Best Online Poker Tournaments in Ontario

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Feb 13, 2023 14 min read Last updated Apr 17, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

Online Poker Tournaments in Ontario FAQs