How We Rated Our Top Poker Sites
If you have tried looking for a good poker room online yourself, then undoubtedly you will have already seen that there are hundreds to choose from. Unfortunately, not all real money online poker operators are good. There are some out there that are greedy and fraudulent. If you don’t know what you are looking for, then you could easily fall into a trap.
However, you won’t need to worry about that because we have been reviewing online poker sites and have scoured the different poker sites to look through each one in depth. This helps us to only recommend the very best online poker operators and regulated online poker sites. Here is how we pick out our top poker sites.
Licensing, Security and Reputation
The very first thing we look at to determine whether or not we will recommend a site is whether or not it is licensed and regulated by a reputable governing body. Trustworthy poker sites will be licensed by bodies such as the UKGC, MGA, Gibraltar or others. The biggest online poker sites will also hold certifications from third-party testing companies such as iTechLabs or eCOGRA, who ensure the online games and technology used is completely fair and random and that the poker site is completely transparent.
In our poker site reviews, we also look to see whether or not the poker operators have a secure website – and the top sites will be protected by high-end SSL encryption technology to ensure that your data is safe and secure.
Finally, we look for the online reputation. We will check to see what real players are saying about the site and whether or not they recommend it. Any poker site that has lots of complaints against it will certainly be off the list.
The Selection of Games
The very best poker sites will offer players a good selection of real money games, with different poker rooms and games catering for players of all budgets. As well as an extensive selection of poker games, we also like to see other options such as alternative table games, slot games and even sports betting. After all, a poker player might want to take a break from the next poker game and try something else. The best Canadian poker sites give their players choices.
If you look to spend money playing poker, then you want variety. The best online poker rooms offer different tables with quick seat games and anonymous tables etc. You should also be able to try out different game variants such as Seven-Card Stud, Omaha Hold ‘Em, Caribbean Stud Poker and more. The more real-money poker games available, the better!
Rakeback
When reviewing the best online poker sites we understand that a loyal poker player will expect rewards – and who doesn’t love Rakeback? The ‘Rake’ is the percentage that an online poker room takes from the money pot. However, Rakeback is when the poker site redistributes part of that Rake to its most loyal poker players.
So, if Canadian poker sites offer 10% Rakeback, then you would be given back 10% of the Rake from that game. This is usually distributed according to its loyalty reward program.
Number of Poker Players and Room Traffic
We also look at the traffic numbers of the site. Many poker enthusiasts prefer to play at a site that has a larger number of new players because there are several benefits attached to this. Firstly, more people in the playing pool means that you have a better chance of winning money from a softer opponent. It also means there is likely to be a wide variety of skill sets there, allowing beginners to learn from the more experienced players, whilst those more experienced players can challenge themselves against others for higher stakes. Additionally, a site with higher traffic generally has more tournaments with bigger prizes.
Selection of Bonuses and Promotions
Everyone loves a casino bonus or promotion – and the best online poker site will offer a variety of generous rewards and great poker bonuses for both new and existing players.
As well as a good and fair welcome bonus, most poker sites for Canadian players should also offer ongoing promotions such as contests and tournaments, reward programs and loyalty points, promo codes and more. Even if the bonuses are small, if they come in thick and fast it means you can start getting much more value for money.
