partypoker will launch online poker, casino gaming, and sports betting in Ontario on Tuesday, April 12 — and the operator will combine liquidity with the existing BetMGM Poker Ontario real money platform to create the province’s first online poker network, pokerfuse can exclusively reveal.
On Tuesday, all existing partypoker.com players in Ontario will be migrated over to the new site. The new software will need to be downloaded, but accounts will be migrated over seamlessly — the same username and password will work, and, once a player confirms their identity, their balance from partypoker.com will be moved over.
All free spins, bets, and bonuses will convert to cash and will automatically be transferred to your new account once it’s verified.
According to an FAQ posted on Friday, players will find much the same offerings on its new Ontario site — except everything will be denominated in CAD and the player pool is segregated from the global pool. Players will be able to access the sportsbook, casino, and poker games all from a single hub.
- One of the biggest names in online poker
- Wide scope of cash game stakes
- Quality MTT schedule year around
Three Online Poker Rooms — But Only Two Networks
partypoker Ontario will be third in the recent wave of Ontario online poker apps to go live in the new regulated market. The first was 888, which launched on Monday, April 4, the first day of the regulated market opening. On day two, BetMGM entered the fray with its own poker offering.
However, it will not be the third player pool. Left unsaid, but confirmed by pokerfuse, is that partypoker will pool liquidity with BetMGM Poker Ontario. This will create the first poker network in the province. BetMGM will see a big boost to traffic numbers, as party will be bringing with it an existing player base of active Ontario online poker players.
Ontario Online Poker: April 8 Update
| Operator | AGCO License? | iGO Authorized? | Launch Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 888poker | Yes | Yes | Launched on April 4 |
| BetMGM | Yes | Yes | Launched April 5 |
| Partypoker | Yes | No | Launching April 12 |
| GGPoker/WSOP | Yes | No | Delayed; Mid-April Earliest |
| PokerStars | No | No | June at the Earliest |
Ultimately, pokerfuse anticipates a total of four player pools across five online poker rooms in Ontario. Both PokerStars and GGPoker will also launch under Ontario iGaming regulations — but their debuts are delayed.
PokerStars confirmed to pokerfuse this week that, while its license application was progressing, it expected to continue to serve Ontario players via its global online poker room, at least until the end of SCOOP — which puts a launch date at June 1, at the earliest.
GGPoker has been less direct, though has stated that delays mean it will not launch this week.
Same Games, but Players Should Expect Less Selection
According to the partypoker’s Ontario FAQ, there “may be some changes in terms of which games are available” due to “local regulations.” However, pokerfuse expects the usual selection of games — Spins, FastForward, cash, SNGs and MTTs — to be available, as these are already live on BetMGM Poker Ontario.
There will certainly be some restrictions on game types and stakes, though this is presumably due to concerns over a small liquidity pool rather than regulatory restrictions.
At the time of writing, there are cash games from NL10 up to NL2500 (CAD $10/$25). FastForward, its fast-fold cash game, is available in three buy-ins — NL10, NL50 and NL200, Spins are spread at three buy-in levels. Notably, these are all No-Limit Hold’em only.
There is a mix of Sit and Gos — 6-max and Heads up — though notably all at Hyper speeds. Buy-ins range from CAD $1 to $100. This is actually different to 888poker Ontario, which has opted for no Sit and Gos for now.
These buy-in ranges can, and will likely, expand when partypoker Ontario launches and brings along its existing Ontario player base.
| Feature | BetMGM | 888poker |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | NL10 to NL2500 | NL2 to NL5000PL2 to PL500 |
| Fast-Fold | NL 10 to NL 200 | NL2 to NL25 PL2 and PL10 |
| SNG | CAD $1 to $100 Hypers, 6-max and Heads-Up | None |
| Lottery SNGs | CAD $1, $5, $10 (no Ultra) | 10c, CAD $1, $5, $10, $20 |
| MTTs | Welcome Freeroll Only | Full Guaranteed MTT Schedule |
- One of the biggest names in online poker
- Wide scope of cash game stakes
- Quality MTT schedule year around
BetMGM/partypoker MTT Schedule Announced, but Not Yet Deployed
BetMGM has also come out of the gates with an impressive-looking schedule of tournaments in Ontario. It promises the Daily C-Note every night, a $109 buy-in tournament starting at 7:05 pm local time. There is also going to be a High Roller tournament every Tuesday and Thursday, starting at the same time with a $530 buy-in.
Its Super Sunday tournament schedule looks solid, with 12 tournaments kicking off at five past the hour, from 3:05 pm to 8:05 pm, including PKOs, a $55 Sunday Masters, and a $530 High Roller.
However, at the time of writing, none of these have actually been deployed in the client, and it is not known whether guarantees will be attached to them. It could be that BetMGM is waiting for its partypoker partner to join before deploying the schedule.
Meanwhile, the company is running $500 Welcome Freerolls. One ran on Thursday with 48 players, giving more than CAD $10 value to each participant. The same will run again tonight.
Taking a very different approach, 888 Ontario wasted no time in deploying its own MTT schedule. Players are enjoying massive overlays every day with events like the daily $55 and $215 Big Shots, the $109 PKO Rumble seeing overlays of 50%, meaning thousands of Canadian dollars of value for those that do participate.
partypoker Ontario is scheduled to go live on Tuesday, April 12.
BetMGM Poker Ontario Super Sunday Tournament Schedule
| Time | Super Sunday | Total (CAD) | Buy-In (CAD) | Fee (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:05 PM | The Sunday Grind | $33 | $30 | $3 |
| 4:05 PM | The Sunday Stack | $11 | $10 | $1 |
| 5:05 PM | The Sunday Masters | $55 | $50 | $5 |
| 5:05 PM | The Super Sunday 20 PKO | $22 | $20 | $2 |
| 5:05 PM | The Sunday Jab PKO | $1.10 | $1 | $0.10 |
| 6:05 PM | The Super Sunday 50 PKO | $55 | $50 | $5 |
| 6:30 PM | The Super Sunday 10 PKO | $11 | $10 | $1 |
| 7:05 PM | The Sunday High Roller | $530 | $500 | $30 |
| 7:05 PM | The Super Sunday 100 PKO | $109 | $100 | $9 |
| 7:05 PM | The Super Sunday 30 PKO | $33 | $30 | $3 |
| 7:05 PM | The Sunday Brawl PKO | $3.30 | $3 | $0.30 |
| 8:05 PM | The Sunday Brawl PKO | $22 | $20 | $2 |
Not signed up yet? Download the BetMGM Poker Ontario app, partypoker Ontario app, get the latest bonus codes, and learn more about these rooms in our Guide to Real Money Ontario Online Poker.
