Online Poker Canada

The Canadian online poker industry is flourishing. The Great White North is home to a vast number of world-class poker sites that gather some of the biggest poker pros from around the globe. Not only do Canadians have access to countless offshore poker rooms, but they can also play in domestic poker sites that offer exclusive bonuses reserved for Canada-based players only.

With all of this in mind, the possibilities for playing poker online in Canada are seemingly endless. Still, one has to be cautious when choosing the right poker site, with so many fraudulent operators lurking around. And even if you manage to find an honest and trustworthy poker room, how can you be sure that you chose the best option? There are a plethora of factors that make up for a great poker site, and not everyone can identify them. That’s where our expertise comes into play.

After extensive market research, our panel of poker experts has assembled the ultimate list of the best real-money poker sites in Canada. How do we know that these online poker venues are truly the best options for Canadians? Because they passed our strict testing procedures, and have been vetted and verified by our team for safety, regulation, and other significant aspects. Still don’t believe us? Take a look and see for yourself!

Playing Poker in Canada

Having so many online poker sites at your disposal can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it’s nice to have a variety of options to choose from. On the other hand, it’s difficult to distinguish the best poker rooms from the not-so-good ones. And if you make the wrong move, you’ll regret ever wanting to play online poker. Again, we come to the rescue.

Below, we’re going to show you which characteristics you need to pay attention to when searching for great online poker sites in Canada.

It Must Be Safe and Regulated

One of the rare downsides of online poker is that there is always a possibility that the poker operator’s servers get attacked by hackers, in which case an unauthorized party could get access to players’ sensitive data, namely personal and financial details. That’s why it’s paramount to choose a poker room that employs top-of-the-line security measures. The most heavily protected poker sites use the highest level of SSL encryption, advanced firewalls, and other security protocols. With these mechanisms in place, you can rest assured that your account details will be protected at all times.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg — you also need to make sure that the site is properly regulated. If the operator is not supervised by regulatory bodies, that means that it can do whatever it wants, for example, rig games, or stall payments. The most prominent Canadian poker sites are regulated by respectable licensing jurisdictions, like the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao, Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and so forth. Playing on licensed online poker sites will give you peace of mind knowing that you’re a part of a safe and fair gaming environment.

And just to be 100% sure that the poker site you opted for is legit, you should do a background check on its reputation among former and current players. To check out this information, you can go to reputable poker portals, and look in the complaints section. There, you’ll find out how the operator treats its users and whether it pays out winnings in a timely manner.

It Has to Be Generous

Gambling and generosity — It doesn’t sound right, does it? But in the fiercely competitive online gambling industry, poker sites are ‘forced’ to be generous and to provide constant incentives for players. Otherwise, they would go out of business quickly. That’s why bonuses were introduced to the poker scene, to lure players into signing up. On Canadian poker sites, you’ll find dozens of enticing bonuses, ranging from welcome bonuses worth thousands of dollars to recurrent Rakeback Deals and BadBeat Jackpots.

But you need to look beyond the sheer volume of a poker bonus and pay attention to the terms and conditions attached to the offer. These requirements will show you whether it truly pays off to sign up with a particular poker site and whether you can make some cash out of these incredible treats.

It Must Provide an All-Exclusive Gaming Package

All poker sites in Canada differ in terms of the quality and quantity of their gaming package. Some poker sites only offer low-stakes games, whereas others will have a couple of tables for high rollers as well. Texas Hold’em can be found in pretty much every poker room, but other variants like Razz, Stud, Horse, or Chinese Poker are hard to come by. Furthermore, a certain poker operator could host lots of tournaments, but lack tables in the SnG department.

When searching for the best poker sites in Canada, you should look for a site that caters to the needs of players of all types, preferences, and skill levels. That includes beginners, recreational players, and professionals alike. The more versatile the game library is, the higher chance you’ll have of spotting a potential goldmine — a table full of poker fishes.

Software Needs to Work Impeccably

Some poker platforms are just prone to software bugs and lags more than others. And if you were to experience freezes on your poker client during the game, it could be a disaster. Just imagine going all-in in a high-stakes game, and your client disconnects in a crucial moment. Or maybe you wanted to raise a bet, but you couldn’t make it in time due to horrible freezes. It can be frustrating to run into performance issues in the middle of an intense game. That’s why you should be looking for poker sites that run on an impeccable and well-optimized software.

The site needs to work smoothly on all devices and operating systems. The gameplay should go without a hitch, the interface needs to be intuitive and user-friendly. Only then will you be able to have a seamless poker experience.

Mobile-Friendliness is Mandatory

Almost all poker sites in Canada are mobile-accessible and compatible with popular mobile devices and operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows, and even Mac. Better yet, you won’t be needing to download anything as you can merely access the mobile version of the site via your browser. That said, if you can’t, for whatever reason, play on a poker site via your mobile device, regardless of how dated it is or which operating system it uses, you should instantly discard that poker operator from further consideration.

Some poker rooms in Canada even have native mobile apps, which represent the next level of convenience in mobile poker. But you should pay more attention to the functionality of the mobile client. If it works swimmingly across all mobile devices, we say go for it. And if it also happens to have a native mobile app, better still.

Look for Poker Sites with Balanced Traffic

This aspect is as important as the previously mentioned one because if the poker site has bad traffic, you won’t have anyone to compete against — all of the available tables will be empty most of the time. That means that you’ll have to wait for an eternity for the tables to fill out, and we all know how frustrating that can be. For that reason, a verse traffic has to be on the top of your factors to consider when looking for the best poker sites in Canada. In such poker rooms, you can easily find an open seat at both micro stakes and high stakes tables, especially during peak hours.

Try to Find an Online Poker Site with Lots of Banking Options

In our estimation, a top-notch poker site should offer a multitude of payment options for Canadians. That includes credit and debit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards, and maybe even cryptocurrencies. Knowing how much Interac is popular in Canada, you should try finding a poker site that has this payment solution available.

But apart from having a diverse banking department, a great poker site should be able to quickly process payments. You’ve probably heard stories about stalled payments, or frozen withdrawal requests, so you can see why this quality is much appreciated by players. Last but not least, there shouldn’t be any fees attached to deposits and withdrawals, or at least they should be minimal.

You Need to Have a Resourceful Customer Support at All Times

Most of the time, your online poker experience will go hassle-free. Sometimes, however, you may need help in figuring out how a particular feature works, or how maybe you’ll need some information regarding payments. That’s when you’ll need to turn to customer support for advice and resolution for your queries.

Look for poker sites with round-the-clock customer support that is reachable via live chat, email, and toll-free phone line (optional). More importantly, the support representatives need to be knowledgeable, polite, prompt, and efficient.

Qualifying for Online Poker Tournaments in Canada

The popularity of online poker has skyrocketed in the last couple of years, mostly thanks to tournaments that give players a chance to win big with small investments. Furthermore, the prestige and the thrill that comes with winning a poker tournament can be highly addictive, which is why these competitions are sought-after among all poker players.

There is no shortage of poker tournaments in online poker sites in Canada. Dozens of online poker tournaments are being hosted daily in every poker site available for Canadians. While the poker played with each type of tournament is the same, the structure, payouts, and entry process varies significantly between different events.

Freerolls are particularly popular as they don’t require an entry fee but pays the winner a real money prize or a tournament entry ticket. In satellite tournaments, you’ll compete against other players at a low buy-in level, and if you win, you’ll earn entry into a higher-priced online event. Shootout is yet another exciting tournament format, which is a multi-table, single-table tournament. In shootouts, several tournaments are being held simultaneously, and after the winner of each table is determined, they’ll go on and play the ‘final’ tournament and compete for massive prizes.

There are tons of online poker tournament modes, with each being structured differently. For almost every type of tournament, you can qualify in two ways — either by paying an entry fee or by winning (receiving) a tournament entry ticket at some other event.

Depositing to and Withdrawing from Online Poker Sites

Even if you’re an absolute beginner in the online poker world, you’ll still be able to deposit and withdraw funds to your gaming account with ease — the process is that simple. In every poker site in Canada, you’ll find dozens of payment solutions available, including Interac, MasterCard, Visa, PaySafeCard, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, to name a few. Some operators even accept cryptocurrency payments and offer massive bonuses for players that make deposits via Bitcoin or Ethereum.

To deposit funds into your account, you have to do the following:

• Go to the poker site of your choice and log into your account.
• Find the Cashier section and press the Deposit button.
• Choose the preferred deposit method from the list and fill out the required fields (the amount you want to deposit, bank account information, unique code, or a link from your cryptocurrency wallet).
• Confirm the payment.
• The funds should reach your account almost instantly.

Here’s the drill for withdrawals:

• Log into your account and go to the Cashier section.
• Click on the Withdrawal button and select the payment method from the list.
• Fill out the required fields (similar to the ones required during the deposit phase).
• Verify the payment.
• The funds should be transferred to your financial account within 24 hours – 5 working days, depending on the method.

FAQ

Is online poker legal in Canada? 

Yes, it is! The Canadian online poker industry is thriving nowadays. Canadians are allowed to play real-money poker games at both domestic and out-of-country-based poker sites. If you don’t know how to find them, use our page as source material. Our team has composed a list of the finest poker sites available to Canadian players.

Are poker sites safe? 

We can’t vouch for every poker operator out there, but we can assure you that every site featured on this page is 100% safe as it uses the latest security measures to protect players’ details and money.

Can I play online poker for free in Canada? 

Sure! A lot of poker sites in Canada allow players to play poker games in demo mode, without having to deposit a single cent. You can even compete in free-to-join poker tournaments, called freerolls and win real-money prizes or a ticket for high-stakes tournaments.

Are there any online poker bonuses for Canadians? 

There are plenty of them! Every single poker platform in Canada offers some sort of a welcome deposit bonus for new arrivals as well as a bunch of promos for existing customers. You can also take part in the operator’s loyalty or VIP program, and win outstanding prizes.