If you are a Canadian, you love card betting games, and you’re thinking about playing poker online, you are in luck. The online poker scene in Canada is among the best, anywhere in the world. You’ll find every variant of the game that has ever been invented.
You’ll also find some of the best players on the planet. You can try your skills against them, at the many Canadian online casinos, peer to peer, or in the top-rated tournaments, or simply enjoy a few chilled-out video poker games online at the casino of your choice.
Being one of the most, if not the most popular casino card game in the world, there are hundreds of online poker sites from which to choose. Making that choice is no easy thing. That is why we decided to lend a helping hand by publishing our list of the top online poker Canada platforms.
Best Casinos to Play Poker Online
Key Factors to Learn Before You Play Poker Online
Poker is a game of bluff. Not just in Canada, but worldwide. Keeping a straight “poker-face” in important. You can’t afford any distractions to creep in that might give your thoughts or even your skill level away. So the two most important things before you start playing online poker games, are learning the rules, and understanding the hand rankings.
But before you start playing for real, there are some other factors you need to check first, such as:
- The safety of the website – Keeping safe when gambling online is key. Ensure the platform you use is properly licensed. Look for a Kahnawake Gaming Commission license of one issued by the MGA or the Curacao eGaming Authority. If playing video poker, check the site’s RNG is eCOFRA (or similar) certified.
- Good player traffic – Although it is by no means a certainty, poker sites experiencing most player traffic are probably doing so because punters love what they get there. It’s usually a good indicator.
- Bonuses – The bonuses and promotions the best online poker sites offer can be very lucrative. They offer you a better chance to win by playing more games, and they lower your overall playing cost.
- Payment methods – Canadian punters mostly choose sites that accept payment in CAD, using services such as ecoPayz, Entropay, iDebit, Instadebit, Paysafecard, QIWI, and Skrill. eWallets are a favorite because of low charges and fast payouts.
Learn to Play Online Poker Within Your Capabilities
When you begin to play poker online, start by taking things at a slow pace. Whether you gamble online in Canada or elsewhere globally, it’s very tempting to think you’re ready for the next level. You probably aren’t, and if you rush up a notch too quickly, all that will happen is that you will lose money faster than ever. Take it easy.
Turn your poker game online experiences to your benefit by taking your time, Gain more experience. When you do move up to the next level, you will be ready.
The Most Popular Variants of Online Poker in Canada
Canadians love their poker. The most popular 3 variants of the online poker game in Canada, are Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, and Stud. Let’s take a look at them one by one to see why players like them so much.
Canada Online Poker Game – Texas Hold ’em
At the outset of a Texas Hold’em game, each player is dealt their “hole cards” (the first 2 cards dealt), face down. Players then commence the first round of betting, where they get the chance to check, bet, or fold.
This early stage of Texas Hold ’em online poker is known as the “pre-flop.” Once the betting is over, the “flop” is dealt. This refers to 3 cards, which all players share, being dealt face up in the middle of the table. Another round of betting then takes place, and then, a 4th card, also shared (known as” the turn”) is dealt.
More betting takes place after the “turn”, and once over, the 5th card, again shared by all, is dealt. This 5th card is known as “the river.”
You then have to make up the best Hold’em hand you can, using your 2 hole cards, and the 5 face-up cards on the centre of the table. You also have the option of making up your best hand by using the 5 center cards only.
The game can end in one of 2 ways. The first is the showdown. This is when the players reveal their hole cards, and the best hand takes the pot. The other way a game of Texas Hold ’em online poker can end is when one player places a large bet and the other players all fold.
This second scenario is how the majority of games end, and it’s this bluff element that makes Texas Hold’em, so popular with Canadian players.
Canada Online Poker Game – Omaha
The Omaha version is a derivation of Texas Hold’em. Instead of being dealt 2 hole cards as in Hold’em, you are dealt 4. Then, whereas in Hold’em there are 3 shared card dealt, with Omaha, 5 are dealt face up in the center. You construct your best Omaha hand by using both your hole cards, and 3 of the 5 community cards.
Betting takes place in Omaha online poker as each segment of the game is completed. So you bet:
- After the pre-flop – the first 2 hole cards)
- After the flop, which in this variant is after the first 3 community cards are dealt
- After the turn – the 4th community card
- After the river – the 5th and final community card
If the game goes through to the showdown, the last player to bet or raise, reveals his or her hand. The highest-ranked hand wins, or if there is a draw, the pot is shared.
The variants of Omaha poker online include:
- Pot-Limit Omaha
- No Limit Omaha
- Fixed Limit Omaha
- Omaha Hi/Lo
In Canada, the Omaha version is a popular tournament game.
Canada Online Poker Game – Stud
The original stud poker game is 5-card stud. It begins with each player receiving 2 cards – 1 face down, and 1 face-up. Then comes the “bring in,” which is the bet. The player with lowest showing card starts the betting. A 3rd card is then dealt to each player, face-up. When they are dealt, the 4th and 5th cards are referred to as “streets, i.e. the 4th street and the 5th street.”
As with the other variants, betting takes place after each event, and the highest-ranked hand at the showdown is the winner.
The best online poker Canada offers its players is very much down to individual choice. As well as 5-card stud there is also a 7-card option. But if asked of the Omaha or Stud, or Texas Hold ’em variants – which is the Canadian players’ favorite? They all are.
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The Differences between Poker Online Canada and Offline Canada
The biggest and most obvious difference between online and offline poker is convenience. Playing offline will inevitably involve traveling, maybe parking, worrying about how you look, worrying about drink driving, what time the last bus or train is. It’s something that takes a lot more thought and organization. Most of that can disappear when you play mobile poker for real money at home.
Another big difference is game choice. Land-based poker rooms play just the one variant. You get to choose from dozens of different game variants when you play Canada online poker.
The gameplay is pretty much the same for both online and offline games, but some things are different, like personal style of play. When you play opposite real people in live poker casinos you need a good poker face, or you’ll give the game away. But when playing poker online games you can do cartwheels, and no one is any the wiser.
There is a lot to be said for playing poker Canada online style, which is why so many punters prefer it. Land-based poker rooms can be pretty intimidating places. In your own company, you can do as you please. When all is said and done, that in a nutshell is what the best online poker experience is all about – good old-fashioned, no-hassle fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Most web-based platforms are fully optimized and are mobile-friendly.
Yes, completely safe, providing you choose a properly licensed web-based platform that has 128-bit SSL encryption.
Yes. Most Canadians prefer to play poker on the internet for real money as it heightens the excitement.
It is very much down to the individual, but most people find Texas Hold ’em the easiest and most exciting to play.
Yes, providing you are of legal gambling age and you play lawfully at a licensed onshore platform or venue in Canada, or at an offshore site.
