Best Online Poker Sites in Canada December 2024

Written By Dan Smyth |

Updated on 16 December, 2024

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Looking for the best online poker sites in Canada? This guide to online poker in Canada will show you where you can access the best cash games and tourneys at poker rooms which are 100% safe.

I’ve been in the game for more than a decade and am going to share how I find the best Canadian online poker sites, covering features such as bonuses, game types, player pools and more.

10
/ 10
# 1
Coinpoker

150% deposit bonus up to $2,000

  • Get 33% online poker rakeback every Monday
  • Fully anonymous, instant withdrawal crypto poker
  • Free from deposit and withdrawal fees if you use crypto
Play Now
9.9
/ 10
# 2
Ignition

100% Poker Bonus + 100% Casino Combo Bonus

  • $2 million in weekly poker tournament guarantees
  • Zone Poker and anonymous tables for casual play
  • Mobile poker client with up to four tables at one time
Play Now
9.8
/ 10
# 3
ACR Poker

New Player Bonus Up To $2,000

  • Massive daily tournament schedule
  • Great deposit methods with local options
  • Fast payouts within the hour
Play Now
9.8
/ 10
# 4
Black Chip Poker

100% up to $2,000

  • Play fantasy poker league Monte Carlo
  • Offers sportsbetting and casino while playing poker
  • Accepts crypto payments since 2015
Play Now
9.7
/ 10
# 5
BetOnline

100% Bonus up to $1,000 + 8 days of Tournament Tickets

  • Tourney series - Sunday Majors & Progressive Bounties
  • Modern client with 3D visuals, straddle, odds & features
  • New Bad Beat Jackpot 2.0 can exceed $30,000 online
Play Now
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Best Online Poker Sites in Canada Compared

What are the top online poker sites in Canada? Based on my experience and feedback from Canadian poker players, the sites below are the country’s finest:

Poker Site Best Site for: Welcome Bonus Promo Code Poker Network Poker Games
CoinPoker Best Overall Poker Site 150% deposit bonus up to $2,000 CPLAYER Independent NLHE, PLO, PLO5
Ignition Finding Fishy Players 100% poker bonus + 100% casino bonus up to $3,000 N/A – Claim Here PaiWangLuo Poker Hold’em, Omaha
ACR Poker MTTs 100% deposit bonus up to $2,000 CP1000 Winning Poker Network Hold’em, Omaha, PLO5, Stud
Black Chip Poker SNGs 100% deposit bonus up to $2,000 CP100BCP Winning Poker Network Hold’em, Omaha, PLO5, Stud
BetOnline Soft Games 100% deposit bonus up to $1,000 NEWBOL Chico Hold’em, Omaha, 6+, Pineapple

Our Favorite Poker Site in Canada

Coinpoker logo

My favorite online poker site in Canada is CoinPoker. I created an account at the end of 2023, and it’s become my go-to site for Hold’em and Omaha cash games for a variety of reasons.

Before I go into detail, you’ll notice that I said cash games. CoinPoker’s tournament schedule is also strong, but the biggest guarantees lay elsewhere. Specifically, I tend to use ACR or Black Chip Poker for tournaments because there’s over $1 million to play for on a weekly basis. What’s more, the annual Venom series has hosted main events with guarantees of over $12.5m.

This point aside, CoinPoker is one of the best online poker sites around because it does the basics well and the fancy stuff better than everyone else.

For me, the basics are:

  • Table design – It might be slightly more streamlined than some, but CoinPoker’s table design is easy to understand and navigate.
  • Betting limits – Cash games start at $0.01/$0.02 and go up to a heady $1,000/$2,000. Throw some daily freerolls into the mix and MTTs costing as little as $1, and everyone has access to real money poker games.
  • Payment options – The benefit of cryptocurrencies is that they’re universal currencies everyone can use, regardless of where they live. What’s more, because transactions are decentralized, withdrawals are processed in a matter of minutes.
  • Promotions – With a 150% welcome bonus up to $2,000, regular reload offers, and 33% rakeback for players who stake CHP (the native crypto), it’s hard not to give CoinPoker top marks here.

Beyond the basics, CoinPoker gets my vote as the best place to play online poker in Canada because of what’s under the hood. The site is based on a blockchain.

This means the result and ‘randomness’ of every hand can be verified by anyone. That’s something you don’t get with other CA poker sites and another great reason to give CoinPoker a try.

Visit CoinPoker

Best Canada Poker Bonuses

This is a message to all Canadian poker players: don’t sleep on bonuses. It’s easy to assume deposit offers and loyalty rewards are inconvenient because they have wagering requirements attached to them.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Having to wager X to receive Y is a necessary part of the process and the reason CA poker sites can give you free cash and tournament tickets.

Moreover, poker is unpredictable. Even the best players experience downswings, which is why it’s handy to have a helping hand. But which type of poker bonus should you go for in Canada?

Sign-Up Bonus

Everyone gets a welcome bonus at the best online poker sites in Canada. In fact, I’d never recommend a poker site if it didn’t give new customers a bonus.

The best bonuses combine cash and tournament tickets, but I’m not mad at offers that only have one or the other. Two things I’d urge you to consider when you’re sizing up welcome bonuses are the minimum deposit and playthrough.

Unless it’s a no deposit bonus, you’ll only receive a reward when you add funds to your account. If the minimum deposit requirement is too high, the offer might not be as good as it seems.

We all want to play poker online in Canada, so hitting a wagering (playthrough) target shouldn’t be an issue. However, we don’t want this target to be unreachable. As a general rule, you should receive $5-$15 of your bonus for every $20-$30 you pay in rake.

Rakeback

Rakeback is the proverbial golden goose when you play online poker for real money in Canada. It’s so valuable because rebates are based on the amount you rake in a given period of time.

Everyone pays rake when they play real money cash games and tournaments. Rakeback bonuses give you back a percentage of these payments.

CoinPoker, which is arguably the best online poker site in Canada, gives customers 33% rakeback. If you paid $500 in rake, you’d receive just over $165 in rakeback.

The beauty of rakeback is that it’s paid in perpetuity; you can claim it for as long as you play at a site. What’s more, rebates are credited to your account in cash that can be withdrawn instantly.

Poker Tickets

The best online poker sites in Canada love turning newbies into tournament winners, which is why they’ll give you free tickets.

BetOnline, for example, gives new customers tournament tickets as part of its poker bonus. I really love these bonuses because they give you a free shot at real money.

That’s exciting, especially when the tournament prizes can be huge. Getting free tournament tickets at online poker sites in Canada lets you tap into this excitement and potential.

Rakeback

Rakeback is the proverbial golden goose when you play online poker for real money in Canada. It’s so valuable because rebates are based on the amount you rake in a given period of time.

Everyone pays rake when they play real money cash games and tournaments. Rakeback bonuses give you back a percentage of these payments.

CoinPoker, which is arguably the best online poker site in Canada, gives customers 33% rakeback. If you paid $500 in rake, you’d receive just over $165 in rakeback.

The beauty of rakeback is that it’s paid in perpetuity; you can claim it for as long as you play at a site. What’s more, rebates are credited to your account in cash that can be withdrawn instantly.

Poker Tickets

The best online poker sites in Canada love turning newbies into tournament winners, which is why they’ll give you free tickets.

BetOnline, for example, gives new customers tournament tickets as part of its poker bonus. I really love these bonuses because they give you a free shot at real money.

That’s exciting, especially when the tournament prizes can be huge. Getting free tournament tickets at online poker sites in Canada lets you tap into this excitement and potential.

Freerolls

Freerolls don’t have huge top prizes like standard poker tournaments, but they don’t cost a cent to enter. That’s why they’re not only great for novices but anyone who wants a risk-free way to boost their bankroll.

The best Canadian poker sites offer a combination of daily freerolls and exclusive events. The former typically have prizepools up to $100. The latter is limited to a certain number of entrants and has bigger prizepools.

Refer-a-Friend

You can get rewards when you send friends to safe Canadian online poker sites. Once you’ve used our secure registration links to create your own account and tested out the software, you can usually find your personal referral link in your account section.

Send this link to people you know, get them to complete the sign-up requirements, and you’ll both receive a reward.

Canada Poker Formats

Finding the right poker for CA players means figuring out the most suitable game formats and variants.

The main game formats available at my favorite Canadian online poker sites are:

Cash Games

I always find myself drawn to cash games because they’re an on-demand form of entertainment. Cash games don’t have start and end points. You can sit down in an open seat and leave whenever you want.

That’s because the chips in play have an equivalent value. This means a $1 chip can be cashed out for $1 at any point (I’ll explain why that’s important in the next section).

This free-flowing dynamic makes cash games interesting because new people (and challenges) pop up constantly. Blinds stay the same and players typically sit down with 100 big blinds or more, giving the game a consistent flow.

In cash games, you’ve got more scope to be creative, get reads, and extract value from opponents. This is because the stacks are usually deeper than they are in tournaments, and there are no table redraws.

Check out our poker strategy guide for tips on how to be creative and get value from the hands you play.

MTTs

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) have specific start times and continue until one player has all of the chips in play.

You have to pay an entry fee to play poker tournaments. This fee goes into the prizepool. It also gets you a spot in the game and a set amount of chips.

Unlike cash games, these chips don’t have an equivalent value. Instead, they’re simply tokens that keep you in the tournament.

That means poker tournaments are a balancing act between preservation and accumulation. You’re trying to protect your chips while simultaneously taking them from other players.

The players who do this better than others make it “into the money,” which means they outlast approximately 85% of the starting field.

Tournament payouts are top-heavy, which means you win more the longer you survive. The outright winner takes the lion’s share of the prizepool.

SNGs

Sit and Go tournaments, aka SNGs, are mini tournaments that run on-demand. Games start when the quota of players is filled. That can be anywhere from two players to hundreds, although single-table SNGs are most common.

This distinguishes them from MTTs that begin at a certain time, regardless of the number of players.

The top poker sites in Canada offer a mix of normal speed, turbo, and hyper-turbo SNGs. They also run fast-paced jackpot SNGs, which award random prizes worth upwards of 1,000x the buy-in.

Poker Games in Canada

Most players know all about Texas Hold’em, but there are loads of different versions of poker. You can use our guide to learn how to play poker in all of its forms.

For now, here’s an overview of the main variants available at the leading online poker sites in Canada.

There are other ways to play poker, such as Draw. However, at my recommended Canadian poker sites, these are the main variants you can play:

Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em is the most popular way to play online poker in Canada. The game dynamics are as follows:

  • Number of hole cards = 2
  • Community cards = 5
  • Betting formats: Limit, Pot Limit, No Limit

You can use one, both, or none of your hole cards in combination with the community cards.

The aim is to have the best five-card hand at showdown. Alternatively, you can win pots by making everyone else fold.

Omaha Poker

Omaha is, in my opinion, an extreme version of Hold’em, and I’ll explain why in a moment.

  • Number of hole cards = 4
  • Community cards = 5
  • Betting formats: Limit, Pot Limit, No Limit (post-flop)

Omaha is more extreme than Hold’em because hands can be counterfeited much more easily. That’s because everyone has four hole cards instead of two. That doubles the number of hands you can make.

Additionally, you have to use two hole cards in combination with three community cards. Add in the fact you can’t move all-in at will (because it’s a pot-limit game), and you’re forced to play poker across multiple streets.

That means you’ll face more decisions and variance. Ultimately, these dynamics make Pot Limit Omaha an exciting poker format. For even more excitement when you play online poker for real money in Canada, try 5-Card Omaha.

Seven Card Stud Poker

Poker isn’t always played with community cards. Of the non-community card variants, Stud is the main one you’ll find at the best online poker sites in Canada:

  • Number of hole cards = Up to 3
  • Community cards = None
  • Betting formats: Limit, Pot Limit

How do you make five-card hands when you play stud? Simple, you use the cards you’re dealt. The most popular Stud variant involves seven cards.

You get these cards over the course of five betting rounds, four of which are dealt face-up and three of which are dealt face-down.

As well as making hands with your own hole cards, you can look at your opponents’ face-up cards to inform your decisions.

Short Deck Poker

Short Deck is also known as 6+ Hold’em because it’s a stripped deck version of Texas Hold’em. I’ll break that down in a moment, but here are the facts:

  • Number of hole cards = 2
  • Community cards = 5
  • Betting formats: No Limit

Short Deck is almost identical to Texas Hold’em in every way except for the following:

  • All cards worth 2, 3, 4, and 5 have been removed from the deck.
  • Flushes rank higher than full houses because of the cards that have been removed.
  • Games typically use a single blind or ante-only structure rather than small and big blinds.

A 6+ Hold’em hand plays out in much the same way as a Texas Hold’em hand. What’s neat about this variant, however, is the fact that removing cards alters the hand rankings and generates more action on account of hand equities running closer in value.

In other words, it’s an all-action version of poker.

Is it Legal to Play at Canadian Poker Rooms?

Yes, you can play online poker in Canada. However, you might not get a clear answer if you use Google (or any other search engine) to search the term “poker Canada online.”

The main thing to know is that it’s legal to play online poker for real money in Canada, but location makes a difference.

Specifically, Ontario has separate poker laws from elsewhere in the country. That’s why there’s often some confusion surrounding Canada’s online poker laws.

Online Poker in Ontario

Ontario broke from the rest of Canada in 2022 when it introduced its own online gambling laws. Specifically, the province created its own licensing system.

This means any operator wanting to offer its services in the province needs approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The common advice for players in the province is to use a locally licensed Ontario poker room.

Outside of Ontario, online poker sites are also legal, but they don’t need to be licensed by provincial authorities.

This creates a dual dynamic where some of the best online poker sites Canada has to offer aren’t available in Ontario, but they are available elsewhere.

Additionally, because CoinPoker is a decentralized crypto site, it doesn’t occupy the same space within the gambling world as other poker sites. I’ll explain why in a moment, but this ultimately means that you should be able to use CoinPoker in Ontario.

Tax on Canada Poker Winnings

Poker earnings are classified as income and taxed as such in Canada if you’re a professional. Most of us aren’t professional poker players. What’s more, it’s tricky to define what constitutes a professional poker player.

By the letter of the law, recreational players won’t have to pay tax on their online poker winnings in Canada.

Additionally, many top Canadian poker sites are based outside of the country. Therefore, they’re not regulated by local authorities or required to submit reports about Canadian poker players to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Crypto Poker in Canada

Crypto online poker sites in Canada give you access to instant withdrawals and decentralized gaming. These days, crypto-friendly sites host some of the best online poker in Canada.

Getting your winnings without having to wait days is great, but the real benefit of using crypto poker sites in Canada is decentralization.

Decentralization is creating a borderless poker ecosystem in terms of games, technology, and payments. Essentially, you can play from anywhere in the world because you’re depositing and withdrawing cryptocurrencies that aren’t tied to specific countries.

Better yet, CoinPoker’s software runs on a blockchain. That means its games are transparent and publicly verifiable. Therefore, you get fair games that everyone can enjoy.

How We Rate Canada’s Best Poker Sites

I have my favorites when it comes to poker sites in Canada. However, objectivity is important, which is why I rate Canadian poker sites according to these metrics:

Safety

I don’t care how weak the players are or how much rakeback you get; I won’t recommend CA online poker sites if they’re not safe.

For me, safety starts with a gambling licence from a reputable regulator such as Curaçao eGaming.

After that, I want to see encrypted software, random number generators that are certified as fair, and clear terms and conditions.

Player Pools

The waters of an online poker site need to be deep. That means there should be a steady stream of players throughout the day and night.

Within this stream of players should be plenty of fish, aka weak players. The more fish within the player pool, the easier games will be. This, in turn, should give you a better shot at winning.

Special Bonuses

I don’t need to talk about the value of bonuses again, but I will tell you what constitutes a generous offer.

The top-end value of a cash-based bonus matters. Put simply, the more you can get, the better. For ticket-based bonuses, access to tournaments with large prizepools is preferable.

The other wagering condition I assess is the playthrough, i.e. the amount you need to bet/pay in rake to release a bonus. The best poker sites in Canada have realistic wagering requirements which you can get through without playing 24/7.

For me, the ratio of rake-to-rewards can’t be weighted too heavily in favor of the former. This means you shouldn’t have to bet hundreds of dollars just to get a small return.

Payment Options

Moving money around is a major component of playing online poker in Canada. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Tether (USDT) are the safest and most efficient options.

If you prefer using CAD, traditional banking methods such as credit and debit cards are great. However, if possible, I’d consider options such as Interac and cash vouchers, as they’re faster and offer you more flexibility.

The best online poker sites in Canada offer these payment methods and, importantly, low minimum deposit and withdrawal limits.

Mobile Apps

Playing poker on the go is a great way to jump into juicy cash games and seize bonus opportunities.

You can occasionally play via mobile websites, but most of the top online poker sites in Canada require you to download native apps for iOS and Android.

We test the mobile app in addition to any desktop software, as they can often produce two very different experiences.

Live Poker in Canada

We know online poker in Ontario is legal, as it is elsewhere in Canada. For all of the great Canadian poker sites, there are some equally impressive card rooms.

Overall, the best online poker sites in Canada have more to offer than their live counterparts. That being said, Casino Niagara and Playground Poker Club play host to some of the poker’s biggest tournaments, including WPT Montreal and the WPT Playground.

Canada Online Poker Live Poker Canada
Easily available anywhere in the country Exciting live gaming venues
Lower rake and cash game limits/buy-ins Major tournaments with $1 million+ prizes
More cash games and MTTs Social and fun atmosphere
Bonuses and rakeback Onsite comps, restaurants, and bars

Best Canadian Poker Players

Who are the best poker players in Canada? There are a lot of contenders, and I have a few favorites. Kristen Foxen, for example, has blown up in recent years, claiming WSOP titles, dominating PokerGO events, and recently joining the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF).

Other notable names on the Canadian online poker scene include original OGs Peter Jetten, Sorel Mizzi, and Micheal McDonald. However, I’m going to rank the best Canadian poker players based on tournament earnings:

1. Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is more than Canada’s biggest winner; he’s an ambassador for poker players around the world, the face of GGPoker, and a former Global Poker Index Player of the Decade.

Kid Poker has won just about everything there is to win in poker. He’s worked harder on his game than most “old school” pros and that’s helped him win more than $54 million as well as WSOP, WPT, PokerGO, and EPT titles.

2. Timothy Adams

Timothy Adams was one of Canada’s original online poker superstars. Winning $2.5 million under the screenname Tim0thee, Adams successfully took his online skills to the live arena at his first WSOP in 2007.

Five years later, he won his first WSOP bracelet and almost $400,000 in the $2,500 Four-Handed event. Today, after more than 15 years in the game, Adams has over 20 titles and more than $38 million in live earnings.

3. Daniel Dvoress

Daniel Dvoress picked up poker in 2006 and soon found his calling in MTTs. His $400,000 score in the 2014 Spring Championship of Online Poker signalled his move into the big time.

Despite preferring the relative anonymity of online poker, Dvoress has taken down a number of notable live events, including the 2019 Super High Roller Bowl Bahamas, for $4 million. That win helped take his career earnings to over $35 million.

Best Online Poker Sites Canada – Our Verdict

The poker sites Canada offers are among the world’s finest in terms of games, software, and promotions. CoinPoker, for example, uses innovative blockchain technology to ensure its games are 100% safe and fair.

ACR and Black Chip host MTTs with $12 million+ prizepools, while BetOnline has created a platform that perfectly combines fiat and crypto gaming. Canada has a vibrant online poker scene that’s got something for everyone.

With this in mind, here are three things to remember as you set off on your Canadian online poker adventure:

  • It’s legal to play online poker in Canada, but you should only use licensed and regulated sites.
  • The best online poker sites in Canada have safe software, fair games, and plenty of promotions players at all levels can claim.
  • Always play responsibly. You’ll never be short of action in Canada, but that doesn’t mean you should play every game going. Be conservative with your bankroll, and only play if it’s enjoyable.
Visit CoinPoker

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