can only affect the outcome in the areas that you control. Whilst it is important that you understand how to play the game and when you should make certain betting decisions, you cannot predict what card you or the dealer will get; that is dependent on chance.

Remember this when you place your bets and never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

Roulette is a game of chance; you cannot influence the outcome, although you can choose lower risk options depending on how you bet.

The wheel is typically made up of 37 coloured holes, numbered 0 to 36 (inclusive). 18 are red, 18 are black and one is green (zero). You are able to predict which of the numbers the ball is going to land on.

There are numerous betting options amongst which are single number, red or black and odd or even. As you would expect the odds you get are dependent on the probability of them occurring.

Correctly predicting the number that the ball will land on has a 2.7% chance of winning and pays 35:1. Whilst correctly predicting the colour, or whether it is odd or even has a 48.6% chance of winning and pays 1:1.

You can manage your chances of winning by deciding which betting option to take. The higher the odds the lower the chance of winning, however you cannot influence the outcome of the spin or monitor any trends, as the result is determined by a Random Number Generator.

Remember this when you place your bets and never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

Poker is a game of skill with a large element of chance thrown in, as ultimately you are playing with the cards that are dealt.

In its most common form, Texas Hold'em, the idea is to make the best possible five card hand from the seven that are dealt. Initially each player is dealt two cards, followed by three further rounds where five shared cards are dealt (three, then one, then one) with betting opportunities after each round of cards.

At each round of betting you can choose to Raise, Call, Check or Fold your hand, with the aim being to either win with the strongest hand or force all the other players to fold their hands. The winner gets the 'pot,' that is the total monies bet on that particular hand.

Poker requires a high degree of skill to play well. You need to have a good understanding of probability and the odds of a particular set of cards winning, whilst being able to 'read' another player's actions. Have they got a good hand or are they trying to bluff you?

It is these intricacies that make Poker a great game, and why it is important to understand the game before you start playing for real money. Yes, there is an element of chance involved, as the cards are drawn randomly, but over time the best players tend to win. Do your homework and remember to never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

In Bingo you receive a card on which numbers are printed, numbers are then drawn via a Random Number Generator and you mark them off on your card as they are drawn. There are various winning prizes throughout the game, with the overall winner being the first one to match all the numbers on their card, or 'house' as it's known.

Bingo is designed to be fun, there is no skill involved, you cannot guess the outcome and you cannot affect the outcome. All you do is choose your stake; the rest is in the hands of chance.

The numbers are generated by a Random Number Generator. There is no form of study, no trends to follow, so nothing you do will affect the outcome of the game; remember this when you place your bets and never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

The result for Virtual events are generated at random by a Random Number Generator.

Each competitor in a Virtual event is weighted according to the odds displayed. The competitors with the higher odds stand a lower chance of winning, but generate higher returns.

You can manage your chances of winning by deciding which betting option to take. The higher the odds the lower the chance of winning, however you cannot influence the outcome. Remember this when you place your bets and never bet more than you can afford to gamble. Always gamble responsibly and within your means.

A Random Number Generator is a computer driven programme that generates a sequence of numbers or symbols that cannot be reasonably predicted better than by random chance.

The RTP is the average amount returned to all customers on a particular game over a period of time. The average RTP percentage is typically measured over a large volume of hands or spins and is not an expectation of return each time a game is played.

For more information on bet365's use of random number generators and RTP please visit Fair Payouts.