Online Poker in Canada at a glance
Online poker in Canada isn’t new. It’s been around since the late 1990’s. Poker is a card game that involves betting and comes in various forms. In essence, you are dealt a series of cards that you place bets on in an effort to best your opponent and win the pot. Poker game versions differ in the number of cards dealt, how many are hidden, the amount available to the community, and the betting procedures.
If you’re looking to play online poker in Canada there’s a variety of safe sites available. Canadian poker players can play against each other in real time without ever having to be face to face. As a player, you can enjoy the best online poker from Vancouver to Montreal and Toronto with no kerfuffle.
Where to Play Online Poker in Canada
History of Online Poker
Before we get started, a brief history of online poker sites will help you understand where we are at today. The online poker boom can be attributed to the late 1990s when online poker was played for free. Over a short period of time playing poker online moved to real money wins. The first recorded real money online poker game was dealt in 1998. By 2010 online poker had spread across the globe, including Canada, and there were over 500 active online poker sites. Today, you can play online poker in Canada effortlessly. As a beginner or an expert, there are many resources out there for internet poker players as there are games to be played.
General Rules for Online Poker in Canada
- During each round of bets in poker, you can opt to check, fold, call the bets.
- You are permitted to call, despite the number of chips you have.
- You must try to generate the best poker hand possible; out of the cards dealt, including the community cards.
- The strongest or highest ranked hand will always win.
- If you fold or lose, you cannot get back the amount you bet.
Top 10 Online Poker Hands
| Rank | Poker Hand | Example | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five of a Kind |  |
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| 2 | Straight Flush / Royal Flush |  |
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| 3 | Four of a Kind |  |
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| 4 | Full House |  |
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| 5 | Flush |  |
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| 6 | Straight |  |
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| 7 | Three of a Kind |  |
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| 8 | Two Pairs |  |
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| 9 | One Pair |  |
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| 10 | High Card / No Pair |  |
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How to play the different Online Poker versions
There are variations of online poker, but all make use of the 52-card deck and use real money wagers. The more popular poker variations are Omaha, Texas Hold’em, and Stud:
Texas Hold’em Poker
This version of poker involves you being dealt two hole cards that are placed face down. Everyone then shares five community cards. These are revealed gradually through three rounds:
- the Flop (three revealed)
- the Turn (one revealed)
- the River (one revealed)
The gist of Texas Hold’em is for you to predict which cards will appear and how to properly use them. You then need to determine:
- How everyone will try to use the community cards
- The odds of winning with the current hand.
Based on the cards dealt, you decide whether to fold or place a bet. All aspects are considered when betting. However, some poker players may not have a strong hand and will opt to place bets in an attempt to deceive opponents, aka bluffing. Bluffing is a poker strategy that you don’t generally see in other casino games.
Omaha Hold’em Poker
Omaha and Texas Hold’em poker are similar in the betting and the layout of the community cards, but the initial deal is different. In Omaha poker you are dealt four hole cards, instead of two. You must make the best possible hand with two of them and three community cards. Just like in Texas Hold’em, the flop, the turn and the river are the same. Betting is the same each round. After final bets are placed, everyone shows their respective hands, the player with the best one is the winner.
Stud Poker
In Stud Poker, before the cards are dealt, each player must place a modest bet known as the ante. Everyone is dealt two hole cards, and an additional community card recognized as “third street”. The person with the smallest ranked third street is liable for the small bet amount or “the bring in.” You can opt to either fold, check, or call in each round of betting. Another round of betting follows, and a “fourth street” is dealt; the player with the strongest card begins the next bet. The “fifth street’ and “sixth street” follow the same process; the seventh round is called the river and is positioned face down. After the last round of betting is concluded the person in possession of the strongest hand wins.
Online Poker Tournaments in Canada
Gone are the days of having to travel for a poker tournament. Thanks to the explosion of online poker sites and online casino’s, you can compete in a real money online poker tournament from anywhere. To ensure your success, you’ll want a stable internet connection. For an online poker player in Canada, that means being able to compete in tournaments around the world.
However, before you compete in a real money poker tournament, you’ll want to make sure that you’re feeling confident in your abilities. Visiting an online poker site is a great way to tune up those skills. Canadian players have a variety of game options available to them. So, find one that’s right for you and start practicing for that next tournament. You can find weekly poker tournaments on sites like Bodog.
Online poker glossary
| Poker Term | Definition |
| Blind or Ante | An enforced bet made by players to remain in the round |
| Bluff | To bet even though you may not have the best hand, i.e., poker face |
| Bring In | The minimum bet which the player with the lowest ‘third street’ card must pay |
| Call | To match the bet |
| Check | When a player declines to make another bet until an opponent does so |
| Community Cards | They are available to all players in order make to their final hand |
| Flop | The term used to describe the first three community cards the dealer places on the table |
| Fold | To forfeit the round losing any bets made in that round |
| Hole cards | These are allocated to individual players, face down. Only they can see them |
| Pot | The total sum of bets made by players during the game; is given to the winner at the end of the game |
| Pot Limit | A player can bet or raise up to the pot limit |
| Raise | To increase the betting amount |
| River | The final community card |
| Tilt | When a poker player suffers a few bad rounds and begins to make poor/reckless decisions |
