For many, being a poker pro seems like a dream job. Top poker players get staggering amounts of money, sometimes collecting millions of dollars at tournaments. However, only a few players have reached this level of success, while many have given up on this career. You could be wondering whether you could make a living playing poker in Canada, whether you want to start this road or just enjoy this legendary game. Stay with us to discover the solution to this question as well as top player salaries and taxation policies.
What Is the Average Professional Poker Player’s Salary
Unlike regular gamblers, professional poker players need a lot of practice before they fully commit to this career. When you play for fun on gambling sites you have access to no deposit bonuses and other promos that allow you to gamble risk-free. What’s more, there are plenty of choices that are through Gamblizard Canada reviews and ratings. So, when you burn through one bonus you can always hop onto the next casino site. But there is no consistency in this approach and it cannot be a full-time career, whereas poker can.
If you wonder how much do professional poker players make in Canada, a 2025 Glassdoor research found that the average annual salary is $40,880. In addition, players make an estimated additional pay of $6,448 a year. This may include commission, cash bonus, tips, and profit sharing. When you add that up, what you get is an estimated total pay of $47,327 a year. With the possibility of an additional pay of over $6,000, pro poker players can earn good money.
It’s important to note that this figure presents the median. In other words, this is the midpoint of the ranges derived from the website’s Total Pay Estimate model. Using the same methodology, it is estimated that the lowest average salary for a professional Canadian poker player is $34,193 per year. On the other hand, the highest is estimated at $74,221. Finally, the survey also revealed that around 63.42% of players are happy with their earnings.
How Much Do Poker Pros Make in Ontario
Scanning its database of millions of active jobs, ZipRecruiter found that a poker pro in Ontario earns an average hourly pay of $22.07 in 2025. Some wages reach $56.25, while some are as low as $6.01 per hour. However, most salaries are in the range of $12.98- $25. The fact that the average pay ranges widely ($12) suggests there may be a possibility for advancement based on years of experience, skill, and location. This research also identified four cities in Ontario that have an above-the-average annual salary for a professional poker player:
- North York ($47,446)
- Willowdale ($47,446)
- Scarborough ($47,232)
- Barrie ($46,222)
Top-Earning Poker Players in Canada
Canada has delivered many successful players over the years. Below, we list the top Canadian pros according to their winnings:
- Daniel Negreanu is one of the best players in Canada and wider. He put his name on the map in 1997 following three tournament wins and has won over $54M since. ‘Kid Poker’ has tons of wins under his belt, including the World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, and WSOP. For comparison, the best poker player in the world on GPI Rankings, Ren Lin, collected $14,162,755 during his decade-long career.
- Timothy Adams is recognizable for his laid-back approach to gambling. Although he won $38,911,551 at various casinos, it seems the money isn’t this poker enthusiast’s number 1 priority.
- With career earnings of $38,700,389, Daniel Dvoress follows closely behind. He has made over $15.5M, mostly online. Although Dvoress prefers to stay out of the limelight, he attends high-roller events.
- Next on the list of the highest earning poker players is Sam Greenwood with total live earnings of $36+M. A former stock trader loves to compete in high-roller tournaments where he’s become a feared figure. Before that, Greenwood made good money online, picking up over $6M.
- With almost $30 in live earnings, Michael Watson, aka ‘SirWatts’, is ranked fifth on the Canada All-Time Money List. Many regard him as the best online player in Canada.
- Jonathan Duhamel ranks number six, having collected $18M in winnings. Duhamel is the first Canadian to have won the WSOP Main Event, which is his biggest win so far. At $8.49M, it accounts for nearly half of his career earnings.
Are Poker Winnings Taxable in Canada?
As a general rule, when gambling wins do not originate from a source of income, such as a business, they are not taxable. However, earnings from gambling are taxed if they are obtained as part of business income or during a business activity. In dealing with these cases, the Court relies on several objective factors to determine whether playing poker helps the taxpayer’s intent to make a profit. These include:
- Profit and loss statements for previous years
- Training
- The intended course of action
- Ability for profit-making
In Duhamel c. La Reine (2022 CCI 66), for example, the Court decided that his winnings were not taxable. Simply, Duhamel said that poker is a game of chance he enjoyed as a hobby. This case and similar ones suggest that courts still see winnings from gambling as non-taxable income. Rare are the cases when the courts have decided that poker wins constitute company income. The luck factor makes it difficult to regard it as a commercial activity.