Poker is one of the oldest and most iconic games on the planet, enjoyed online by an estimated 120 million global players and in casinos and poker rooms by a great many more.
The allure of online poker tournaments and the hustle and bustle of top-end casinos makes the game an enticing prospect to anyone. Here in Canada, we are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to poker – unlike many south of the border.
But what if your love of poker goes beyond a pastime and you want to make serious money or test your mettle against the best players? If that sounds like you, you’re going to need to start playing in some top tournaments.
In this article, we cover some of the best poker tournaments available to play right here in Canada, read on to find out all about them…
BLAST Poker
One of the benefits of modern technology is that you no longer have to visit a physical venue to play in a top-tier poker tournament. From the comfort of your own home, you can enter a BLAST Poker tournament with 888 and win up to $300,000.
BLAST is a four-handed Texas Hold ‘Em Sit & Go that starts with a random draw at the beginning of each game that multiplies the buy-in by between 2 to 10,000 times to determine the prize pot. After the winnings have been decided it is a straight knockout with the winner taking it all.
Like your poker high stakes and high speed? BLAST Poker is the one for you.
WSOP Circuit
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) began back in 1970 in Las Vegas to little fanfare. 52 years on, the WSOP is a global phenomenon.
Every year it tours around the globe usually making a couple of pit stops in Canada along the way. This year the venue chosen to host the WSOP was the Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary in January and then again in May.
The International Circuit is penciled in for a return to the same venue in January 2023, which gives you just about enough time to get up to scratch!
CNE Casino Poker Tournament
Between July and September every year, the Canadian National Exhibition Casino in Toronto plays host to a series of huge gambling tournaments. Blackjack, Lucky Ladies, Spanish 21, Hold ‘Em, Omaha, and 3-Card Poker amongst many more can be enjoyed by visitors.
The main draw however is the annual Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament with prizes totaling over $150,000. This year’s event will be held from August 19 to September 5 and the only thing you need to do to enter is to buy a ticket.
The buy-in is $120 plus a $30 administration fee, all of which will feel like chump change if you win the big prize.
Deerfoot Summer Super Stack
Back to Calgary, we go, this time for the Deerfoot Summer Super Stack which runs from August 3 to August 14. During the 11 days of poker action, there are a number of tournaments for players of all skill brackets.
Buy-ins range from as little as $50 to $400 and regularly switch between NLH and PLO.
The Sunday Million
For our final entry on today’s list we head back online again, this time to the Sunday Million, the world’s biggest weekly poker tournament. As the name would suggest, the tournament features a guaranteed $1 million prize pool.
Before you start to get carried away and mentally picture yourself spending a million dollars, bear in mind that this tournament regularly attracts some of the biggest names in global poker. One of the most famous and prolific winners is Brazilian Guilherme “VinceVegaMFR” Chateau.
At the time of writing, he has four final tables and two victories in 78 tournaments and a total winnings haul of USD$343,000.
Don’t let that put you off though, there are a number of categories to protect casual players from being obliterated by the pros. There are big winnings on offer lower down the categories, as well as the clout of being able to progress up the rankings.
In Summary
There are a number of high-profile poker tournaments in Canada but as the calendar is evolving, it is often hard to keep on top of the latest events. If you are looking to get involved in a tournament, our advice is either to book ahead to some big-ticket events or check out the action at your local casino/poker hall.
There are scores of great poker tournaments in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, and more cities that we simply didn’t have the time to cover today.
If sit-down, in-person poker tournaments aren’t your thing then have a look online and see what you can find, there’s no shortage of options out there.
