Canadian Online Poker Rooms
Quite a few poker sites won't do business with Canadians because of hazy laws targeted towards online poker operators. However, plenty of the best online poker sites still accept Canadian players.
Online poker is 100% legal for Canadian online poker players. There are no laws targeting online poker players in Canada, but there are a few hazy laws targeting online gambling operators.
In some Canadian provinces it is illegal to operate an online casino or poker room, so we do not recommend starting up a poker site located in Canada. However, if you are just playing online poker in Canada, you have nothing to worry about whatsoever.
We have ranked and reviewed all of the Canadian poker sites, and determined that the sites below are the best poker sites for Canadians. Most of the Canadian poker sites listed on this page allow Canadian players to play poker in CDN dollars, deposit and withdraw in CDN as well as receive your bonuses in CDN $. This is great, as it means you can avoid the costly conversion fees. Another benefit to choosing a Canadian poker room is that you can enter satellites to the CPT - Canadian Poker Tour, held in Niagara Falls Ontario.
| Rank | Poker Site | Bonus | Referral Code | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  |
100% up to $2000 | n/a - use link | Ignition Poker |
| 2. |  |
100% up to $500 | n/a - use link | Bovada Poker |
| 3. |  |
100% to $2500 | n/a - use link | BetOnline Poker |
| 4. |  |
100% up to $600 | n/a - use link | Intertops Poker |
| 5. |  |
100% up to $2500 | n/a - use link | SportsBetting Poker |
| 6. |  |
100% up to $2000 | n/a - use link | America's Cardroom Poker |
| 7. |  |
100% up to $2000 | n/a - use link | Blackchip Poker |
Online Poker in Canada
The reason that some online poker rooms don't accept Canadians is because they are worried that in the future Canada might pass anti-gambling laws and then come after their companies, but this is a stretch at best. There are still plenty of Canadian poker sites that will gladly accept your business.
Canadian Online Poker Deposit Methods
If you wish to play online poker from Canada for real money, you will have to make a real money deposit into your poker account. Here are the most common methods Canadians use to deposit at online poker sites:
Credit Card Deposits
Credit cards are universally accepted by the three Canadian poker sites listed above. As long as your credit card is in good standing, you can instantly deposit at any site listed above. There are no fees for this poker deposit method.
Canadian eChecks
Each of the above poker sites also accept "eChecks". eChecks are payments made from your checking account, just as if you were writing a check. These payments are also instant, and just like credit cards, have no fees associated with them.
Other Common Canadian Deposit Methods
Besides just credit cards and eChecks, there are a few other common deposit options that Canadians can use to play online poker. Here they are:
- Credit Card/Debit Card
- eCheck
- eWallets such as Moneybookers, and Click2Pay
- Ultra Prepaid Phone Card and PaySafeCard
- EntroPay
- Citadel and MyCitadel
- Bank Transfer and Bank Wire
- Web Money
Famous Canadian Poker Players
Canada has produced some world class poker players, including Daniel Negreanu, T.J. Cloutier, and Jennifer Tilly. Out of all the Canadian pros, Daniel has seen the most success, final tabling countless major tournaments, and winning huge pots at ring tables. If you'd like to play with Daniel, make sure to check out PokerStars.com where he plays under the username "Kid Poker".
Live Casinos in Canada
If you prefer to play at a live poker room, you have a couple options in Canada for live poker games. We've written summaries of each major live casino in Canada so you can decide which will work best for you:
Casino Niagara
Casino Niagara opened on December 9th, 1996, and is located in Niagara Falls. This casino offers over 1,700 slot and video poker games, over 60 table games (including No Limit Hold'em), and a sports betting lounge where you can wager on your favorite sporting events and races. As far as poker goes, there are 12 poker tables that are open 24 hours a day. Their games aren't the biggest, but they have games running nonstop so they're a great option for a lower stakes player who wants to have a long session.
FallsView Casino
FallsView Casino is also located in Niagara Falls, and is slightly bigger than Casino Niagara. They offer over 3,000 slot machines, 130 table games, and 16 poker tables. Their poker room offers both cash games and tournaments, and FallsView casino has hosted some bigger events such as the WPT in the recent past. The poker room is non-smoking, and of course you have to be at least 19 years old to play.
Great Blue Heron Casino
Great Blue Heron opened its doors in 1997 and is located on the the reserve lands of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, which is just East of Port Perry. The casino is roughly one hour North-East of Toronto. This casino is smaller than the other two on this page, and has only 500 some slot machines. Their poker room offers major tournaments from time to time, including the GBH (Great Blue Heron) and CPT (Canadian Poker Tour) events.
More Canadian Online Poker Rooms:
Here are some other poker sites that accept Canadian players: