Ace Caught in Week 4: Uxbridge and Stratford Rounds End
By Avery Chase Ellis · Last verified October 26, 2026 · Checked at the source
Most Catch the Ace stories are about a deck that runs for months and a pot that climbs into six or seven figures. This fall, two Ontario rounds went the other way. In Uxbridge and Stratford, the Ace of Spades turned up in week 4, with 49 envelopes still in play. Here's what was won, and why an early finish isn't as strange as it sounds.
Uxbridge: Ace of Spades in envelope #33
The Uxbridge Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Uxbridge started a new round in mid-September. According to the official site's winners page:
| Draw | Week #4, October 7, 2026 |
| Envelope opened | #33, the Ace of Spades |
| Winning ticket | D-53737276 (winner listed as Melanie R.) |
| Week 4 prize (jackpot) | $5,065 |
| Week 4 weekly prize | $448 |
| Final grand prize shown on the home page | $5,513 |
The home page shows the $5,065 and the $5,513 side by side. The winners page lists the week 4 win as two lines, $5,065 and $448, which together make up the final grand prize the site shows. We report the figures as the organiser publishes them.
The round before this one ran much longer. It ended at Draw #93 on July 8, 2026, when the Ace of Spades came out of envelope #52 for a progressive prize of $167,058, according to the same winners page.
Proceeds support equipment for the new Uxbridge Hospital. The lottery runs under AGCO licence RAF1574007. Details: Uxbridge Catch the Ace on Play the Ace · official site.
Stratford: Ace of Spades in envelope #12
In Stratford, the Kinsmen Club of Stratford runs Catch the Ace with ANAF Unit 261 and the Knights of Columbus. The official home page shows:
| Draw | Week 4 (the draw the site lists for October 2) |
| Envelope opened | #12, the Ace of Spades |
| Winning ticket | #318 (winner named on the site as Alexis Grasby of Stratford) |
| Grand prize | $2,729.00 |
Stratford's rules explain how a pot can be that size so early. The progressive jackpot is seeded with $2,500: if the Ace is caught before the pot reaches $2,500, the winner still gets $2,500. Once it passes that mark, the jackpot is 30% of accumulated ticket sales and the seed no longer applies. Under this licence, each week's sales are split 20% to the weekly winner, 30% to the jackpot and 50% to the Kinsmen Club for charitable purposes. Other lotteries use different splits, so always check the rules of the game you're playing.
The site has since reset for a new round (see below). Licence RAF1569604 (AGCO). Details: Stratford Catch the Ace on Play the Ace · official site.
Why the Ace can turn up in week 4
It's easy to assume the Ace "should" come late. It doesn't work that way. Every week, two separate things have to happen:
- Your ticket has to be drawn. Only one ticket wins each week, so this chance depends on how many tickets were sold that week. It has nothing to do with the deck.
- The envelope on that ticket has to hold the Ace. For the one person whose ticket is drawn, the chance depends on how many envelopes are left.
In week 4 of a 52-card round, three cards have already been removed, so 49 envelopes remain. If your ticket is drawn that week, the chance your envelope holds the Ace is 1 in 49. That's long, but it isn't zero, and with dozens of rounds running across Canada at once, some of them will end early every year.
A late-stage deck works the same way in reverse. With four envelopes left, the drawn ticket holder has a 1 in 4 chance at the Ace, but the chance of being that ticket holder is usually smaller, because big pots sell far more tickets. For the full walkthrough, see How Catch the Ace works.
Other recent finishes
Carleton Place's long round also ended this month: the Ace was drawn in week 51 on October 1. North Hastings Catch the Ace (Bancroft) ended the same day. Every finished round is on our Recently caught page, and on the Ontario Catch the Ace page for 120 days.
What happens next
Stratford has already restarted: as of October 26 its official site shows a new round at week 1, with an opening pot listed as $2,500 and the first draw on Friday, November 6, at 11:30 a.m. Uxbridge hasn't posted dates for a new round on its official site. When it does, we'll list it once we can confirm it at the source. You can browse every live draw on our full list of lotteries, or get the weekly jackpot email to hear about new rounds.
Licensing and playing responsibly
Both lotteries are licensed under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) framework for charitable gaming. Stratford's rules say buyers must be 18 or older and physically in Ontario at the time of purchase. That's the norm for Ontario Catch the Ace, but check each lottery's own rules.
Catch the Ace is a fundraiser first. Set a budget before you buy and don't raise it because a pot is growing. If gambling stops being fun, free and confidential help is available from ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 (connexontario.ca). For help lines in other provinces, see our responsible gambling page.
Play the Ace is an independent tracker. We don't sell tickets or run these lotteries. Always confirm results on the official sites before acting on them.
