Canadian Online Poker

Canadians got it better off than their southern neighbors.  Okay maybe not, but at least when it comes to online poker they do.  Poker players from Canada can play at almost any online poker room.  Don't get me wrong the USA poker ban did hurt the Canadians too.  The traffic at poker rooms did drop dramatically during primetime hours for Canadians but has since surpassed the pre-ban traffic.  Some popular payment processors have started to ban Canadian poker players along with our friends to the south.  You can encounter some problems while playing poker online.  Even in Canada, the two largest credit card companies will routinely deny a transaction at an online gambling website.  Luckily there are some alternatives to make a deposit at a poker room from Canada.  Depending on the poker site, you will be able to make a deposit using Instadebit, eChecks or another eWallet solution.  The ability to make a deposit was getting worse for a while, but has gotten much better since the rise of crypto currencies.
    Canadians get to play at fully licensed poker rooms that are owned by massive companies, while some countries cause the top poker rooms to restrict access to their citizens.  This is great, because you will be playing inside some of the biggest poker rooms on the Internet.  Sometimes even once great poker rooms can fall from grace and fail their customers.  Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars are two large poker sites that had major issues in their past.  For the most part we recommend that players play at our top three online poker rooms.


Top Online Poker Rooms for Canadians


Poker Rooms

Poker Variety

Peak Traffic

Maximum Bonus

Bodog Poker

3 Games

9,000

100% up to $1000

Bet Online

3 Games

5,000

100% up to $1000
+ $10,000 Beginners Freeroll

888 Poker

6 Games

12,000

100% up to $400
+ $8 Free


At the Betonline.ag poker room, first time depositors will receive a free ticket to at $10,000 poker tournament.  The freeroll is held once a month and you can only enter in it once.  New players who create an account and deposit, in the month are awarded tickets to the following months tournament.
    At the 888poker.com poker room you can get $8 FREE, just by opening an account at 888 Poker and downloading their free software.  Please note, that last time we checked, you would start with $1 in your bankroll.  You will also get two $0.50 tournament entries per day for your first week at the 888 poker room.  Advertiser Disclosure Statement


Online Poker in Canada

Canada is one of the best countries to live if you are a professional online poker player.  Very few online poker rooms restrict Canadians from playing inside their poker room.  There is no need to make a deposit at a shady poker room if you are from Canada.  Canadian online poker players can play at the best poker sites including 888 Poker.  Stick to licensed poker rooms that have strong balance sheets and are known for treating their players in a fair manner.
    Recently online poker in Canada has been getting a bit harder to fund (not nearly as bad as the United States though).  Popular payment processors have already back out of Canada for online gambling.  Hopefully this is all that will happen for Canadian online gambling and not a start of a trend affecting online poker in Canada.  Lately our back-up options for funding a real money online poker account from Canada, has been our go to option.


Popular Payment Processors

VISA, Mastercard - If your credit cards don't work at an online poker room, talk to your bank and let them know, that you don't appreciate being told where you can or can't spend your money.
Instadebit - The best payment processor for Canadian poker players.
eCheck - Transfer straight from your bank account.

Back up option if a payment processor is not available include;
Bitcoin
Bitcoin Cash
Ethereum
Western Union
Money Order
Cash Transfer


Payment Processors no longer available for Canadians

Firepay
Central Coin
NETeller
ePassporte
eWallet Express
QuickTender
Skrill


Playing Live Poker in Canada

We will help you find a poker game.  There is a list of all the Canadian casinos to choose from.  You can also filter your choices by selecting the province you live in and then the city.  Each casino review will list the table games, the slot machines and the poker games available in the casino's poker room.
   So which is better, poker online or live poker?  That depends a lot on where you live, your attention span, your stakes and how you play.  If you live at least twenty minutes away from a poker room, you will be spending at least forty minutes of traveling just to play.  Most people would be half done their session if they were playing poker online.  If you can read people tells easily though, playing live poker at the casinos in Canada can be very profitable and will probably more fun for you as well.  In the end it depends what you are looking for in a game.  Playing online can be quick and much cheaper but playing live is usually a lot more sociable and fun.