Toronto’s Low-Stakes Cash Games Face a Rake Uproar
In Toronto, the cost of sitting in a $1/$3 cash game can outstrip a family’s coffee-and-donut run at Tim Hortons. Across Ontario—Canada’s most populous province, with more than 14 million residents—many poker rooms are taking 10% per pot up to a $20 cap, even at $1/$3. The games remain busy, but the math is brutal for anyone trying to grind out a profit.
Toronto native and avid poker player Kyle Anderson didn’t mince words about the state of live rake in the province. “It’s not only just bad, it’s criminal,” he said. “It’s horrific here, especially when you compare it to literally anywhere else in the world.”
How Ontario Compares to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, home to more than 20 active poker rooms, typically caps rake in low-stakes games far lower. Flagship rooms such as Bellagio, Aria, Wynn, and Venetian generally cap at $5–$6, depending on the room. Some Vegas rooms also take a $1–$3 jackpot drop to fund high-hand or bad beat promotions—still notably less than Ontario’s $20 cap. Even so, many low-stakes players in Vegas have complained about rising rake in recent years.
A Major Poker Hub With Limited Live Options
Toronto—hometown of Daniel Negreanu and a hotbed for talent including Daniel Dvoress, Mike Watson, Mike Leah, and the Greenwood brothers—has a deep player pool. Yet up-and-coming grinders are typically funneled into just two brick-and-mortar rooms in the greater Toronto area, which sharply limits competition and choice.
At Great Canadian Casino in Toronto, the rake in $1/$3 is 10% up to $20 per pot. Players don’t receive poker comps, and there’s no drink service. Nearby, Pickering Casino Resort in Pickering, Ontario—a Great Canadian Entertainment property—takes the same 10% up to $20. Elements Casino Brantford, also under the Great Canadian umbrella, is slightly lower with a $15 cap, but still well above typical caps elsewhere.
‘House Wins No Matter What’
Anderson laid out the impact of the current structure in stark terms: “If you play around 25 to 30 hands an hour, the table’s getting drained of about $400 to $600 per hour,” he explained. “You’re basically an unwinnable game where the house wins no matter what.”
Quebec’s Playground Offers a Contrast
Elsewhere in Canada, the numbers look different. In Quebec, Playground—one of the continent’s most popular poker destinations—caps low-stakes rake at $8. While that may appear high compared to many Vegas rooms, Playground regularly runs some of the largest bad beat jackpots in history, which returns a portion of the collected money to players through promotions.
Why High Rake Persists in Ontario
A key reason the $20 cap endures is the local market dynamic. Ontario operates under a separate online gambling framework from the rest of Canada and hosts popular online platforms such as GGPoker and PokerStars. But in the Toronto area, there are only two live card rooms, and the lack of competition keeps seats filled despite the cost. During peak hours, the rooms are often packed.
As Anderson put it: “If they can continue getting numbers like this at $20 per hand, and the players keep showing up, why would they stop?”
A Slightly Cheaper Alternative: Casino Niagara
Players willing to travel have one somewhat more affordable option: Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls. Instead of taking rake from every pot, the room charges a time fee of $7 per half hour. It’s still on the high side by many standards, but a winning player would generally pay less there than in Toronto—assuming they can make the roughly 90-minute drive.
Your Options If You Play in the GTA
For now, Toronto-area cash game players are faced with three choices:
- Keep playing locally and pay the 10% up to $20 cap
- Move action online
- Skip live poker unless traveling to rooms with more favorable structures
Rake and Fee Comparison at a Glance
| Region/Room | Structure | Cap/Rate | Extras/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Canadian Casino (Toronto) | 10% per pot | Up to $20 | No poker comps; no drink service |
| Pickering Casino Resort (Pickering) | 10% per pot | Up to $20 | Great Canadian Entertainment property |
| Elements Casino Brantford | 10% per pot | Up to $15 | Lower than GTA, still high by global standards |
| Casino Niagara (Niagara Falls) | Time charge | $7 per half hour | No per-pot rake |
| Las Vegas low-stakes (e.g., Bellagio, Aria, Wynn, Venetian) | Per-pot rake | $5–$6 cap | Often +$1–$3 jackpot drop |
| Playground (Quebec) | Per-pot rake | $8 cap (low stakes) | Funds sizable bad beat jackpots that return value to players |
Ontario’s live cash scene continues to thrive in sheer attendance, but the current economics are punishing for small-stakes grinders. Absent new competition or revised structures, the $1/$3 landscape in the GTA remains a steep climb.
