Features of CoinPoker: Why Play Poker Online with Us?

There are a number of fantastic features that sets CoinPoker apart from the legacy online poker platforms.

The World’s No. 1 Crypto-Friendly Poker Site

Have you been looking for an online poker site where you can play with—and win—cryptocurrency? The search is over.

CoinPoker is one of the few poker sites in the world where you can deposit using the major cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH and USDT. We were also named the number one crypto poker site in the world in 2024.

As well as the cryptocurrencies you’ll already be familiar with, CoinPoker also has its own dedicated currency: CHP. Simply deposit into CoinPoker and it’ll be converted into the equivalent CHP for you to play with at the tables, while you can also buy CHP directly from KuCoin, AltCoin, HitBTC, ForkDelta and YObit.

Decentralized RNG

Unlike on the legacy poker platforms where their RNG (random number generator) used for ‘shuffling’ the deck is kept secret, at CoinPoker we leverage a highly advanced and transparent decentralized RNG—but what does this mean for our players?

When you play poker on CoinPoker you can actually contribute to the shuffling of the deck and view your impact on card shuffling at any time. In addition, you can even view undealt community cards and the order of the deck with the Hand Hindsight feature. All of these features contribute to a fair play environment within Coin Poker.

Mobile Poker on the Go

So you want to play online poker in Canada for real money, but you don’t want to be tied to your laptop or desktop computer. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.

The CoinPoker mobile app is available on both iOS and Android, while the app itself is fast, smooth and easy to install. What’s more, the CoinPoker app also offers the same great variety of cash games and online poker tournaments. All of our online poker games are available on vertical tablets too, so wherever you are in the Canada – be it in the traffic of downtown Toronto or some serene wilderness in Nova Scotia, you can still crush the opposition at the tables and win big.

Bonuses, Rakeback & Promotions

Here at CoinPoker we value our players incredibly highly, which is why we offer an awesome selection of deposit bonuses, rakeback rewards and exciting tournament promotions.

For our new players, we’ve got some of the best welcome bonuses around, where you can earn 150% on your first deposit – upto $2,000!

But that’s not the only way you can earn bonus CHP while playing poker online.

Every Monday we’re paying our real money cash and tournament players 33% rakeback for their previous week’s play.

All in all, it has never been more rewarding to play at CoinPoker.

Classic Poker Games

At CoinPoker you can simply focus on playing your favorite poker games.

No Limit Texas Hold’em

The world’s most popular poker variant, in Texas Hold’em you have to make the best five-card poker hand out of your two ‘hole’ cards and the five community cards. There are four rounds of betting, and no limit on how much of your chip stack you can bet.

Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)

In PLO you receive four hole cards, and you must make the best five-card hand from two of your hole cards and three of the five community cards. Also note that betting is capped at the current total value of the pot.

5-card Pot Limit Omaha

5-card PLO is identical to PLO, except that you have a fifth hole card to choose from. However, you can still only use two of these hold cards in your final hand.

Exciting Online Poker Tournaments

At CoinPoker there are dozens of exciting online poker tournaments running every single day, offering a variety of buy-ins, guaranteed cash prizes and blind structures (including Regular, Turbo and Hyper), across our three poker game variants: No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and 5-Card Pot Limit Omaha.

We also have a great range of freeroll tournaments so, whatever the state of your bankroll, we’ve got a poker tournament to suit you.

Poker in Canada: Trends & Market Size

Every year, almost 20 million Canadians take part in some type of gambling. The Canadian gambling industry hit $12.54 billion in 2021—and online poker and live poker is a big part of that.

In fact, in 2022, over 3 million Canadians reported playing poker in one form or another—almost 10 percent of the population—and, unlike across the border in the United States, Canadian citizens are free to play poker online.

As we mentioned above, there were over 3 million poker players in Canada as of 2022, and the popularity of the game has only been growing. There is also a vibrant live poker scene, with the likes of the Casino Regina, Winnipeg’s Club Regent, Casino Niagara and Calgary’s Grey Eagle offering a wide range of cash games and tournaments.

Canada has also produced some of the world’s best and most famous players in the world, including Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel and Sam Greenwood. In fact, Canada boasts the second-highest number of players to win a World Series of Poker bracelet.

The future for live and online poker in the country is also bright, with more and more live tournaments coming to the country, while an increasing number of poker players relocate from the US to play the world’s favorite card game.

The Legality of Online Poker in Canada

Online poker, much like gambling, in Canada is not regulated on a federal level, instead leaving it up to the individual provinces.

That said, online poker on licensed and regulated sites is legal across the whole country.

What’s more, Canada’s reputation as a poker-friendly country has seen many online poker players who were denied access to the game in the United States have since relocated north of the border.

In 2024 Canada updated its poker legislation in response to the growing popularity of the game, specifically to provide clear guidelines for online poker operators, enhancing player protections and improving coordination between the federal and provincial level. Regulations also now more clearly differentiate between online and live poker games.

The legal age to play online in Canada varies from state-to-state, but it is 19-years old across the majority of the country. The exceptions are Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec where the minimum legal age to play poker is 18.

Taxation of Poker Winnings in Canada

Unlike in the US, gambling-related activity, including online poker, cannot be taxed because it’s not a ‘regular source of income […] derived from employment, property or other viable sources’—and this is the case for every Canadian province.

This means that for Canadian online poker players, anything you win at the tables on CoinPoker is yours to keep, tax-free.

There are two exceptions to this. Firstly, if your gambling winnings result in interest or dividends this income would have to be declared on T3, T5 and T5013 forms, and would be taxed between 15% and 33%, depending on how much you earn. Note that this could impact whether or not you need to pay tax on any gains you make from the value of the cryptocurrency you hold increasing.

Secondly, if you’re a professional poker player where you winnings is your primary source of income, these earnings would have to be declared, although losses can be deducted from the taxable amount. Earnings from playing poker professionally would be subject to both provincial and federal taxes.

The Legality of Cryptocurrencies in Canada

Although crypto has not been given the status of ‘legal tender’ by the Canadian government, it is still completely legal to buy and sell cryptocurrency in Canada as a commodity, including the major cryptocurrencies we accept on CoinPoker: BTC, ETH and USDT. This means that you can purchase these coins, as well as our platform-specific coin CHP, with Canadian Dollars and convert it back whenever you wish.

In Canada, cryptocurrencies are regulated under securities legislation.

How to buy Cryptocurrencies in Canada?

Buying cryptocurrencies in Canada is simple, and can be purchased via exchanges just like in other countries.

If you’re buying crypto to use on CoinPoker, you’ll need to find an exchange that offers BTC, ETH or USDT, or buy CHP directly from one of KuCoin, AltCoin, HitBTC, ForkDelta or YObit. Note that different exchanges charge different fees, and some are higher if they offer greater convenience, so do your research first.

Once you’ve identified the best exchange for you, you’ll need to create an account with them and also have a ‘wallet’ to store them in. Exchanges often provide their own ‘hosted hot wallets’, or you can get a personal hot wallet.

Finally, navigate to the exchange’s trading terminal and select the cryptocurrency you want to buy.

Best Crypto Exchanges in CA

There are a number of exchanges you can access from Canada to purchase your cryptocurrencies, but which have the best reputations?

Kraken

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the oldest exchanges around and offers over 230 tradable coins with competitive trading fees.

Crypto.com

Crypto.com stocks over 250 coins, as well as unique perks and rewards for Crypto.com Visa Card users.

Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the most recognisable names in crypto, while the platform is easy to use and boasts advanced features like in-depth technical analysis.

Gemini

Gemini offers a wide range of features, including their unique Gemini Earn program which offers users interest on their crypto holdings, as well as the Gemini Credit Card.

Note that these exchanges do not offer CHP. The only places you can purchase our platform-specific coins (and qualify for our 33% rakeback offer) are from KuCoin, AltCoin, HitBTC, ForkDelta or YObit.

Play Online Poker in Canada Today

Ready to play online poker in Canada and start winning real money?

Join CoinPoker today and make your first deposit to start taking advantage of our fantastic range of rewards and enjoy the great selection of poker games we have to offer.