The best online poker bonuses include match-deposit welcome and reload bonuses up to $2,000, rakeback up to 30% or more, and VIP programs that reward grinders. Popular Canadian poker sites like GGPoker and ACR also offer free MTT tickets and special freeroll events, giving you everything you need to keep your wallet happy.
We’ll walk you through the steps of claiming your first online poker bonus. You’ll also learn all about the different bonus offers and how they work. We’ll help you grab the best of the bunch and maximize your profit.
Top Sites with Online Poker Bonuses
In This Guide
Types of Online Poker Bonuses
It’s time to break down the different online poker bonuses in CA. To get the most out of these poker bonuses, you’ll learn how each promotion works, who can benefit, and the key terms and conditions to look out for.
Sign Up Bonus
Also known as: Welcome bonus, registration bonus, new player bonus
This is one of the most common online poker bonuses in Canada. It’s there to thank you for joining the site, giving you a short-term boost to your bankroll, and helping you get off to the best possible start.
As the name suggests, you can only claim a sign up bonus when you first open an account. Trying to register more than once in order to receive multiple bonuses is against the terms and conditions and will likely result in a ban from the site.
Most poker sign up bonuses are deposit match offers, which we’ll explain in more detail shortly. But many sites include other goodies as part of their best online poker bonuses, such as free tournament entry tickets or access to exclusive new-player tournaments.
Best Sign Up Bonus: CoinPoker (150% up to $2,000)
The best available Canada online poker bonus for new players at the moment comes courtesy of CoinPoker.
With a possible $2,000 up for grabs, you’re unlikely to find a better reward. CoinPoker is also home to one of the biggest rakeback deals (33% for all players) and provides lightning-quick cryptocurrency payments.
Deposit Bonus
Also known as: Deposit match bonus, reload bonus, top-up bonus
This type of offer is linked to a real money deposit. Add funds to your account, and the site will match it with a percentage on top. For instance, the Stake Poker welcome bonus is an impressive 200% up to $2,000. A deposit of $100, therefore, would earn a $200 reward.
Pretty much every poker sign up bonus in Canada involves a deposit match offer. But you’ll often see reload bonuses for existing players, which follow the same format. The percentage is usually slightly lower, but the idea is the same – add cash to your account and receive a bonus in return.
Unlike casino bonuses, deposit matches from online poker rooms aren’t usually paid as a lump sum. Instead, the bonus amount is likely to be released gradually as you start to play real money games.
Best Deposit Bonus: WPT Global (100% up to $3,000 + Tournament tickets)
This is another welcome bonus, but this match deposit offer stands out for a couple of reasons. First, the playthrough requirements are straightforward. You earn $1 for every $4 in rake you generate.
More importantly, WPT Global gives you 90 days to unlock the full bonus amount, which is more than what you’d get at most other Canadian poker rooms.
Add to that free tournament tickets (better in value the more you deposit), Global Spin tickets, and a free Casino Coin, and WPT Global has one of the most well-rounded deposit bonus packages around.
Tournament Tickets
Not to be confused with a freeroll tournament, some online poker rooms issue free tournament entries as a bonus. Here, you’ll receive a ticket to participate in a tournament that offers real prizes, but it won’t cost you to enter.
Why is that not the same as a freeroll? These tickets are often for satellite tournaments that other players have paid to enter. That’s certainly the case at BetOnline, where new players can enter step satellites for free and try to win their way into the Saturday $100,000 guaranteed.
That said, many welcome bonuses also include access to exclusive new-player freerolls. This is just another way for poker sites in Canada to thank new registrants for choosing to play.
Best for Tournament Tickets: GG Poker
As part of its welcome package, GG Poker offers 37 tournament tickets across your first 6 days on the site. These include:
Day 1
- 4 x Express Step 1 [AoF Sit & Go $0.5]
- 8 x AoF Hold’em $1
Day 2
- 2 x Express Step 2 [Spin & Gold 6-Max $2]
- 4 x AoF Hold’em $1
Day 3
- 2 x Express Step 2
- 4 x AoF Hold’em $1
Day 4
- 2 x Express Step 2
- 4 x AoF Hold’em $1
Day 5
- 2 x Express Step 2
- 4 x AoF Hold’em $1
Day 6
- 1 x Express Step 3 [Tournament $10]
Rakeback
This online poker bonus is essentially a form of cashback offer. You’ll receive a portion of all the rake paid in a given period – often a week or a month – as a reward for your continued loyalty.
In our opinion, rakeback is undoubtedly one of the best online poker bonuses in Canada, just because of how valuable it is. If you’re a newcomer learning the game, or an experienced pro, rakeback can be the difference between breaking even and losing.
The exact rakeback calculation varies by site, and wagering requirements may also apply. It’s important, therefore, as with any Canadian poker bonus, to read the site’s terms and conditions before playing.
Best for Rakeback: CoinPoker
There’s an unprecedented 33% rakeback available at CoinPoker. Anyone can benefit from this incredible deal, not just long-standing VIP players, and it’s not a limited-time offer, either. Even better, the rebate is paid as cash, with no turnover requirement.
The only catch is that you’ll need to play with CHP, the site’s proprietary crypto token. Not that it’s a bad thing, given that it also facilitates quick payouts.
No Deposit Bonus
As the name suggests, this type of promotion gives you something for nothing. There’s no need to deposit any real money – just pick up the bonus funds and start playing right away.
This kind of bonus is ideal if you’re just learning how to play poker, as it’s a risk-free source of funds. But to be honest, everyone can benefit from a no-deposit bonus, regardless of your experience or skill level.
Usually, no deposit bonuses are for brand new registrants, though it’s possible for an existing player to receive one as part of a loyalty program. But this is by far the rarest kind of poker bonus in Canada these days. You just don’t see as many as you used to, because they’re so valuable.
Best No Deposit Bonus: BC.Poker
This BC.Poker online poker bonus works as both a mobile-exclusive offer and a no-deposit bonus. Simply sign up on mobile after downloading the iOS or Android app, and you’ll get $5 added to your account instantly, with no playthrough requirements.
You won’t be able to withdraw it, but you can use it for cash games, tournaments, or at the casino.
Poker Mobile App Bonus
These days, all of the best online poker sites in Canada offer some kind of mobile app. It may be native iOS, Android, or Windows software, or a simple progressive web app.
Either way, the poker sites know how important it is to make things as accessible as possible for busy players on the go. That’s why they invest so much time and money into developing such convenient and secure software.
Naturally, when a poker room seeks to promote its app, it makes sense to run occasional mobile-exclusive promotions. Whatever that may be, if it’s access to exclusive tournaments or a deposit match bonus, you’ll only be able to opt in via the app.
Best Mobile App Bonus: N/A
We’re not aware of any mobile app bonuses at the moment. But plenty of poker sites have run such promotions in the past. If the situation changes, we’ll be the first to let you know.
CA Poker Bonus Codes
In Canada, poker bonus codes are a fairly common sight. Not every promotion requires a special code, but some certainly do. If you fail to enter it in the correct place, you’ll miss out on your rewards.
For a welcome bonus, the code is usually entered on the registration form. But that’s not always the case. Some sites require you to type the bonus code at the cashier when making your first real money deposit.
Other online poker bonuses, such as rakeback rebates, don’t require a code at all. But you may still have to opt into the promotion manually. This is usually done by clicking a link on the promotions page, or by speaking to customer support.
Where to Find Poker Bonus Codes
If you’re looking for a new Canadian poker bonus code, make sure you’re following the poker room’s social media pages, as these can be a regular source of promotions.
It’s also a good idea to join discussion groups on instant messaging clients like Telegram, or popular sites like Reddit.
Most poker sites have some kind of newsletter that you can opt into when registering. These also contain special promotional offers from time to time, especially around seasonal holidays.
How to Claim Online Poker Bonuses in Canada
Picking up a bonus from a Canadian poker site is usually extremely simple. They’re often credited automatically, as soon as you meet the requirements, with no real action required on your part.
Nevertheless, let’s run through how to claim the BetOnline welcome bonus of 100% up to $1,000. We’re using this particular offer as an example, since it requires a special promo code. But, like most poker bonuses, it’s still pretty easy to claim.
- Visit the website. Load the BetOnline homepage and find the green “Join” button.
- Open an account. Fill out the simple form to create an account in seconds.
- Confirm your email. Check your inbox for a welcome email and click the link within.
- Visit the cashier. Hit the green “Deposit” button to load the cashier page.
- Choose your payment. Click the desired method and enter your deposit amount.
- Add the code. Enter the promo code POKER1000 to activate the welcome bonus.
- Play some poker. As soon as the transaction is confirmed, you’re good to go.
How Online Poker Bonuses Work
All online poker bonuses have similar requirements. You need to deposit your money and play through a certain rake amount to receive the bonus in your account.
If you are an experienced pro or a beginner looking to learn basic poker odds, online poker bonuses are available to you.
We will cover potential strings attached to your online poker bonus below.
Playthrough Requirements
The most common rule concerning Canada poker offers is the playthrough requirement. This normally works differently to casino and sportsbook bonuses, in that the bonus funds aren’t paid up front.
Instead of receiving a lump sum, then playing the money through a specified number of times, top poker bonuses tend to drip feed the funds slowly. A small chunk of bonus cash will be released every time you pay a specific amount of rake.
CoinPoker Bonus Example
Take CoinPoker, for instance, where the 150% welcome bonus is released in 10% segments. Every time you pay 2x the bonus amount in rake, while playing real money games, a chunk of the bonus is released.
Imagine your total bonus is $200. To release the first 10% instalment ($20) you simply need to pay $40 worth of rake. Each $20 is paid as withdrawable cash, with no extra wagering requirements.
Rake or Loyalty Points?
Many sites in Canada, such as Black Chip Poker and Everygame, link the release of their poker bonus to the collection of loyalty points.
But this is effectively the same thing, as points are earned by playing games and paying rake.
Black Chip Poker releases $1 of bonus for every 27.5 Award Points collected. To earn 5.5 Award Points, you’ll need to pay a dollar in rake.
Online Poker Bonuses in CA – Pros and Cons
Why should you claim a Canada poker bonus? What are the main benefits? Are there any downsides?
Here’s a summary of the pros and cons of online poker bonuses in CA:
Pros
- Easily boost your poker bankroll
- Try new poker formats with less risk
- Reduce the impacts of negative variance
- Access to exclusive tournaments
- Generous bonuses attract soft players
Cons
- Hard to find no deposit bonuses
- Wagering requirements can be high
- Not all payment methods qualify
Best Online Poker Bonuses – Our Verdict
There are many different types of poker bonus available in Canada, all of which offer their own unique advantages.
If you’re going to be successful as a poker player, it’s a good idea to gather as many of them as possible. But keep the following points in mind.
- Look out for rakeback deals. The most valuable of all poker bonuses in Canada, rakeback can make or break a player’s career. CoinPoker currently offers an unmatched 33%, though ACR Poker isn’t far behind at 27%.
- Read the terms and conditions. Not all top poker bonuses are the same, so don’t make assumptions. For example, a rakeback rebate at one site may be paid as wager-free cash. But a different brand may require you to wager the bonus a number of times.
- Don’t sleep on referral rewards. Many friend referral programs are unlimited, meaning you can recruit as many players as you like. This can be an extremely rewarding source of online poker bonuses to top up your bankroll.
