Best Online Poker Tournaments in Ontario
With all the tournament options available across the sites that have opened in Ontario the it can be difficult to find the right online poker site that is perfect for what you are looking for. Fortunately, PokerNews is here to help you.
Play online poker tournaments in Ontario
Back in April 2022, a new era in poker in Canada��s most populous province was launched with a new, fully regulated gaming market. A number of different sites have become licensed in Ontario, including PokerStars, partypoker, BetMGM, 888poker, and WSOP at GGPoker.
These sites all feature various forms of poker tournaments, with different buy-ins, formats, and guarantees. This review will help you navigate through all these options and find the tournament that��s right for you!
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What are Online Poker Tournaments in Ontario?
Online poker tournaments bring a number of features that can��t be found in cash games. There is not only the money to be won, but also the thrill of competition, of trying to outlast your opponents, of seeing your stack steadily rise as the blind levels rise.
The strategy involved in poker tournaments can vary significantly from cash games. In cash games, the blinds stay the same. This isn��t the case for tournaments, and how you play can change dramatically based on the stage of the tournament. Each tournament will only pay a certain percentage of the field, which is usually between 10-15 percent.
Bubble play is a significant factor in poker tournaments. Players tend to tighten up when the money bubble is approaching, with shorter stacks trying to sneak their way into the money while bigger stacks, who don��t have to worry about being knocked out, can consistently steal pots from players waiting for the bubble to burst.
Players also have to worry about Independent Chip Model (ICM) play, where each chip in your stack is worth a certain amount in real money. At the final table, in practice, two top stacks will play tighter against each other, not risking getting knocked out while there are smaller stacks still in the tournament. Players in tournaments also have to become adept at playing not only full table strategy, but also smaller tables as players get eliminated. Finally, there is heads-up play if you��re lucky enough to survive to the final two players.
What Different Types of Online Poker Tournaments can you Play?
Not all poker tournaments come in the same formats and with the same features. In recent years, re-entry tournaments have become normal, with players allowed to buy in again if they get eliminated during the registration period. There are also freezeout tournaments, where players are only allowed one shot at making it into the money.
There are also bounty tournaments where, in addition to the prize pool, each player you eliminate also earns you a certain cash amount. Tournaments can either have a normal blind structure, with levels increasing every 10-15 minutes, or a turbo structure where blinds go up every five-eight minutes and which forces you to get involved in the action more often or risk being blinded out.
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Why Should You Play Online Poker Tournaments?
Online poker tournaments can be a perfect way for a player to steadily build their bankroll. In contrast to cash games, there is a set buy-in amount, so you know how much money you are risking in each event. While even the best players won��t cash in every event they play, the rewards in poker tournaments can be massive, with first prizes far exceeding what a player invested in the tournament.
This return on investment (ROI) is a major benefit of playing tournaments instead of cash games. Even one big tournament win can offset a string of tournaments in which you don��t finish in the money. Poker tournaments can be challenging, putting to the test all elements of your skill, but they can also be rewarding.
What Online Poker Tournaments can you Play in Ontario?
Online poker tournaments come in all sorts of formats to match the unique needs of players and their bankrolls. There are knockout bounty tournaments, high roller events, satellites that award seats into larger buy-in events,and even freerolls that give out prizes without having to invest any money.
Poker sites in Ontario feature both No-Limit Hold��em and Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments. This section will explain the various types of tournaments available in Ontario, giving you a list of the best options to play for each one.
Play Bounty Builder Poker Tournaments in Ontario
Bounty tournaments can be found in abundance across all the poker sites available to play in Ontario. These tournaments can either be progressive knockout events, with the bounty attached to a player increasing depending on the number of players they eliminate during the event, or mystery bounty events.
Mystery bounties, which have rapidly increased in popularity over the past few years, leave the bounty put on each player hidden until they are knocked out.
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What are Online Bounty Builder Tournaments
Bounty tournaments have their own unique strategy that differs from other events. A player might call all-ins with weaker holdings, just in an attempt to earn their opponent��s bounty. There is also an added reward for winning the tournament. In addition to the top prize, the last player remaining will also get to keep their own bounty.
In bounty events, half of the buy-in is usually dedicated to the bounties while the other half goes into the prize pool. For example, in a $30 buy-in bounty event, $15 will go into the regular prize pool, while each player will then have a $15 bounty placed on them. This puts an added emphasis on aggressive play as more money, especially in progressive bounty events, can often be won in bounties than in the regular prizes.
The Best Bounty Builder Poker Tournaments to Play in Ontario
- PokerStars $100 Brawl
PokerStars offers the daily $100 Brawl, featuring prize pool guarantees from $6,000 to $7,000. For the Brawl, players begin with 25,000 chips and a $150 bounty. PokerStars also has the weekly Thursday Thrill, a $200 progressive knockout tournament with an $8,000 guaranteed prize pool. For players with smaller bankrolls, PokerStars has progressive KO tournaments from as low as $1. - GGPoker Ontario $105 Sunday Bounty King
There is a plethora of bounty tournaments featured on GGPoker Ontario, ranging from the $210 Sunday Heater to a $1.05 Bounty Hunters event held twice per day. The $105 Sunday Bounty King has the highest guaranteed prize pool of any bounty tournament on the site, guaranteeing players at least $12,000. Plates start with a bounty of $25. This event has a slow blind structure, with levels increasing every 15 minutes and players getting 25,000 chips, good for 125 big blinds, at the beginning of the tournament. - 888poker $109 Mystery Bounty
888poker is the only site in Ontario that offers mystery bounty tournaments. In these events, every player has a golden bounty envelope floating above their avatar, with the amount only revealed after they are knocked out. There are two mystery bounty events offered on 888poker Ontario, with buy-ins of $22 and $109. The $22 event has a top bounty prize of $200 and a guaranteed prize pool of $2,000, while the $109 event features bounties up to $1,000 and a $10,000 guarantee.
What are High-roller Poker Tournaments?
High-roller events are where the game��s elite players are found. Usually featuring buy-ins of at least $200, high rollers require a different skill set than lower buy-in events.
In high-roller events, the structure will often be slower, allowing for more deep-stacked play. There will be more flops seen, fewer pre-flop all ins, and more aggressive play. These events will usually feature more skilled, experienced players. But with the increased buy-in comes higher prize pools and bigger rewards if you find yourself the last player left standing in this difficult field.
The Best High-roller Poker Tournaments to Play in Ontario
- partypoker $530 High Roller
partypoker Ontario features a regular $530 high-roller event beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET. This event has a $7,500 guaranteed prize pool with a deepstack structure. Players begin with 50,000 chips and levels are 12 minutes long. This event is held every Monday and Wednesday - PokerStars�� $500 Daily Super High Roller
The highest regular buy-in tournament on PokerStars Ontario is the $500 Daily Super High Roller. This tournament begins at 6:35 p.m. ET every day, with guaranteed prize pools ranging from $9,000 up to $20,000 on Sunday. Players begin with 10,000 chips and play 15-minute levels, with up to five reentries allowed. PokerStars Ontario also has the $250 Sunday High Roller, a variant of the popular Sunday Million that features a $12,000 guaranteed prize pool. - GGPoker Ontario $525 Sunday High Roller Superstack
There is a high roller event running on WSOP at GGPoker every day of the week. The highlight is the $525 Sunday High Roller Superstack, with a guaranteed prize pool of $15,000. Players begin with 100,000 chips, which is equal to 250 big blinds at the start of the tournament, with levels lasting 15 minutes. The $525 high roller events held on other days of the week all have a $10,000 guarantee.
What are Freeroll Poker Tournaments?
Freeroll poker tournaments are just like other tournaments, with one notable exception: they come with no risk. Players can enter these events and get a chance to earn money and prizes without investing any of their bankroll.
Freerolls will usually feature players who are new to poker, so play will often be less advanced and looser. With no money at risk, players are incentivized to get their money in the pot early and often and try to build a big stack for when the prizes are allocated. They will also usually have faster blind structures than other events.
The Best Freeroll Poker Tournaments to Play in Ontario
- partypoker $100 Daily Freeroll
If you want a chance to earn some money and satellite into events with no risk to your bankroll, then partypoker Ontario has several options for you. There is a $100 Daily Freeroll that awards a ticket to a $16.50 satellite. The top 22 finishers will each earn at least a ticket into a $1.65 tournament. There is also a $250 Weekly Freeroll held every Sunday, with the top prize being a ticket into the $33 Titan event. - 888poker $5,000 Monthly Freeroll
Want to play in the $109 Mystery Bounty on 888poker Ontario, but don��t quite have the bankroll for it? Then 888poker Ontario allows you to qualify for free. There are multiple freeroll tournaments that each have three guaranteed seats available to be won into the mystery bounty. 888poker Ontario also has a number of freeroll tournaments that allow you to win up to $126 and require you to complete challenges in order to qualify. The highlight is a $5,000 monthly freeroll tournament, with a top prize of $1,260 available to the winner.
What are No-Limit Hold��em Poker Tournaments?
No-Limit Hold��em is often called the ��Cadillac of poker,�� and for good reason. It is the most popular and widely available poker variant to play, and the sites in Ontario are no exception.
Each of the Ontario poker sites has a number of No-Limit Hold��em tournaments running constantly, but they aren��t all the same. Some will be turbo events, in which the blinds increase at a quicker pace. This format will rapidly decrease a player��s stack if they don��t get involved and start accumulating chips, rewarding action. Once these events get into the money, stacks will often be so shallow that most pots will be pre-flop all ins. The best strategy is to learn pre-flop ranges, pick a hand to go with, and hope it holds up.
The Best No-Limit Hold��em Poker Tournaments in Ontario
- PokerStars Big $30
No-Limit Hold��em��s status as the most popular poker variant is reflected in the offerings available to play on PokerStars. The site features No-Limit Hold��em events ranging from buy-ins of $1 to upwards of $500. There are also turbos, hyper-turbos, and slow blind structures. PokerStars offers daily tournaments that are advertised as ��Big�� with various buy-in levels. The Big $30 is an eight-handed event with a $1,300 guaranteed prize pool. Players start with 5,000 chips and play 10-minute levels. - WSOP at GGPoker $25 Daily Deepstacks
As the official home of the World Series of Poker in Ontario, GGPoker Ontario has a wide selection of No-Limit Hold��em events to choose from. Tournaments range from just $1 all the way up to the $525 high rollers. GGPoker Ontario has a $25 Daily Deepstack event, beginning every day at 5:05 p.m. ET. This tournament gives players 20,000 chips, amounting to 200 big blinds to start, with 10-minute blind levels. There is a $2,000 guaranteed prize pool and unlimited reentries allowed. WSOP at GGPoker awarded the first two WSOP gold bracelets exclusive to Ontario last year, with more coming in the future. The site is also home to the GGMasters, a $150 buy-in event with a massive $50,000 guaranteed prize pool - 888poker $16.50 Big Shot
888poker Ontario has No-Limit Hold��em events ranging from $525 to as little as $0.10. These include the $16.50 Big Shot, a daily tournament beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. This tournament has a $400 guaranteed prize pool, with a structure featuring 10-minute levels and 10,000 chips to start. There is also the $55 PKO Rumble, a progressive knockout tournament with a $1,000 guarantee. Players are given a $12.50 bounty to start the event and 5,000 chips, good for 125 big blinds.
What are Pot-Limit Omaha Poker Tournaments?
Pot-Limit Omaha differs from No-Limit Hold��em in one major aspect: players get four hole cards instead of two. Each hand must make use of two of those cards along with three cards on the board.
Pot-Limit Omaha is a game that often features more action than No-Limit Hold��em. Since players get more cards, there are more opportunities to make a hand. One pair hands often won��t cut it in Pot-Limit Omaha. Straights, flushes, even full houses are easier to make and put a premium on playing suited, connected cards that can make these events.
Players also can��t simply go all in as they can in No-Limit Hold��em. Bet sizes are restricted to how much is in the pot.
The Best Pot-Limit Omaha Poker Tournaments to Play in Ontario
- WSOP at GGPoker $52.50 Omaholic Bounty Deepstack
GGPoker Ontario is home to the ��Omaholic�� series of events. These tournaments have buy-ins ranging from $2.10 to $52.50. The $52.50 Omaholic Bounty Deepstack is a daily tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $1,000. Players begin the event with a $12.50 bounty placed on them. For players with a smaller bankroll, the $10 Omaholic Deepstack has a $200 guarantee and gives players 200 big blinds to start. - Partypoker $11 PLO Bounty Hunter
The highest buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament featured on partypoker Ontario is the $11 PLO Bounty Hunter. This is a six-handed event with a progressive knockout and a $200 guaranteed prize pool. Partypoker Ontario also has a $5.50 PLO Deepstack event with a $125 guarantee, giving players 100,000 starting chips with eight-minute blind levels. - PokerStars $10 Pot-Limit Omaha
PokerStars Ontario has a daily $10 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET with a $400 guaranteed prize pool. This tournament also features a progressive knockout format. The site also has Omaha Hi-Lo events with buy-ins ranging from $30 to $2.
What are Satellite Poker Tournaments?
Satellite poker tournaments usually don��t award any money, but they do give players a chance to earn an amount far exceeding their investment.
Satellites are lower buy-in events that give players a chance to qualify for more expensive tournaments. The top spots in the field will automatically earn a seat in the higher buy-in event, allowing them a chance to earn a massive return on their investment. Big prizes are available at just a fraction of the cost.
For example, a $50 buy-in tournament can have satellites that give players seats for just $5. Satellites are a perfect way for a player who doesn��t have the bankroll or experience to directly buy in to larger events a chance to play for large prize pools and test their game against more skilled players. They have become a popular aspect of the poker tournament landscape and an excellent way of building a bankroll without investing too much money.
The Best Satellite Poker Tournaments to Play in Ontario
- 888poker $55 Super Highroller Satellite
If you want to play the $525 Sunday Highroller on 888poker Ontario, then you can earn your way into the tournament for just $55. These satellites guarantee at least two seats into the high roller. The $109 Mystery Bounty also has a number of satellites, ranging from freerolls to $16.50 that award at least five seats. - PokerStars $5 Daily Super High Roller
If you don��t have the bankroll to register for one of the big buy-in events on PokerStars, the site gives you the option to satellite in. You can qualify for the Daily Super High Roller for as little as $5, guaranteeing two seats into the tournament. The Brawl has several $5 satellites with two seats into the $100 event available. - Partypoker $75 High Roller Satellite
Partypoker Ontario gives you plenty of options to qualify for bigger buy-in events without having to take the full cost out of your bankroll. The $530 High Roller has regular satellites for just $75. You can also qualify into these satellites for as little as $11, giving you a chance to chase the $7,500 guaranteed prize pool with only a slight amount of investment.
Online Poker Tournaments in Ontario FAQs
Is it legal to play online poker tournaments in Ontario?
Yes, it is legal to play online poker tournaments in Ontario. Online poker sites in ON are fully licensed and regulated by iGaming Ontario, a commission established by the provincial government for the new, segregated gaming market
How do I play online poker tournaments in Ontario?
Online poker tournaments in Ontario are available on a number of different sites, including PokerStars, PartyPoker, GGPoker Ontario, and 888poker.
Can you run your own online poker tournament in Ontario?
No, you cannot run your own online poker tournament in Ontario. All online poker sites have to be licensed by iGaming Ontario.
What are the best online poker tournaments in Ontario?
The $109 Mystery Bounty tournament on 888poker Ontario utilizes mystery bounties, a poker format that has gained widespread popularity in the last few years. Players are given a mystery envelope that contains their bounty, with the amount only being revealed after they are knocked out. Bounties can be as high as $1,000.
What are the best online freeroll poker tournaments in Ontario?
Both partypoker Ontario and 888poker Ontario feature tournaments where players can enter and win prizes for free. Partypoker Ontario has a $250 Weekly Freeroll held every Sunday, with the top prize being a ticket into the $33 Titan event.
