Online poker sites

Poker is the favourite casino game of many Canadians since skill plays a crucial role in the outcome. You can succeed at the poker table by using the right tools and consistently honing your skills. Our team of casino analysts has put together a comprehensive guide that will help you pick a reliable online poker site and get access to the best welcome and no deposit bonuses.

Keep reading for a complete breakdown of the Canadian online poker industry!

Six poker tips from the world's best players

After analyzing hundreds of professional-level games, we've concluded that you can take your poker game from average returns to the next level by making some small changes to your strategy. A problem we’ve identified during our research is that most amateur players are continually struggling to get profitable at the table.

Here are six actionable tips used by most notorious players to crush their opponents:

1. Protect your Big Blind at all costs

The Big Blind is a unique position because you start the round with one big blind automatically invested in the pot. Thus, when your opponent raises while you're in the big blind position, you will get better odds than the other opponents. You can consider the Big Blind position a discount for your next call.

Since you're the last person acting during the preflop, you can efficiently call with more hands than in a different position. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should call raises with terrible hands. Instead, you can analyze your odds of winning by looking for the raiser's position, the size of the bet, and the size of your stacks.

2. Only play if you're in the right mind state

Playing on online poker sites should be a fun activity no matter if you're a hobbyist or a professional player. Based on our experience, you will perform best if you're in a relaxed mood. That's because Texas Hold’Em is an intense action game at any level, so you can't afford to become frustrated during a tournament.

Suppose you feel like you're not in the correct mental state, and your anger starts building up. In that case, it's highly recommended to quit the game and wait for a better opportunity. This way, you will save a lot of money that you would otherwise lose due to bad decisions.

Recommendation: Before you jump into an online poker session, think of how you would feel if you went all-in on the first round and you lost your entire stack. If this thought doesn't bother you, then you're in the right mood to go for an extended session.

3. Take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses

If an opponent takes a long time to decide, it's a good sign that he might have a weak hand. In this situation, you can bet aggressively and force him to fold, even if you're just bluffing. While this tip is more actionable in a real-life scenario, it can still be used when you play on online poker sites.

Be aware: There are situations in which the opponent will take a longer time to decide just to make you think that he is showing weakness. Always take into consideration your opponent's previous moves before becoming aggressive.

4. Redeem our tailor-made promotions

By claiming a welcome promotion from our site, you will get additional credits matching your deposit value, meaning that you will have an extended gaming session, allowing you to experiment with different betting strategies.

Don't forget to read all the technical details of the bonus before redeeming it, since it can come with certain conditions attached, such as wagering requirement or expiry date.

5. Consider starting with micro-stakes poker sites

If you're just getting started with online poker sites or just don't feel too confident in your strategy, we suggest looking for a micro-stakes platform, where the minimum buy-in ranges between $0.01 - $25. These low-level games enable you to get a taste of a real Texas Hold’Em experience without risking too much money.

6. Learn how to be aggressive by semi-bluffing

All professional players reached the next level of gameplay by learning how to semi-bluff their hands intuitively. However, this strategy takes some training to be executed properly. Therefore, you should avoid bluffing every round, as it will quickly bleed out your balance.

The most efficient bluffing strategy is letting the cards decide if you should bluff or not. Essentially, you want to "semi-bluff" those hands that have enough outs, such as flush draws, straight draw, or even an overcard.

Pros call these hands semi-bluff because they have potential beyond the bluff. Try to avoid bluffing an empty hand when you're just getting started since it is difficult to be consistent with your bets, and you're very likely to spoil the bluff.

Our top-rated poker sites

Our casino expert team has created a list of the best gaming platforms you can join right away. In our research process, we consider factors like licensing, overall reputation, bonuses, and game variety.

Here are the top 3 poker sites in Canada:

• Unibet
• 888 Poker
• William Hill

Quick guide to choose the best poker bonuses

Most poker sites offer players welcome bonuses in the form of free cash or match promotions, which can help them get an extended gaming sessions.This, we created a step-by-step guide that will allow you to differentiate the top-tier platforms from the average ones and choose the most lucrative promotion.

Our casino analysts team knows how frustrating it can be to filter through thousands of promotions and have no idea which one is better and why. Here is a quick guide that will help you identify the key features of an ideal bonus:

• Validity – some promotions come with an expiry date. The bonus funds will be automatically removed from your balance if you don't use them before the validity period passes. Therefore, we recommend looking for a deal with no expiry time or at least offers you enough time to use your bonus money.
• Bonus value – all bonuses have a specific value that is mentioned in their description. In the beginning, you might be tempted to go for the one that offers you the highest amount. However, more factors should be taken into consideration when selecting your promotion, including wagering requirements, which can impact your chances to withdraw your winnings from the bonus balance;
• Playthrough requirement – to protect themselves from spammers and bonus abusers, casino operators have implemented wagering requirements that force players to turn their bonus money a specific number of times before requesting a withdrawal on the platform. All the details regarding the playthrough requirements are clearly stipulated in the bonus description;
• Match percentage – most poker sites will match your first deposit by a percentage, which will be added to your bonus balance. Usually, you will find 100% match promotions, but some operators offer up to 200% or even 300% match deals. However, these platforms typically come with higher wagering requirements, so choose carefully!

Now that you know how to start playing poker online efficiently, you're probably wondering– Are poker winnings taxable in Canada?

Canadian tax law on poker winnings

If you're not playing at a professional level, you don't have to pay any taxes on your winnings since lottery and gambling earnings are not taxed in Canada. That's because the state assumes that the gambling is done with "after-tax money." Thus, all your winnings are exempt from taxation.

However, if your main occupation is playing Texas Hold’Em, the answer is quite different. According to the Canadian tax law, gambling earnings are taxable if it is considered income from a business. To become eligible for taxation, you will have to prove that you get a recurring revenue earned by pursuing profit.

In the end, taxing poker revenue depends from a person to another. Since it's considered a business, all the expenses involved in the pursuit for profit (buy-ins, hotel rooms, software, and hardware) would be regarded as business expenses.

That's why the Canada Revenue Agency doesn't make it easy for players to declare their gambling a business, since anyone who previously visited a casino could claim their losses as "business expenses." Even active players have been rejected by the Federal Court since they don't consider online poker sites as part of a winning system.

Therefore, as long as you're not planning to become a top 100 player, you can safely start playing on one of our online poker sites Canada without worrying about the tax law.

Fun fact: Former lawyer Cohen, who quit his job to become a poker pro, played between 35 and 50 hours a week and declared that his winning strategy was matching against inexperienced players. The court concluded that Cohen was a hobby player, even though he was living from poker revenue.

Online poker software and technologies

If you’re new to online poker sites, you will notice that the graphics quality and user interface are relatively similar on most platforms. Software providers can add branding elements such as logos or colors to the poker table, which makes the interface look unique.

But what is the difference between top-tier poker software and a mediocre one?

Since smartphones have become the norm for most of our day-to-day activities, the online poker software must be optimized for a smaller screen. Therefore, the main difference between a good platform and a bad one stands in the game's mobile friendliness.

Essentially, if the game looks good on a smartphone screen, they will have more success in the long run. On the other hand, operators who don't invest in a mobile-first design and a suitable user interface for their platform will lose a lot of their player base over time because nowadays, most gamblers enjoy playing their favorite games on their portable devices.

Our review process

At BonusTips, we strive to deliver high-quality casino reviews and actionable guides that will help you improve your gambling experience and make a more informed decision. Our team has over six years of expertise in the industry, and most importantly, we love gambling as entertainment. Thus, we understand exactly what players are looking for and know how to identify platforms that offer a premium quality casino experience.

All the information mentioned in our articles is based on statistics and scientific papers, ensuring that our readers will get the most out of the content and use our advice to hone their gambling skills. Our content creation process is based on some key features that the casino platform must meet to be listed on our site.

Here is the complete process that we follow when reviewing a gambling platform:

• Security and player safety – All the platforms listed on our site are licensed by an industry-leading gaming authority. We know that data protection is essential for you, so we only review casinos that are safe and use advanced encryption security to prevent data leaks.
• Bonus availability - Everyone loves casino promotions, as they can boost their bankroll. Most online casinos offer bonuses, but our experts focus on finding deals that are actually beneficial for the players, and they can improve the overall experience with the platform.
• Banking methods – Depositing and withdrawing is a crucial aspect of your gambling journey, so we test the entire account funding process and check if the time stated on the casino's site matches reality.
• Game providers – With such a variety of games and software providers, we want our readers to know from the beginning if they will have access to their favorite titles. Game preference is subjective, but we usually focus on casino platforms with mobile optimized games from well-known providers such as Microgaming or Netent.
• Customer service - In some situations, you might need to contact customer care to solve an issue with the platform, so we make sure that all the casinos on our site have their clients' best interests. We test the customer service availability, ease of access, and how quickly they can solve an issue.
• Mobile-friendliness – Smartphones are the device of choice for many gamblers, so it's crucial that the online casino they join is optimized for mobile and all the features work correctly.

If an online casino doesn't match our quality checks, we will not mention it on our website. That's because, based on our expertise, a reliable platform should check all the criteria off the list. Otherwise, it will be considered a threat to the users and removed from our database.

Key poker room features

Canadian players will generally choose a poker platform that comes with key elements like social features, game availability, and multi-table version. Thus, the ideal poker room needs to have all these features available and, on top of that, offer high-quality graphics.

Most online poker sites are similar, but some operators use feedback loops to identify consumer's needs and add features that would attract new customers and keep the current ones engaged on their platform.

Here's a breakdown of the key room features that attract more players:

In recent years, poker software developers shifted their focus on the social aspect of the game. They implemented features that allow players to interact with each other. For instance, 888 poker will enable players to use webcams in tournaments and cash games, bringing more players to their table.

That's because many of us want to see our opponent's reaction and make more informed decisions based on their movements and facial expression. While the webcam feature is not available everywhere, most platforms offer a live chat where you can interact with your opponents during the tournament.

Another important feature of poker rooms is game availability. Yes, most players enjoy the classic Texas Hold'Em, but some would prefer playing a different variant such as Omaha, Seven Card Stud, or Draw poker. Luckily, most operators offer a variety of poker games on their platform, so you will be able to play your favorite version on most of the poker sites available.

Last but not least, a vital poker room feature is multi-table availability. Since online poker is fast-paced and requires little to no interaction with the opponents, many players enjoy playing multiple games at once.

Most reputable Canadian poker sites offer players the possibility to join multiple games at once. Still, beginners get confused and mess up their game tabs, resulting in disastrous outcomes. Before you multitask your poker games, consider mastering the game's basics and forming your reflexes, which will allow you to decide your next move faster.

Tips: If you want to learn more about efficiently implementing the multi-table strategy in your gameplay, we suggest watching live streams from professional online players. This way, you will understand how they manage to multitask and play more games at once while maintaining a reasonable win rate.

Online poker traffic

Canadians have access to most of the popular platforms worldwide, and according to the 7-day traffic average, visitors range between 1050 and 8600. The online poker sites in Canada have seen a rise in popularity since the late 90s, because many US-based players moved up north after the government banned online poker rooms.

Since there is no mention in the criminal code that would restrict playing Texas Hold’Em online, it’s safe to assume that the Canadian market falls in the grey area of legality.

Here are a the main reasons to join poker sites with high traffic count:

• Better bonuses;
• Game variety;
• Skill-based match making;
• Reputation for honesty;
• Large player base

The bottom line

Playing on the best poker sites is undoubtedly enjoyable, but that's not enough to guarantee your success at the table. Remember that the card game is all about strategy and reading your opponents. However, luck still plays a crucial role in the outcome. As the legendary player Phil Hellmuth said -"If luck wasn't involved, I guess I would win every time."

Learning how to play poker efficiently will take some training, but it pays off in the long run. Thus, we recommend starting your journey with a suitable promotion from our list and playing at micro-stakes tables to get used to the gameplay and learn new strategies without spending too much money. The great thing about poker sites is that you can play anywhere, as long as you have a device connected to the internet.

Below, our team has curated a list of the most reliable and lucrative gaming platforms where you can grab a promotion that will offer you a complete poker experience. Check it out!

References used in this article

• How to improve your mindset for playing poker
• The case of Cohen V. Canada
• Taxation of poker income explained by a tax lawyer
• Online poker market overview
• The influence of technology on the game of poker