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6 Best Online Poker Sites For Canadian Players

Best Canadian Online Poker Sites for Real Money

 

We have selected the Best Canadian Poker Sites for real money based on various criteria including Easiness of Winning, Bonus Attractiveness & Popularity, and needless to say Safety.

Since every player has unique preferences when choosing a poker site, we highlight the Key Outstanding Feature of each poker site title and list the best sites in each criterion later

 

List of Best Poker Sites for Canadians

 

Bodog (Antigua and Barbuda)

bodog logo

Snapshot
  • Bodog was established by Calvin Edward Ayre in 1994 who has licensed the brand to various companies including Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (but terminated in 2011) operates Bovada which is exclusive for US citizens and is now acquired by Paiwangluo Poker Network.
  • All-in-one betting sites including Sportsbook & Casino, and probably the most popular betting site in Canada. 
  • Bodog Poker set a 4-table maximum rule, terrible for multi-tabling pros. So together with Banning HUD (heads-up display) & Anonymous table, Bodog remains largely untouched by grinders to this day.
  • No Racerback Offer that is also bad for regs.

 

 

Bodog Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Deposit Bonus Up To $1000
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

Numerous Daily Guaranteed MTT Tournaments, Bad Beat Bonus (100 times the big blind up to $1,000), Royal Flush Bonus (50 times the big blind up to $200), and Casino Bonuses From Poker Points (good value)!!

 

 

 

Tiger Gaming (Curacao)

tiger gaming logo

Snapshot
  • Tiger Gaming was established in ‘99, a part of Chico Network as the fastest-growing & one of the leading poker networks in the world.
  • Tiger Gaming is an All-in-one site including Sportsbook & Casino.
  • Tiger Gaming Poker along with Bodog is the No.1 poker room & casino in Canada.
  • The poker room is famous for where the fish come to swim and definitely not the grinder’s place because much of the site’s traffic comes from Casino & Sportsbook, besides anonymous gameplay (“boost”) is available. 
  • Offer cash games with very low stakes from 1c/2c up to $5/$10 (not for pros).
  • Tiger Gaming, BetOnline & Sports Betting are sister sites and these 3 shares the same Poker player pool. All of them provide you with a poker odds calculator for free (newbie friendly)
  • It allows HUD but needs a special converter (not free) to use

 

 

Tiger Gaming Poker Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000
Use Code   *  NEWTG  *

 

Ongoing offers

Huge range of promotions & events including a $10,000 Weekly Cash Race, $5,000 Weekly Sit ‘N Go, Bad Beat Jackpot (rare but hit big), Daily $25,000 Guaranteed Tourney For Just $1 Buy-In, Sunday $150k Guaranteed Tournament, Jackpot Sit ‘n Go’s & Windfall Poker, etc!!

 

 

 

BetOnline Poker (Panama)

betonline ag logo

Snapshot
  • BetOnline was founded in ‘91, fast-growing in the US with the business principle of “1st priority Service over Sales”. It belongs to the Chico Poker Group.
  • All-in-one betting site offering both sportsbook & casino.
  • BetOnline Poker has softer games than many other poker sites, and high traffic without being a pro-infested site. Looks predominantly populated by players from their other gaming platforms namely sportsbooks & casinos and the cash tables are fairly loose.
  • The pre-Flop rate often exceeded 40%
  • Overlay seems to be fairly common
  • It allows HUD but needs a special converter (not free) to use.

 

 

BetOnline Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Cryptocurrency Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000
use code   * NEWBOL *  

 

Ongoing offers

Weekly $2.5 Million Guaranteed Tournament, $10k Cash Race, $5k Sit ‘N Go Leaderboard, Bad Beat Jackpot, Jackpot Sit ‘N Go, Sunday $150k GTD (Guaranteed Prize Pool) & 20% Balance Boost (crossover promotion casino, sports & poker)!!

 

 

888Poker – The Best Poker Site Overall 

888Poker Logo

Snapshot
  • 888Poker was founded in 2002, licensed by Gibraltar Gambling Authority & UKGC (UK Gambling Commission), and owned by 888 Holdings.
  • 888Poker is one of the highest traffic independent poker brands in the world and yet maintains the status of very soft rooms with an above-average flop rate (VPIP seems to be higher than PartyPoker & PokerStars by 5-10%). 
  • Said to be the best real-money poker app in Canada
  • NDB (No Deposit Bonus), many low-stake games & excellent educational info (888poker eMagazine) fit beginners to intermediaries who want to improve their skills. 
  • HUD is partially restricted, which means you can yet use it widely, which suits some sharks.

 

 

 

888Poker Welcome Offer

 

£20 ($32) No Deposit Free Play & 100% 1st Deposit Bonus up to $888 with promotion code of “NEW888”

 

Ongoing offers

888poker Club Freeroll events, full range of cash games & big weekend tournament schedule

 

 

PokarStars – The World Biggest Poker Brand with Widest Poker Rooms

pokerstars logo

Snapshot
  • PokerStars was founded in 1998 by The Stars Group located in Toronto, Canada has become a part of Flutter Entertainment owns Betfair & PaddyPower, etc., and is licensed by UKGC. 
  • Undisputedly the world’s no. 1 poker brand with the highest traffic, provide 25+ poker variants. 
  • Limit cash games multi-tabling to 4 (from 24) which drastically withered grinders’ interests.
  • Very tight games with less than a 10% flop rate used to be common, but over 25% & 35% in 9 & 6-seated respectively have not been exceptional.
  • Still allows HUD widely (see the permitted & prohibited tools) therefore use Holden Manager or Poker Tracker which are permitted.

PokerStars Welcome Offer

Deposit £10 Get £40 Free Play
use code * FORTY * 

 

100% Bonus Up To £600
use code * STARS600 *

Ongoing offers

Daily $1,000 Freerolls, Spin & Go 10 & 50 Leader Boards & 
the abundance of GTD tournaments,
The VIP Club with never reset reward points!!

 

Intertops Poker (Antigua & Barbuda)

everygame logo

Snapshot
  • Everygame is one of the oldest sportsbooks (back to 1983) officially founded in ’98 and is known as one of the most mobile-friendly online bookmaker sites, belonging to Horizon Poker Network.
  • All-in-one betting site including sportsbook & casino.
  • Cash games’ main traffic is small-stake games, with very low traffic in high stake games like NL100+, so despite its 36% Rakeback offer, there seem to be very few regulars, which means soft & easy.
  • Accept Bitcoin, Litecoin, Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, NETELLER, Paysafecard, Sofort, ecoPayz, and Wire Transfer.

 

Everygame Sign-Up Offer

 

200% up to $1,000 + 25 FREE Casino Spins,
Use bonus code *   1000ITP   *

Click/Tap this entire box to claim!! Use code  *  1000ITP   * 

 

Ongoing offers

Non-Deposit Bonus (based on FPPs), Reload Bonus (e-mail invitation), Many GTD Tournaments including Depositor Freeroll!!

 

 

America’s Cardroom – For Regular with Good Rakeback Offer

america's cardroom logo

Snapshot
  • Americas Cardroom (ACR) was founded in 2001, licensed in Costa Rica, and is a flagship poker site of Winning Poker Network (WPN). ACR is the oldest US poker site still in operation and the 2nd largest traffic in the USA
  • 27% flat Rakeback based on the weighted contributed model
  • HUD like Poker Tracker is allowed and players can change the name just once
  • There are grinders in high stake games but many fishes in low stake cash games
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – Over 60 cryptocurrencies & ecoPayz are accepted (over 60% of transactions are BTC)
  • Restricted Countries: Sweden, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Mayotte, Réunion, Martinique, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey & Australia.

 

 

 

America’s Cardroom Sign-Up Offer

 

200% Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000 using Cryptocurrencies
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

The Beast Weekly Cash Game Leaderboard, Sit ‘N Go Jackpot Poker & Sit & Crush Cash Prizes, Many Freeroll Tourney & $1 million GTD Tournament, etc.

 

 

Black Chip Poker – The Preferred Poker Site by Grinders

black chip poker logo

Snapshot
  • Black Chip Poker (BCP) was established in 2012 and get licensed in Costa Rica.
  • BCP belongs to Winning Poker Network, the same as Americas Cardroom and they share every table and tournament
  • All player’s stats including names, flop percentages & average pots, etc are published in the lobby. Pre-Flop percentages (Voluntarily Put in Pot – VPIP) seem to be 25 – 35% depending on 6 seated or 9 seated
  • There are grinders in high stake games but a lot of fish in micro-stake cash games
  • Many juicy tournaments with unique promotions are filled up by recreational players
  • HUD like Holden Manager can be used to evaluate all players’ further details
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – BTC, Skrill & Neteller are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: Sweden, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Mayotte, Réunion, Martinique, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey & Australia.

 

 

 

Black Chip Poker Sign-Up Offer

 

200% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 using Cryptocurrency
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

$50 On Demand Freerolls 24 hours a day, $10 million GTD High Five Tournament, Sit ‘N Go Crush Cash Prizes, Cyclone MTTs, $1 Million Jackpot, The Beast Leaderboard Cash Prizes & Elite Rewards!!

 

 

 

Online Poker Legality in Canada

 

License

 

“Is it legal to play poker online for real money in Canada?”

In Canada, gambling law (Sections 201-206 & 207 criminal code) imposes that any poker operators who want to be based within Canada must obtain a provincial license (currently, the only licensed poker rooms are the ones offered by provincial lotteries like PlayNow and OK Poker, so extremely limited).

This law doesn’t apply to any Offshore betting operators, and no attempts to charge against any foreign companies that accept Canadian gamblers were made.

Actually, the operators are free to advertise their Canadian online poker sites all over the country except Ontario.

For players, all the Poker Sites, we list above accept Canadian citizens, and the Canadian government doesn’t have authority over these operators. There is no relevant law to limit you to playing on overseas poker sites, which means you can freely deposit, and withdraw using various methods such as credit cards, wallets & cryptocurrencies. 

 

Safety

 

Are Canadian online poker sites safe?

The safety of poker sites should be verified by both legality and financial soundness.

All the bookmakers we list in this guide are not only licensed by established regulators such as UKGC, GibraltarCuracao, & Panama, etc.) but also rated A+ in many reputable review sites.

One of the important attributes that have led to their success over the decades (many of them were founded in the ’80 & ’90) is their financial health. The payout from these poker sites is ultra-speedy & flawless.

 

 

Canada Poker Taxation

 

The summary of poker tax in Canada for players are;

  • Recreational Poker Player – No tax on your poker winnings is levied at all as long as poker isn’t your only source of income.
  • Professional Poker Player – Taxable if you solely rely on poker winnings for living by deducting all related expenses such as buy-ins, rake, training, travel & accommodation as “income from a business”, which Canada Revenue Agency usually hesitates to accept (see Cohen v. The Queen, 2011 TCC 262).
  • In short, unless you are a WSOP tournament pro like Daniel Negreanu or Timothy Adams who makes millions from poker, basically, you don’t need to worry about taxes. Anyhow, in case you’re still wondering, suggest consulting your accountant.

 

 

Factors To Decide Your Best Canadian Poker Site

 

On top of the above legality & safety, we used the following criteria for our Best Canadian Poker Sites selection.

 

1) Easiness Of Poker Rooms (Fish List) 

 

Although Poker is considered gambling in Canada (therefore tax-exempted for casual players) but it’s pretty much skill-oriented. 

So, if you’re a beginner, you want to avoid the site filled by skilled players a.k.a. Reg, Grinder, or Shark, and search the sites for recreational players.

Conversely, if you’re such a predator, you seek the poker rooms with a lot of unskilled players called Fish to prey on them.

In any case, we call the Softest Poker Site assessment based on “Fish Radar” must be an important & useful factor for you to decide on the UK poker room (for worldwide, see 9 Softest Online Poker Sites – Latest List to Prey Fish)

Shark Unfriendly Rules & Banning HUD

One of the easiest factors to finding fewer shark poker sites is each poker site’s unique rules. If the site sets the rules prohibiting players from multi-table to say more than 4-6 tables, it’s clear that such sites have fewer pros.

Another rule is allowing not to use of screen names but anonymous ones. Anonymous tables discourage advanced players and help casual players feel more comfortable.

You may have heard HUD (Heads-Up Display). HUDs collect data on everyone you play against and then put it into numbers displayed right next to your opponent’s seat at the table as in below example;poker tracker hud example HUDs allow sharks to identify fishes. Blocking tracking software like HUD shows also the sites’ efforts to create a warm, friendly, and welcoming environment for recreational players by discouraging pros from targeting and taking advantage of weaker players.

In other words, for players who want to win online poker consistently, HUD is an essential tool.

The 2 most reputable HUDs for high-volume grinders & for beginners are;

poker tracker logo

Since: 2012 (by PokerTracker Software)

License: Lifetime up to 3 PCs

Feature: Light Software / Compatibility with Windows & MAC

Support Sites: Major Poker Sites

+ Free Hand Grabber

Price: $99.99 for the most popular package (see a full price list)

Payment: Card, PayPal, Neteller& BTC

Offer: 14 Days Free Trial

Note: With in-depth analysis of wide data collection coupled with real-time adjustment function during in-play & Free New Features for Heavy Serious Grinders, PT4 is next to none (Active forum is available).

holden manager logo

Since: 2007 (one of the HUD pioneers)

License: Lifetime up to 3 PCs

Feature: Easy to install / Multi-language support

Support Sites: 12 Major Poker Sites + Free Hand Grabber

Price: $100 for the most popular package (see a full price list)

Payment:Card, PayPal, Neteller & BTC

Offer: 15 Days Free Trial 

Note: With all the features of Full stats (customizable to make the feed less cumbersome), In-depth analysis (adjustable based on skill level) & Post Game Analysis (focusing on your core skills by finding your leaks) make HM3 the best HUD for Beginner/Casual Players (Active forum is available).

These are the poker tracking software not only for HUD but also to analyze your poker hands namely finding your leaks & studying opponents to spot their weaknesses. 

We explained in full detail about this excellent tool as well as a multi-tabling tool in Best Hud for Poker – Head-Up Display Software.

All-in-one Betting Site

There are 2 types of betting sites regarding the range of offering services, which are;

  • All-in-one betting sites, including a sportsbook, casino, and poker room, all playable with a single account
  • Poker only sites

All-in-one sites like BetOnline;Betonline all in one betting site tend to have the easiest online poker games.

The reason why a poker room with a casino and/or sportsbook is Softer is that there are often a lot of people who crossover. You’ll find considerable spillover from the casino tables to the poker tables.

Someone will win a lot of money in the casino or sportsbook and then feel like gambling on poker. But these guys are usually amateurs. They are gamblers, which means they play for entertainment more than profit, and poker games are all the same gamble to them.

Overlay

Overlay in poker means the gap between a poker tournament’s guaranteed prize pool and the actual prize pool contributed by participating players.

For instance, if a tournament has a guaranteed prize pool of $1,000, a buy-in of $10 and 90 players enter, the players will generate only $900 to the prize pool. The rest of the prize pool (in this case $100) is made up by the tournament host and —would be the overlay for the tournament.

In other words, the tournament begins as if 10 people had already been knocked out. As you imagine this will surely increase anyone’s ROI, so it’s a soft game.

If the overlay is common in a particular poker site, it indicates less traffic & many soft games.

Canadian Poker Sites Fish Ranking

Considering the above factors, the easiest poker room ranking in Canada is;

  • 1st: Bodog – Extremely soft with anonymous table, HUD disallowed & limited multiple tables
  • 2nd: BetOnline – Very soft, huge spillover from casino & sportsbook, high pre-flop rate
  • 3rd: Tiger Gaming – Very soft, the same as BetOnline (both Chico Network)
  • 4th: Intertops
  • 5th: 888Poker – Soft, partially restricted HUD & relatively higher pre-flop rate
  • 6th: PokerStars – Depends on the table, so need to identify the soft table
  • 7th: America’s Cardroom – Tough, many grinders in high stake table with HUD
  • 8th: Black Chip Poker – Tough, same as America’s Cardroom (both Winning Poker Network)

 

2) Attractive Welcome & Recurring Bonuses

 

Obviously, the bonuses enhance your winnings or compensate for your loss.

We want you to be smart in dealing with bonuses, thus we separately prepared a Complete Guide to Online Poker Bonus Hunting for Dummies, which explains online poker bonus types & how to evaluate each bonus to cash out them efficiently. 

Best Canadian Poker Welcome Bonus

Deposit bonuses are a great way to build your bankroll and earn extra spending money. The best bonuses are;

  • 1st: Intertops – 200% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 (Check Details)
  • 2nd: America’s Cardroom – 100% up to $2,000 (Claim HERE)
  • 3rd: Blackchip Poker – 100% up to $2,000 (Claim HERE)
  • 4th: TigerGaming – 100% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 (Check Details)
  • 5th: Bodog – 100% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 (Check Details)
  • 6th: BetOnline – 100% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 (Check Details
  • 7th: 888Poker – No Deposit Bonus & 100% Deposit Bonus Combined (Check Details)

Best Canadian Poker Rakeback Site

Rake is the fee (a small % of the pot) you pay to the house each time you play a hand. So, needless to say, the lower, the more profitable for you. 

Rakeback is a re-distribution of those funds to the players. The Rakeback % varies and average around 20% – 40%, which is periodically offered.  

Best Canadian Poker Freeroll 

To participate poker tournament, you need to pay an entry fee.

Poker Freeroll is a tournament you don’t need to pay such “Buy-In” cost while you are entitled to get a wide variety of prizes including cash. It’s one of the best ways for beginners to examine their ability & practice without risking money. The best poker freeroll sites are;

  • PokerStars – Weekly stars reward with a $10,000 prize pool, etc.
  • 888Poker – Weekly complete a deposit with a $1,000 prize pool etc. 
  • America’s Cardroom – Daily $50 x 8 (up to 2,000 players) GTD etc. 
  • Black Chip Poker – Daily $50 x 8 (up to 2,000 players) GTD etc. 

 

3) Poker Site Traffic (Popularity)

 

Traffic is an important factor to assess poker sites because if traffic is low, you’ll not be able to choose your opponents, and tournament prizes might be very limited.

According to Pokerscount, the below is the Canadian Poker site traffic;canada poker sites traffic

PokerStars holds the largest player pool followed by 888Poker, all these are independent poker sites (for GG Poker, see later). 

Many independent brands form big poker networks, called poker skins where they share players’ pools. 

Tiger Gaming & Bodog belong to PaiWangLuo, America’s Cardroom & Black Chip Poker belong to Winning Poker Network, and BetOnline belongs to Chico Poker, which is ranked 5th, 6th & 12th in the global traffic poker sites ranking as below;

poker traffic global 3 networks

So, as long as you play on these poker sites, you will hardly face the difficulty to find your opponents. 

GGPoker Caution

When it comes to GGPoker, popularity is not necessarily represented quality, thus we don’t include it in our list. We constantly receive terrible feedback from our members, some seriously believe GGPoker is rigged.

We intentionally sent a bit complicated inquiry, then they kept neglecting it even after the 5th reminder, never experienced such unprofessional customer support. Such a negative reputation is confirmed by below Trustpilot;ggpoker trust pilot

It’s better to avoid. 

 

 

 

Best Poker Sites for Canada Wrap Up

 

Along with the USA, historically poker is very popular and produced by Daniel Negreanu, the world’s No.3 all-time poker money maker.

poker earnings all time ranking

Although Play Online Poker For A Living is getting tougher & tougher nowadays, Making $1,000 a Month from Online Poker is something you may achieve as long as you study the basics (Texas Holdem Strategies For Beginners – 15 Minutes Crash Course), are committed & disciplined. 

 

Lastly, if you want to be a sharp casino & game bonus hunter, strongly suggest taking a look at the List of 52 Best Bitcoin Casino Bonuses and for those who appreciate the highest privacy, go to the List of Best Anonymous Bitcoin Casinos & Bonuses, just FYI.

 

Good Luck!!

 

Joshua Walker (bio)

Editor – Global Extra Money (GEM)

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