The best way to experience online poker real money is with a no deposit bonus. This gives you the best of both worlds. Playing for real money ensures the play will be true to that of cash poker, but it removes the risk of damaging your bankroll in the event of a bust.
Living in Canada and looking to get in on some online poker? Looking for the best real money Canadian poker sites with the most action, fastest payouts, and biggest fish? Well, you’re in luck because our team of review experts has scoured the web to find the best real money options available to you.
Below, you’ll find our list of the cream of the crop when it comes to online poker sites servicing the Canadian market. If you’re ready to dive into the action today, these sites are where you want to start
Our Top Recommended Canada Gambling Sites
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What Makes These Canadian Poker Sites the Best
We take the reviewing, ranking, and recommending of online poker sites very seriously. We don’t just hop on Google, search for a few sites with cool graphics, and toss them on here as recommended sites for you to use.
No, our review process is exhaustive. We look at all aspects of an online poker room from top to bottom to see if the site is worth what they claim it is. If we see anything that rubs us the wrong way or gives us any sort of hint that there may be a problem with the site, we immediately exclude them from even having a chance to make our list.
Additionally, it’s important to point out that we do not let online poker sites buy or bribe their way onto the list. The only avenue onto the list is offering the best online poker action and service to Canadian customers.
You may be wondering what that looks like. Below, we’ve shared the top four reasons that we selected the above sites as the best real money Canadian poker sites. These aren’t all the reasons that we chose these sites and excluded other sites, but just the ones our expert reviewers felt were the most important to share with you.
Action
The make-or-break point for an online poker site (or a brick-and-mortar poker room) is the amount, quality, and variety of action that they offer. You see, an empty poker room or an online poker room that’s a ghost town is not going to do you any good. It’s hard to make any money playing poker if you can never get a game or never get the game that you’re the best at.
Here’s what we look for when it comes to online action.
- We look for the number of players playing. Are there only a few players, or are there hundreds or thousands playing? Do they only play during peak hours, or can you get action at any point of the day?
- We look for the different types of games they have running. Do they just have cash games, or do they have multi-table tournaments and sit and go tournaments as well? Do they offer more than just Texas Hold’em (Omaha, Stud, Razz, Hi/Lo variations, limit/no-limit)?
- We look for the varying buy-in levels and stakes that they offer. Do they only offer low-limit action, or do they have games at all different levels? Additionally, do these higher levels have players playing, or are they just empty tables and tournaments that get canceled?
- We look at the quality of the players playing. This one is a little harder for us to gauge and keep up to date, but we do try our best. No one wants to play at an online poker site that is full of nothing but professionals and sharks. If you’re an intelligent poker player, you’re always going to be looking for the sites with the softest action and the biggest fish. The end goal should always be to make money, and this is how you do it. For the record, it’s okay to have a blast in the process.
Trust and Reputation
when it comes to evaluating the quality of an online poker site and whether it’s worth your time and money or should be avoided. Let’s take a look at both of these and discuss why we feel they are that important.
Trust – If you can’t trust the poker site you’re playing at, then there is zero chance you’re going to have a good experience. You need to know that when they say they are going to do something, they’re going to do it.
Your money and your personal information need to be protected from the whirlwind of threats on the internet and in the industry. We’re not trying to scare you that things aren’t usually on the up and up, but we want to make sure you realize how devastating a lack of trust can be.
Reputation – One of the best ways to find out if there is something you should be worried about when it comes to online poker sites is their reputation in the industry and the poker community. While we don’t always trust every rumor we hear, a bad reputation is usually a red flag that needs to be investigated.
On the flip side, we don’t just give a site the go-ahead because they have a good reputation. They also still need to be investigated to make sure that the evidence matches the reputation.
Is the Poker Site Easy to Use?
Convenience is supposed to be the name of the game when it comes to playing online poker. The operative phrase there, sadly, is “supposed to be.” Too many online poker sites (including a lot of those servicing the Canadian market) are pushing products that are difficult to use and create too many opportunities for you to make unnecessary mistakes. These mistakes end up costing you money, which is something we just can’t have happen.
For that reason, we spend a lot of time checking out the quality of the poker site’s user interface. Specifically, we’re looking at how easy or difficult it is to find the games you want, join those games, and then make the moves and plays that you want.
There are a lot of little things that a great online poker site can do to make things easier on the player. When sites don’t do this, it creates a bad user experience for you. Not only is this not enjoyable, but it also creates situations where you might end up accidentally raising, folding, or calling when you really meant to do something else.
You should never have any issues with performing the action you want to, especially when you’re playing for real money. This is why we weigh this category so heavily when ranking and recommending real money Canadian poker sites.
Payout Speed and Reliability
There’s no reason to complicate what we want here. We want poker sites that pay us our winnings quickly and reliably. Period. If a poker site claims that we’re getting our money in 24 hours, we better see our money in our bank account in 24 hours or less. If they claim it will take 3 days or a week, that’s fine, too, as long as the money actually shows up within that time frame.
When it starts to take longer than the time frame they promised, we have a problem. We understand that once in a blue moon, things will be backed up for whatever reason, but anything more than a few days and anything that becomes habitual is unacceptable.
The Wrap-Up
If you’re a Canadian poker player or a US poker refugee who’s moved to Canada, you’ve got some great options when it comes to playing poker online. You not only have access to the sites that cater to Canadians, but you also have access to the sites that cater to the rest of the world.
It’s great to have a lot of options, but it can be tough to figure out which is the best. Hopefully, we’ve been able to help put you on the right track, and you can get started playing and crushing today.
My three main criteria for choosing a great poker site are:
- Great new player bonus
- Easy winnings
- Trustworthy site
Therefore, I have spent a ridiculous amount of hours researching and playing real money poker on some of the best online poker sites (and worst).
So, here you go, my always updated, top list of the absolute best online poker sites, in my honest opinion.
top 6 Best Poker Sites in 2019: Quick Links
1. 888 Poker: My favorite poker site
888 Poker is one of the big players in the online poker world.
They have been around for almost 20 years which gives them a stellar trust in my book.
888 Poker is especially suitable for new and amateur players.
Why?
Firstly, because they offer a no deposit bonus of up to $88 – this is unmatched in the industry. T&Cs apply.
Secondly, since they have a reputation for attracting just new and amateur players, it is easier not to lose your money, but rather win some while playing on 888 Poker. Which I proved in my case study of 20,556 micro cash games, read on.
888 Poker will offer you state of the art gameplay on practically any device you want to play on (PC, MAC, Android, iPhone, etc.).
The main drawback of 888 Poker is that they are quite strict on which players that are allowed to play. US players are for example not allowed, but for you guys, we have Americas Cardroom.
It is also very possible to make good money with 888 Poker. Here are my results from 20,556 micro cash games, which turned my initial deposit of $50 into $343,28.
You can now read my in-depth full review of 888 Poker or jump right into the action yourself.
PLAY NOW2. Americas Cardroom: Best USA poker site
Americas Cardroom is one heck of a cool poker site.
I will tell you why:
This poker site accepts US players playing poker with real money. And, if you are not a USA player, there is nothing to worry about. Americas Cardroom is open for players all over the world with no restrictions.
It has one of the absolute best first deposit bonus systems I’ve ever seen.
You will receive $2 to $6 free real money cash EVERY DAY for 20 consecutive days.
This means that even if you lose all your money the first day, you will receive a steady stream of real money for the next 20 days.
If you enjoy playing on your mobile device, you have great options, on both Android and iPhone.
I would say that for new players who can take advantage of the incredibly generous bonus, this is site is your best option.
For more information and thoughts about Americas Cardroom check out my in-depth review or go crazy and play there right now.
PLAY NOW3. Pokerstars: The biggest of all poker sites
PokerStars is the biggest online poker site.
That sentence alone should tell you that it is hard to go wrong with PokerStars.
At PokerStars, you get the full package, playable on any device, tons of tournaments and an excellent first deposit bonus.
With their bonus system, you will be bombarded with tickets and free cash for your first six days after making a deposit.
PokerStars arrange some of the biggest poker tournament.
And, often joined by one of the many poker professionals sponsored by PokerStars.
If you need to up your game they have beginner tutorials and lots of other information on their website.
As stated in the beginning, being the biggest poker site they know what they are doing. And, you will notice it.
I made a case of showing if it is possible to make money on PokerStars in 2018. Here are my results from 20,792 cash games which turned my $50 into $417,02.
You can now read my full review of PokerStars or start your journey on PokerStars right away.
PLAY NOW4. Bet365: Great bonus
bet365 is not the largest poker site, but the largest gambling company in the world.
Like many other major gambling companies, they were founded around the year 2000.
With bet365 you can feel safe, they won’t suddenly disappear along with your money.
As a new player, you will receive a decent welcome package upon your first deposit.
The welcome package includes some very lovely tournament tickets, which you can use immediately.
With these tickets, you have the chance to win some real money and entries to bigger tournaments.
The desktop client is well thought out and works smooth. However, the real fun starts with their mobile app which is nothing but outstanding.
I found myself playing a lot more on the Android app than on my PC.
Finding any major drawbacks with bet365 poker is hard.
I made a case of showing if it is possible to make money on Bet365 in 2018. Here are my results from 17,038 cash games which turned my $50 into $245,69.
If you want more information about bet365, please go ahead and read my full review or proceed to play there right now.
PLAY NOW5. 32Red: The hidden gem among all poker sites
32Red is a well-known player in the poker industry being around since 2003.
They are not the most significant poker room out there but does a great job with what they have.
Their first deposit bonus system is a little bit different then what we are used to.
Regardless of what amount you deposit you have the chance to earn up to $1000.
The bonus payout is solely based on the amount of RedBacks you earn.
This gives experienced and good players quite an opportunity to earn some extra cash.
Unfortunately, you can only play at 32Red using their PC desktop client.
This is quite annoying since I love to play on my phone. But, if you are okay with just PC play, then you will do fine.
Head over and read the full review or proceed to play there right now.
PLAY NOW6. BetClic: Easy money
BetClic has roots all the way back to 2005, originally from France.
Their poker client uses the iPoker software and network, which ensures a decent amount of players to play against.
After you have registered and shoved in your first deposit, you will receive a bunch of tournament tickets valued at €10.
These tickets are in addition to the generous 200% up to €750 match bonus.
Altogether, Betclic offers a decent bonus package.
Unfortunately, they only offer gameplay from their PC client.
Overall, Betclic is nice and all, but there is nothing that truly stands out.
You should give them a try, utilize the bonus package, and if you are not winning, move on to another poker site.
In my case study of playing 16,697 micro cash games, I turned $50 into $274,21.
Get the whole picture of Betclic in my in-depth review or dive right into the action and play now.
PLAY NOWComplete list of the 23 best poker sites
Poker SiteRatingBonusLink888 Poker9.7/10Free $88PLAY NOWParty Poker9.6/10Free $30PLAY NOWWinner Poker9.4/10Up to €1,500PLAY NOWVbet Poker9.2/10100% rakebackPLAY NOWUnibet Poker9.6/10Up to €200PLAY NOWTonyBet Poker9.8/10Up to €2,000PLAY NOWTitan Poker9.3/10Up to €100PLAY NOWTiger Gaming9.9/10Top Real Money Poker Sites
Up to €1,000PLAY NOWSportsbetting Poker9.2/10Up to €1,000PLAY NOWPokerstars9.4/10
Free $30PLAY NOWPokerKing9.2/10Up to $777PLAY NOWNordicbet Poker9.6/10Up to €2,000PLAY NOWFull Tilt Poker