Ontario online poker may have a new look on April 4, 2022? (including updates)

[Shufflin]

I'm not sure what to expect in cash games. On one hand, there is potential for a bunch of new recreational player pools; but I fear there will be times of the day without much action.

And if the govt wants a piece, the rake could make it impossible...guess we'll see - there is always B&M I suppose...

 

[ritz_avalanche]

Just a quick reminder for anyone in Ontario who might be looking to play the CardsChat 888poker freerolls, you will not be able to play those freerolls any longer.

Hopefully the cardschat freeroll on Saturdays for Ontarions ,which used to happen earlier, will be back !

 

[edenman1]

I heard its coming for Ontario, still waiting here in NS

 

[Polytarp]

Just a quick reminder for anyone in Ontario who might be looking to play the CardsChat 888poker freerolls, you will not be able to play those freerolls any longer.

Well...at least the CC site is working in Ontario
I've played 888 (with the new OLG logo) and am starting from the bottom up...adapt or die ..was one of my prior signatures. The fields are (presently) small relative to the pot sizes and I've won (and lost) in the hundreds but still very much in the black..checking things out here and there and poking at certain games with a stick. I haven't attempted a withdrawal yet but deposits are accepted quickly..I made a large withdrawal prior to the migration (just in case) and no issues there either. I'm curious as to what "transaction fees" will be on future withdrawals, at least the currency exchange portion will be gone. In the Blast games I've obtained numerous gifts drops, especially during the first game played.
The unibet migration has flopped, despite their being first off the blocks. Apparently my account can't be found to be migrated (along with my balance) after several emails. There's no rush for me to correct this as my time is limited and I'd like to assess the value of any potential "Welcome (back)" bonuses.

 

[Shells]

Hopefully the cardschat freeroll on Saturdays for Ontarions ,which used to happen earlier, will be back !

I think you are referring to the 888poker freeroll that was offered to Canadians (not just Ontario)? I don't foresee anything in the immediate future but keep posted and hopefully, something will come up for Ontarians.

 

[Shells]

Well...at least the CC site is working in Ontario
I've played 888 (with the new OLG logo) and am starting from the bottom up...adapt or die ..was one of my prior signatures. The fields are (presently) small relative to the pot sizes and I've won (and lost) in the hundreds but still very much in the black..checking things out here and there and poking at certain games with a stick. I haven't attempted a withdrawal yet but deposits are accepted quickly..I made a large withdrawal prior to the migration (just in case) and no issues there either. I'm curious as to what "transaction fees" will be on future withdrawals, at least the currency exchange portion will be gone. In the Blast games I've obtained numerous gifts drops, especially during the first game played.
The Unibet migration has flopped, despite their being first off the blocks. Apparently my account can't be found to be migrated (along with my balance) after several emails. There's no rush for me to correct this as my time is limited and I'd like to assess the value of any potential "Welcome (back)" bonuses.

That's good to know that you are checking out 888poker Ontario and so far so good other than the smaller fields - hopefully the numbers pick up at least a bit.

I didn't think Unibet was coming to Ontario at all - at least, I haven't seen anything to indicate they are.

Keep us posted as to anything you might think would help the rest of us while trying to get used to this new form of online poker for Ontarians.

 

[Polytarp]

That's good to know that you are checking out 888poker Ontario and so far so good other than the smaller fields - hopefully the numbers pick up at least a bit.

I didn't think Unibet was coming to Ontario at all - at least, I haven't seen anything to indicate they are.

Keep us posted as to anything you might think would help the rest of us while trying to get used to this new form of online poker for Ontarians.

These pictures should convey more than I'm able to explain (sorry for the virtual real estate they cover). The last image and the smallest is an indicator of the field size. I haven't looked at Poker Scout to review traffic stats but this bubble reminds me of online poker pre-2010 when similar field sizes/pot sizes existed if you looked for them; They disappeared because they weren't sustainable which goes to your point regarding player numbers. I haven't looked at any online trackers either (sharkscope, etc...) to determine if my play is being recorded and the latest version of Poker Tracker (Holdem & Omaha) doesn't seem to capture any of my 888 play either..yet.

 

[Shells]

Well now...how about that?! Unibet IS available to Ontarians! Thanks for that!

 

[Shells]

After I had finished updating the Unibet site, I was unable to sign in with the following message:

I don't know what I am doing wrong but the only other site I can download or play on is the Sports betting and Casino App. - no poker for me that I can tell.

 

[Polytarp]

After I had finished updating the Unibet site, I was unable to sign in with the following message:
I don't know what I am doing wrong but the only other site I can download or play on is the Sports betting and Casino app. - no poker for me that I can tell.

I saw this article at pokerscout:
https://www.pokerscout.com/betmgm-p...ulated-online-poker-operator-under-new-rules/
I haven't followed up on it.
The games at 888 in Ontario can be considered a bit soft..if I can win ANYONE can.
As I said before, the fields are small relative to the prize money especially in the $109 range and up. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to play them (I made one exception though and took 3rd place..enough for beer money).

Regarding the other sites, BetOnline, WillHill, ACR..they're still loading up without issue...though I'm unable to play the CC games there because I'm still at Bronze..(hint, hint)

How has this "game-change" affected CC's Ontario membership, if at all?

Cheers

 

[Shells]

I saw this article at pokerscout:
https://www.pokerscout.com/betmgm-p...ulated-online-poker-operator-under-new-rules/
I haven't followed up on it.
The games at 888 in Ontario can be considered a bit soft..if I can win ANYONE can.
As I said before, the fields are small relative to the prize money especially in the $109 range and up. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to play them (I made one exception though and took 3rd place..enough for beer money).

Regarding the other sites, BetOnline, WillHill, ACR..they're still loading up without issue...though I'm unable to play the CC games there because I'm still at Bronze..(hint, hint)

How has this "game-change" affected CC's Ontario membership, if at all?

Cheers

Thanks for keeping us informed.


CardsChat no longer offers freerolls at BOL, etc mainly due to this >>> https://www.cardschat.com/forum/sug.../cardschat-enters-us-regulated-market-501050/

And members can see all the freerolls that are now offered here in the first post >>> https://www.cardschat.com/forum/car...chat-freerolls-tournament-access-info-452874/

Soooo, what has changed for Ontario members? In short, members in the province of Ontario can play (or are eligible) the Special Events, CardsChat League, etc. and for now, the pokerstars Daily Freerolls, until PokerStars moves to the regulated platform in Ontario (no date given at this point but could change at any time)

When I have more time (and patience) I will have to really sit down and figure out a bunch of things (the 888poker platform is still not up and running for me).

 

[Polytarp]

When I have more time (and patience) I will have to really sit down and figure out a bunch of things (the 888poker platform is still not up and running for me).

Thanks for the links! You must be in that "special" part of Ontario!
Like yourself, there are other (and more pressing) matters to attend to on a daily basis. Those things that are "out-of-whack" can be taken care of in due course.

 

[Uncloggie]

I live in Ontario and spend my leisure time at my cottage in Quebec.
888 is now unplayable from Quebec for me since I was forced to the Ontario version.

The new Ontario version is very location sensitive. And no, even a VPN doesn't seem to get around it with this new version.

Also lost my ticket to the big black slope freeroll with the change.

Another new nuisance is the mobile version no longer remembers your password.


The only upside I see is there are still a lot of 888 freerolls, with hardly anyone playing.

 

[Poker Orifice]

I was watching a Twitch Streamer yesterday for a short bit... a guy I have watched a bunch of times in the past & have subscribed to. He typically only plays on one site (Stars) but with the new change he was playing on 888, Stars, & GG
He typically plays high volume, $30 18man SNG & $30 abi MTT's

His comments.
There are very few players on the sites so far.
ie. $50 buyin $800 gtd., there were only 5 entrants in it (& the tourney won't start until a min. of 5 have registered). He said 4 of those players were in ALL of the other MTT's offered in the lobby and just one player was in that one tournament. (he said, "they seem like they are all regulars except for that one player").

He's the only player I've seen stream from Ontario so far (since Apr.4).

To observe what it is like on the sites in Tournament play you could check out his stream... GitAndSos. He streams in the evenings. 18:00 to 24:00 (ET)

 

[DaveE]

Just in case anyone hasn't seen this, here's the current stars situation (for me at least)...

Here's hoping the Ontario commission is full of lazy procrastinators that drag their asses for years

 

[Ron112355]

Just in case anyone hasn't seen this, here's the current stars situation (for me at least)...

Here's hoping the Ontario commission is full of lazy procrastinators that drag their asses for years

Hey Dave, I posted this link a few days ago in case you missed it
https://pokerfuse.com/news/poker-room-news/217427-ontario-online-poker-market-two-tiered/

 

[DaveE]

Hey Dave, I posted this link a few days ago in case you missed it
https://pokerfuse.com/news/poker-room-news/217427-ontario-online-poker-market-two-tiered/

Yes, I missed that. Cheers Ron :top:

 

[Polytarp]

After I had finished updating the Unibet site...

Shells, I believe that you have been updating the "non-Ontario" account. Here is support:
[email protected]
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Ron's pokerfuse article was interesting. Do you have access to any legislative sources (instead of industry articles) that provide criteria for "Ontario" market entry? That is, is there anything like a commission that oversees this entire business like the Kahnawake authority.
Regarding the Kahnawake entity, they may have used the Australian model as a template with regards to legal agreements and covenants...something I came across a long while back.

 

[Shells]

Shells, I believe that you have been updating the "non-Ontario" account. Here is support:
[email protected]

Well, that very well could be. Thanks for the addy!

 

[Polytarp]

A couple of links that may help someone.
I haven't (yet) gone down this path but may at some point.
https://www.agco.ca/roadmap-launch-new-competitive-and-regulated-igaming-market-ontario
https://www.agco.ca/user/login?destination=node/51566

Some of the addresses work within the second link which I checked superficially.

 

[Tredford]

I've got an account on 888 and partypoker in Ontario now.
Both have some free tickets, even if you are brining your account over from the main site.

bankroll challenge : from freerolls and bonus tickets to $10k !!

 

[Tredford]

PartyPoker has some really good games right now.
You get a $5.50 ticket and 4-5 $1 tickets just for signing up.

I used the $5.50 to join a $500 GTD MTT ... and there were only 42 players in it. So TONS of overlay!!

 

[Shumkoolie]

Well, for those of you Ontarians, like myself, that are anxiously wondering about ringfencing, here's an article that discusses the upcoming 2022 SCOOP series. Here's the link.

Save the date: Spring Championship of Online Poker 2022 coming soon - Pokerstars Blog

It runs from Sunday May 8th through Wednesday June 1st, so here's hoping that the ringfencing does not happen too quickly.

 

[ritz_avalanche]

888 player traffic for tourneys is not great.
All tourneys are a grind now .What's the experience on other sites?

 

[Shells]

888 player traffic for tourneys is not great.
All tourneys are a grind now .What's the experience on other sites?

PokerStars is still running under the international umbrella, so everything there is the same as it was before April 4. Don't forget though, PokerStars could pull the plug on Ontarians with little notice. I don't think wsop.ca is operational yet (not sure if there is a start date for them)