Best Online Poker Sites Canada – Best Bonuses, Rules and Tournaments for 2024

Best Poker Sites in Canada for 2024

Playing poker in the second biggest country in the world has its pros and cons, so we will try to give you all the needed facts for playing Texas Hold’em in Canada and push you in the right direction towards finding the best online poker platform. In the following review, we will talk about online poker Canada gaming and everything related to this topic. We know that choosing a poker platform can be a long and stressful process.

Considering the rake and fees, the available bonuses, the competition, the site traffic and the trustworthiness of the platform we have gathered the top 3 online poker CA operators. We have also listed the top destinations in the country to play poker live, along with some interesting facts about the clubs. By reading this review, you will not only get helpful information about the poker platforms and find out some useful poker tips but also learn about the available bonuses, payment methods and legal topics about Canada.

What Is the Best Canadian Online Poker Site?

There are many factors to be considered when picking up the best online poker sites in Canada. They must be safe and reliable in the first place, and this should be verified upon making your first deposit. To do that, you can check out the footers of the online poker operators’ websites for various seals of approval, such as those of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the MGA and GambleAware.

Next up, the combination of online poker games and tournaments with the offered bonuses and promotions is another important criterion because let’s face it, everyone loves to play on the best poker tables with some extra perks.

They could be in the form of no caps on buy-ins, rake-free tables, high-limit games, and others. The availability of daily poker tournaments is also important. Stay tuned to find out the details!

Texas Hold’em and Our Top-Recommended Poker Platform

These days when you say the word poker, people automatically think you are talking about Texas Hold’em. That is not always the case, as there are more than 30 variations of this game. You should always familiarise yourself with the rules and tactics of the game you wish to play before you actually sit down on a table.

Undoubtfully, Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker. It has millions of admirers around the world and can be played at most of the Canadian online casinos and the best online casinos worldwide. This game has become not only a hobby and a mania but a way of life and income. There are thousands of professional poker players and the game has earned the right to be considered as a sport. Since the boom of the online gambling industry at the beginning of the 21st century, playing poker online has gradually turned into the preferred way of play for a lot of players. Like every land-based casino has its rules and restrictions, the same way online gambling operators have specific terms and conditions.

After all, playing poker is a sort of gambling, and even though gambling is a kind of entertainment, whenever real money is involved there are legal issues and laws. You should always be aware of your poker site’s terms and conditions and the legality and authenticity of the platform. Every online gambling provider on our website is triple checked and verified so you can rest easy, knowing they all possess licenses for gambling purposes. Our top pick for you is certainly PartyPoker. It is one of the biggest poker platforms in the world, with plenty of customers, outstanding software and exceptional promotions.

Their industry-leading software is certified by McAfee, GamCare and ICRA. With more than 10 million registered members worldwide, there is always action. Plenty of cash tables, tournaments, Sit’n’Gos and satellites for live events are available 24/7, so regardless of the day or time you want to play, there will be definitely a huge choice of games.

Online Poker in Canada – Safety and Security

Popular Online Poker Games – What Do Canadians Play the Most?

It is fair to say that the game Texas Hold’em is quite unfair towards the other poker variations, speaking popularity-wise. This variant of poker is the most preferred and played game not only in Canada but in the world. The pure simplicity in the rules of the game (being dealt just 2 personal cards and using 5 community cards) combined with the complexity of the millions of possible ways how the game can develop, obviously is the most successful combination the gambling world has ever had seen. The so-called sister of the Texas Hold’em, the Omaha is the second most placed poker game in Canada. Here is a list of the top 5 played poker games in the country:

• Hold’em
• Omaha
• Omaha Hi Lo
• 7 Card Stud
• Caribbean Stud Poker

Of course, Texas Hold’em and Omaha games are available in No Limit and Pot Limit modes nearly at every Canadian poker room and at all of the best poker sites Canada has to offer. We recommend you play Texas Hold’em in NL mode, while Omaha in PL mode. Without a doubt, you will find the best variety and diversity of poker tables at Pokerstars. You should be absolutely familiar with the rules when playing in Pot Limit mode before you sit down on a PL table.

As you can probably guess by the name, pot limit is a type of play where the maximum bet you can put in a single round is limited and is calculated by a formula. The formula for the maximum ’pot bet’ is the last made bet times 3 plus everything else on the table. Here is an example : after the preflop round there are $50 in the pot, player A bets $30, player B calls, player C wants to bet the pot : 3x $30 + $30 + $50 = $170. In case you are the first to bet, the maximum allowed bet is the total pot so far. So, Pot-limit or No Limit – it is up to you.

Poker Tournaments – All Your Options

The provided table is just a pinch of the enormous tournament availability. There are exciting and high-rewarding tournaments starting almost every hour. A useful advantage is that all of our recommended online poker CA sites offer late registration to their tournaments, meaning that even if you missed the starting hour of a tournament, you can still join through late registration with no difference in your starting stack.

The listed tournaments are just examples and shouldn’t be considered as the only good ones. Every player at the best poker sites Canada has to offer has his own preferences, his own style of play and likes different types of games. For every tournament, a different strategy is required and not all players have the qualities or the patience imperative for a profitable play. Stay true to your strong qualities and try to pick tournaments that best suit your poker abilities.

In the last decade, online poker in Canada has become a real phenomenon, with more and more professional poker players emerging and the interest in the game has risen severely. If you still think poker in Canada is all about playing just with your buddies at home or visiting the nearest poker room (regardless of the games available there), then give your head a shake.

There are many live tournament events throughout the country that will provide you with the opportunity to make that final step towards becoming and be acknowledged as a professional poker player. The WPT Montreal and the WSOP Circuit (Montreal and Vancouver) are the cherries on top of the cake. They both are being organized multiple times per year, as for the buy-in fees, you can enter the WPT Montreal with a buy-in of $3500 + $350 and the WSOP Circuit with $1500 + $175 (Main Event). Don’t be surprised if you see some world-known celebrities or poker professionals such as the Toronto-born Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and many more.

Online Poker Cash Games

Cash games can be found in any land-based poker club in Canada and plenty of cash tables are available 24/7 at the best Canadian poker sites. If you are new to the poker world, we suggest you first start playing cash games as they require a lot less discipline and free time.

Speed Poker

Best Freeroll Poker Sites in Canada

Like a newborn baby has to learn to crawl before it learns to walk, the same way the new online casino sites have to learn how to gain the player’s trust and attention. In this same way, poker players have to learn how to play some poker games for free before they sit down on the real money table and start to play with real cash. But not every single poker beginner has the conditions to play at home for free or has enough buddies that are on the same level as him, poker-wise.

This is where online freeroll tournaments come in. There probably isn’t an online poker Canada player who hasn’t played freerolls on the internet. Fortunately, all of our recommended poker platforms give you the chance to play and even win some cash for free. In the table below, you can see some of the available freerolls at PartyPoker with some additional information about the tournaments.

As you can see from the table, most of the freeroll tournaments are entered by a special ticket, so access is not totally free. Nevertheless, there are plenty more freerolls daily, with no restrictions for joining. Keep in mind that a freeroll at the best online poker sites Canada has to offer without restrictions usually has a smaller prize pool and a lot of players. Even if you feel it is not worthy to spend a couple of hours just to get a prize which is rarely more than $30 – $40, it is always a helpful experience for a new poker player to get a taste of a tournament play (see the structure, the blind increase and so on).

Betting Limits

Each one of our recommended poker sites has a great variety of games and limits. Poker is a game available to anyone, regardless of their financial stature. Cash games starting from $0.01 – $0.02 NL and PL are available in all of the platforms for those of you who want to start slow and don’t want to invest huge amounts. On the other end, in the online casinos for high rollers, there are cash games with heavy blinds and massive minimum buy-ins. Good bankroll management is crucial for being a successful poker player, so you should always play limits that suit your solvency and poker bank.

Mobile Poker Apps for Canadian Players

All of our recommended sites have outstanding mobile versions. They are some of the best online casino apps. They are all separated applications, fully devoted just to the poker sections of the operators. Each one is free to download and is reachable either on the App Store or Google Play Store, depending on what kind of device you use. In our opinion, the 888Poker app is probably the best poker app in Canada.

Keep in mind that even though playing poker on the go can be very pleasant and entertaining, there might be some internet connection issues, depending on where you are. We suggest you use one of the two best internet distributors in the country – Rogers or Bell.

Every experienced poker player will tell you that despite the fact that playing poker on your mobile device, regardless of your destination, can be very enjoyable and free time filling, it can’t be counted for serious poker sessions. The lack of absolute concentration and the limitation of poker tables can cost you serious headaches and hits on your bankroll. It makes grinding impossible as most of the poker applications don’t allow you to play more than 4 tables at a time.

In case you have serious intentions about poker, you should stick to the desktop version and leave mobile poker play to the amateurs and casual players. Of course, you can play a few hands from time to time, when you have some time to spare, but don’t turn it into a habit or else you will see your bankroll melt away.

Welcome Poker Bonuses for Canadians

Each one of our recommended platforms has valuable cash-connected bonuses. In the following table, we have listed the welcome packages they all offer and we have provided some useful information about the particular bonus conditions. Playthrough bonuses are highly popular in poker platforms because as long as the customers are playing on the real cash game tables, they are able to boost their bankrolls with some sort of bonus cash rewards. For your convenience, we have provided jump links that will send you straight to the promotion page, where you will be able to claim the bonus.

Usually, good players at the best poker sites Canada has to offer are also known for their precision and attention to detail. This is good quality, useful not only while playing but during the bonus selection and platform selection periods. In case you are new to the poker world and haven’t developed this helpful quality yet, we advise you to always pay attention to the terms and conditions of the promotion and be aware of the restrictions and possible pitfalls of a bonus or a poker platform. Wagering requirements, bonus validity, promo codes and requirements of opting-in are important parts of every offer and you should always be fully aware of them.

Another important piece of advice that we could give you is don’t claim and join promotions that you won’t be able to afford and finish. Even if you see one of the top online casino bonuses offering some sort of a big and valuable advantage, keep in mind the bigger the bonus is, the harder fulfilling the wagering conditions is. Don’t jump over your head and claim what you can afford to wager.

Payment Methods for Safe Deposits and Withdrawals

There are many safe and secure payment methods that you can use when playing at the best online poker sites in Canada. Every online casino platform has different allowed payment options, but the most popular are accepted by all of them. Visa, MasterCard, Paysafecard and bank transfers are widely popular and commonly used. Of course, in this modern-day of age, e-wallets have gained huge popularity at the top Canadian poker sites, because of the safety and security they provide.

With those trendy payment methods, you don’t have to put in your bank details every time you want to make a transaction. The most popular PayPal casino sites offer very appealing conditions, just like Skrill and Neteller are the most well-known and are accepted by all of our recommended platforms. Another option is to play in one of the best Interac casinos. These e-wallets offer unmatched conditions and everyone loves that!

• Visa
• MasterCard
• Bank Transfer
• PaysafeCard
• Paypal
• Skrill
• Neteller
• PayNearMe

Despite the big diversity in payment options, most of the online poker players in Canada are recommending transactions via bank transfers. They are fast and convenient, and most of them don’t have fees. Most of the transactions are in Canadian dollars (CAD), but payments in US dollars, Euro or Pounds are also accepted. Depending on the preferred method, the processing time varies but usually is around 3-6 business days. Transactions via e-wallets are known to be the fastest and can take 2 to 5 days. Each one of our recommended websites is totally secured, as each of them uses top-notch encryptions and state of the art firewalls like the ones at Flexepin online casino operators.

Is Online Poker Legal in Canada?

Canada was a fierce opponent of gambling until the 1960s, but since then the government has started granting provinces the right to decide for themselves whether to allow gambling activities within their borders. Nowadays, almost all forms of gambling are allowed on the whole territory of the country. Gambling in itself is not illegal in Canada and that’s the most important fact. ‘Not illegal’ means legal, by the absence of a law against it. This may sound a bit confusing, but rest assured you are safe and have the right to play poker.

Although you won’t find many Canadian-run gambling sites, as many regulations are domestically inclusive, there are plenty of poker platforms located and regulated in another jurisdiction, to which you are granted access to. Ultimately, Canadians are in no way committing a crime by playing online poker. However, as certain areas of Canada have more serene regulations than others, we recommend you are selective in terms of the sites you choose to play at.

On June 10, 1996, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established. It has been continuously licensing and regulating online gaming since July 8, 1999. That is longer than almost any other jurisdiction in the world. The commission is empowered to license and regulate gaming and gaming-related activities conducted within and from the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in accordance with the highest principles of honesty and integrity.

Legal Poker Gambling Age in Canada

Land-Based Casinos in CA

There are more than 200 land-based casinos across the world’s second-largest country in terms of total territory. Most of them have poker rooms where Texas Hold’em and Omaha are played while having other poker-based games in the table rooms such as Caribbean Stud, 3 Card Poker or 5 Card draw. They all must follow the laws as laid out by their governing province or territory. Where you are in Canada determines what kind of gambling is legal or not (poker is legal everywhere) and at what age you must be to participate. We will tell you some of the best poker rooms in the country, adding a bit of information about each one of them.

• RiverRock Casino Resort is probably one of the top poker rooms in the country. You know this is a serious place for poker players by the fact it was the host of a World Series of Poker circuit event. The poker games obviously are not limited just to Texas Hold’em, as you can find tables where Omaha, Omaha 8 or Better and Seven Card Stud are played. Of course, they all can be played in No Limit or Pot Limit modes. The casino is on the west coast, close to the city of Vancouver.
• Payground Poker Club is one of the most respected poker rooms in North America. It is located just outside Montreal. Actually, it’s in Kahnawake reservation, which is famous for regulating and licensing online poker rooms. NL and PL games of Hold’em and Omaha are played regularly, and if there is interest for another poker game like Stud or Hi-Low Omaha the club will provide it. Have in mind that the casino attracts a lot of serious players so it is more likely to find games with bigger limits.
• Casino Nova Scotia is located in Halifax, on the east coast of the country. If you are a high-stakes player, the casino has special High Limits nights and large tournaments. One of the unique extras of this club is the multiple flat-screen TVs, placed literally everywhere, keeping you connected with everything that is happening in poker, sports, news and more.
• Caesars Windsor is located in one of the most visited and vibrant places in Canada – Ontario. The casino is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is not that common in the country. The hotel and the casino resorts are definitely worth visiting. The staff there is known for their professionalism and devotion. There are plenty of cash games, tournaments and even World Series of Poker satellite tournaments, running twice a month.
• Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort is in Ontario and is definitely the largest gaming resort in the country. The environment of the casino is unique and marvellous, and it is absolutely worth experiencing it. Poker here is not the main attraction, as there are more than 100 table games and more than 3000 slots. It is known that in Ontario there is an abundance of poker clubs and casinos, so the competition is fierce and the diversity of choice is definitely pleasing any poker player.

Conclusion: Great Experience at the Best Online Poker Sites Canada

Well, it is time for us to wrap it up and give our final words about online poker CA gaming. Despite the fact, there aren’t so many online poker platforms to play at and the foggy laws around playing poker legally, Canadian poker players have more and more places to play poker at. If you want some soft cash games, a big variety of Sit’N’Gos, casual tournaments and tournament series, satellites rewarding live poker packages and decent welcome bonuses, then all of our recommended poker platforms will satisfy your needs. Each one has its’ own advantages, so check them out and decide where to register and start your poker career.

Needless to say, nothing stops you to register in all 3 of them and compare the games for yourself. With the tremendous popularity Texas Hold’em has earned through the last couple of years, the government of Canada has recognized that and slowly but surely has started to supply its’ citizens with more exciting poker opportunities. You can also check out our devoted pages for online live casinos, the most trusted onlne slots sites and the top roulette online casinos in case you are on the lookout for some thrilling slots or table games to play between your poker sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have answered a few of the most popular poker-connected questions asked on the Internet by people living in Canada. Even though the questions seem a bit elementary and amatory, you might learn a new interesting fact or remember another topic that you wish to learn more about.

More Gambling in Canada

There is a number of popular gambling games in Canada, and probably right next to Texas Hold’em (with other poker variations) the most played game is the slot machine. This can be attributed to the tremendous number of choices available and the minimum required effort or knowledge. Roulette games and blackjack games are also widely popular, not only online, but in land-based casinos too. And you can check which are the best online blackjack sites for Canadians.

Of course, we can’t talk about the popularity of gambling games, without mentioning the all-mighty bingo. Again, a very simple and easy game, with millions of lovers around the world, bingo sites are among the most loved online casinos in Canada. It is understandable, that most of the top gambling games in the world are being played in the second biggest country in the world.

Since the legalisation of gambling activities in Canada, gambling is one of the most preferred ways of entertainment and we assure you its influence and reputation will only grow. And, in order to be as helpful as possible, we translated this page in French as well.