A Look At Canada's Thriving Poker Scene

When thinking of poker, the first place that comes to mind would be Las Vegas. Commonly referred to as the casino capital of the world, Vegas is synonymous with gambling activity, poker being chief among them. Of course, once the world turned its eyes onto the online sector of the game, location became less relevant, with people being able to play and compete from all around the world. Sites like Casinopro.ca detail the best online casinos around the net, with great opportunity to enjoy poker tournaments online.

But although online gambling has made borders more transparent and built a stronger network of players around the globe, location still matters in a number of ways. Its once thing to be a casual player who enjoys playing occasionally on whatever is available, but it’s a whole other story for professional players. These individuals make a living off the game, so their requirements are significantly different to the average player. This is where Canada has stepped in and took the top spot as the ideal base for professional poker players. Many have turned their eyes to the North American country with hopes of building their poker career within its thriving poker scene.

Why Canada?

As the poker scene moved more into the online space, both casual and professional players looked for ways to expand their playing opportunities and engage in tournaments across the globe. Restrictions that may have been imposed on playing locations could easily be bypassed through Virtual Private Networks that were perfectly capable of masking one’s real location and pinging over a required IP address. This all works just fine for playing, but when it comes to actually making withdrawals on your winnings, the location barriers come up once again, with many online casinos having the right to withhold funds from players. These strict rules and regulations have pushed those who seek to make poker more than just a hobby to look for a home that is more relaxed in their gambling restrictions.

Enter Canada. The country has had pretty mellow limitations on gambling in general, with the online space thriving through these circumstances. Canada has maintained steady ground over gambling and casino regulations over the past few decades, giving professional players confidence in knowing that the country will continue to support their way of life.

Local poker stars like Sam Greenwood, Mike Leah and Daniel Negreanu have become worldwide sensations and role models for emerging players who look to follow in their footsteps. Negreanu is a fine example. The poker star built his skill and reputation in Toronto, having played there since his youth, until he eventually decided to head for the big game all the way down in Vegas. The challenges he faced down in the gambling capital of the world taught him a hard lesson and he retuned to Toronto to lick his wounds and re-fill his coffers. The journey may not have seemed like a success at the time, but it was the start of a system that Negreanu would establish in order to improve his game further. He continued this cycle between Toronto and Las Vegas for years to come, culminating in his great successes that have seen him win 6 World Series of Poker Bracelets and 2 World Poker Tour titles.

The Gambler’s Base

With many following in Negreanu’s footsteps, Canada has become the perfect base for professional players looking to hone their skills in a moderately regulated country in between playing at top tournaments around the world. The country’s reputation has resulted in considerable economic growth within its gambling sector and continues to thrive as the perfect spot for the professional poker players of the world.

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