Canada’s online gambling regulations naturally make it an attractive destination for major online tournaments and tend to bring in some of the worlds best to play the game we all love. Despite the tough competition from around the world, Canada has bred some of the best top tier poker players on the planet and here are some of the individuals that you need to be familiar with if you are a fan high stakes competitive poker.
Daniel Negreanu // Twitter
The 2018 list would not be complete without mentioning Kid Poker aka Daniel Negreanu who tops the Canadian money list, and is ranked #2 on the all-time money list with $39,656,196. He’s won the World Series of Poker six times and has continued to rake in even more wins in 2018, cementing his position as one of the most well-respected and prominent professional Canadian poker players.
Mike Leah // Twitter
Mike Leah has been a professional Canadian poker player for over 10 years since his debut in 2006. With a steady and consistent career as of 2018 he comes in at 8th on the all-time Canadian money list with over 7.5 million in winnings and 109th on the all time money list. He placed 4th at the $50K Poker Players Championship, a sub-competition of the World Series of Poker 2018 which brought him in a nice clean $364,197.
Kristen Bicknell // Twitter
Based out of Ontario and sponsored by Party Poker, Kristen Bicknell first came to prominence with her 2013 braclet win at the World Series of Poker Ladies Championship which netted her $173,922. She comes in at 45th on the all-time Canadian money list, and 709th on the all-time money list with just over 2.1 million in winnings. Her 2018 victories include over $279,000 at the APTT Macau National High Roller which show’s she not only has much more to contribute to the scene, but will likely win even bigger pots in 2019 and beyond.
Mike McDonald // Twitter
Hailing from Waterloo, ON Mike McDonald has experience with everything from winning small online tournaments to $1,701,808 at the 2014 Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne. He proudly holds the title of being the youngest to win an event on the European Poker Tour with his 2007 win at the EPT German Open which brought him in over $1.3 million. Often referred to as Timex Mike, he was winning millions in the Epic Poker League as well as the European Poker Tour before he could even buy a beer in the United States. He currently sits at third on the all time Canadian money list and 40th on the global money list and is creeping up the gambling online NZ list
Sam Greenwood // Twitter
Another Canadian superstar, Sam Greenwood has definitely had a great 2018 with over $4.2 million in earnings which has catapulted him to 4th on the Canadian money list and 43rd on the all-time money list. What makes this years winning most interesting is none of it came from WSOP or affiliated event winnings. European Poker Tour wins at the Monte Carlo Super High Roller for $1,853,387 and World Poker Tour Amsterdam High Roller for $1,227,792. Sam’s 2019 schedule seems promising as he looks to build on his exciting 2018 results by attending more events and bringing home more pots.
Canadian Poker Talents Growing into 2019
Maybe it’s the cold, the prevalence of mobile Casinos Canada or perhaps it’s the gambling regulations but Canada has produced some of the global poker communities most prolific and long-lasting competitors. The all-time money list currently has 5 Canadian’s in the top 50 positions with this number looking to grow in the next 12 months.
