Bonuses, rakeback deals and plenty of innovative poker games - sound good? Since launching in 2006 and later switching to iPoker in 2020, Betsafe has blossomed into a top Canadian poker room. It’s less-known than some of the bigger players in the market, but what it offers turns out to be an opportunity for recreational Canadian players and grinders alike.
It’s got rakeback deals of up to 30% for loyalty, for one thing. Also, newbies get a sizable bonus offering to build up a bankroll. And the games are relatively easy to beat within a decent client. The company is also fully-licensed in many countries, including the UK and Canada, which safeguards you as a player. But no operator is perfect. We weren’t pleased about the deposit fees, or the lack of game variety aside from Holdem and Omaha. To break down all of this in more detail, come with us now as we take you through our Betsafe Poker review.
There’s no Betsafe Poker no deposit bonus unfortunately. But the welcome match bonus is one of the biggest we’ve seen in a while. You can claim it by following “PLAY NOW” on this page.
When you compare the Betsafe Poker bonus to other poker bonus offers out there, it stacks up extremely well. For example, in the latter half of 2020, PokerStars CA was offering newbies $40 in bonus cash when they made an opening deposit. Although the deal was constructed in a slightly different way to Betsafe, you can see that it’s still worth a fair bit less.
The first deposit bonus is also impressive in isolation. The funds are released in $5 increments and the cash is real. In other words, there aren’t any post-collection wagering requirements. Any amount you receive can be withdrawn or used at will. In terms of unlocking the offer, you’re essentially getting a Betsafe Poker rakeback rate of 20%.This is based on the fact you need to rake $25 for every $5 in bonus cash you release. Therefore, 25/5 = 0.20 X 100 = 20%. That’s a solid rate. Would we like to see it a little higher? Yes, but we could always make that argument. A return rate of 20% is great in today’s poker economy and another positive for the welcome bonus.
You don’t need a Betsafe Poker bonus code to unlock the welcome bonus. However, you will need to follow the steps below:
(Every $1 you rake will get you 10 loyalty points)
There are some positives and negatives to the promo schedule. The negatives are that there is only one main offer which, in turn, means you don’t get a lot of choice. The positives are that you can access a huge selection of casino bonuses and sports betting bonuses too. Therefore, you’re never really out of ways to boost your bankroll. It’s also important to note that the main promotion is layered. In practice, this means you complete missions to earn rewards and move up the ladder. Naturally, the higher you climb, the more valuable the rewards are. What’s more, because the $100,000 Cash Climber is split into levels with new stuff up for grabs regularly.
To participate in this Betsafe poker bonus, you need to opt-in on a daily basis. Then, mission’s simple: play cash games (at $0.05/$0.10+) or Twister tournaments ($5+). The more hands you play, the more spins you get. For example, if you hit the minimum number of required hands (100), you’ll get to spin the Silver Wheel. Complete 200 hands and you get two spins on the Silver Wheel. Play 500 hands and you move to the Gold Wheel. This process continues until you max out on Gold Wheel spins.
Each wheel has prizes of various values. Those on the Gold Wheel are more lucrative than the Silver Wheel. What’s more, prizes have a different chance of spinning in. For example, there’s a 75% chance you’ll win $1 on the Gold Wheel and a 0.0060% chance you’ll hit the $5,000 top prize. Whatever the odds, the fact you’ve got a chance of playing just 500 hands and winning up to $5,000 in cash (not bonus credits) is fantastic.
The Betsafe loyalty scheme is impressive and not very common so read on. We already know that newbies can achieve a rakeback rate of 20% when they claim the welcome bonus. Once you’ve cleared that and start playing on a regular basis, you can get monthly rebates of up to 30%! Only just a bit shy of the 40% max you can get at Party. In fact, it’s more than you’ll get at a lot of sites. You’ll earn 10 loyalty points for every dollar you rake. That’s a decent rate. However, things improve as your VIP status improves.
| VIP Level | Points Required | Points per $1 raked | Monthly rakeback |
| Silver | 0 to 199 points | 10 | 10% |
| Gold | 220 to 999 points | 15 | 15% |
| Platinum | 1,000 to 2,999 points | 20 | 20% |
| Diamond | 3,000+ points | 30 | 30% |
Clearly, there are benefits to moving up the ladder. But even at the lowest level, you’ll still get 10% rakeback every month. We love that. Of course, everyone will be eying up the 30% rate. However, wherever you naturally land, there’s a ton of potential to get cash back.
The instant play or downloadable software is developed by Playtech. You can switch between the two platforms without missing anything since they are essentially identical. The Betsafe team worked to ensure the instant-play platform is just as rich as its downloadable counterpart.
Whatever door you enter through, the pathways are clearly labelled. In other words, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. During this Betsafe Poker review, we downloaded the software as it offered a slightly more stable experience. Once inside, the set-up featured all the trademark images and icons iPoker is known for.
Indeed, since switching from MPN to iPoker, the Betsafe Poker client has assumed all of the network’s best features. This means the lobby’s homepage is filled with cards. These cards are like highlight tabs because they show everything from the latest MTTs to current promotions. We love this welcome hub for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a great way to orientate yourself and get a quick over of Betsafe’s best bits. Secondly, the cards have a mobile feel to them.
In fact, it’s not just on the welcome tab where these cards appear. Click on the cash game tabs or your account page and there they are again. Not only do they give the site a modern look and feel (i.e. because they help make it look like a mobile app), they are easy to use. A single card shows you everything a game has to offer, including stakes, format, and players at the table. Then, once you’ve found what you’re looking for, a single click gets you into the action.
Unfortunately, the cards aren’t used for the tournament lobby. This is because there are too many options to list. However, the designers have done a good job of adding some colour and life to the tables. Unlike PokerStars where the daily schedule is a little lackluster, Betsafe CA has coloured headings and bold icons to denote the style of a Canadian tournament. If we’re being honest, the card system is more efficient and appealing. However, overall, the Betsafe Poker client is easy to use and, unlike some sites, aesthetically pleasing.
Truthfully, Betsafe will not compete with Stars or Party when it comes to MTTs - daily, weekly, and major online tournaments. However, iPoker is ranked eighth in the world when it comes to traffic. As such, there are plenty of well-stocked MTTs for you to play every day. And with smaller fields and softer players than other operators. The main focus of the week is the Sunday Sweat. This $100 rebuy has a $30,000 guarantee with the added bonus that it’s a knockout event. This means you pick up extra cash each time you eliminate an opponent. If that’s not your thing, you can try your hand at freezeouts, re-entry, six-max, hyper-turbo, and heads-up tournaments. Buy-ins start at $0.20 but you’ll also find daily freerolls.
If the Betsafe Poker tournament schedule doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s plenty more besides. Cash games come as standard. However, thanks to the influence of iPoker, the Betsafe Poker mobile app and desktop site are packed with modern innovations such as fast-fold games.
Whatever your preferences, Betsafe has a cash game to suit. We should note that Draw and Mixed Games aren’t available, which is disappointing. However, you will find plenty of Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud games at stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 up to $20/$40 Fixed Limit and $5/$20 No Limit. Obviously, if you’re a high stakes player, that’s not ideal. However, for the majority of you out there, the current set-up is perfect. Cash games average around 600+ players at any one time. What’s more, because there aren’t any high stakes games, the general level of competition is lower than PokerStars and partypoker.
Short deck poker fans rejoice. Betsafe has a small but well-appointed selection of 6+ Hold’em tables. Games start at $0.02/$0.04 and scale up to $1/$2. During our Betsafe Poker review, there were games running at all stakes, but the majority of players were grinding at the micro level.
iPoker has been in the online poker business since the early noughties. As such, it’s got all the standard Sit & Go tournament options. From full ring and six-max to heads-up, turbos, and hyper turbos, you’ll find Hold’em and Omaha STTs galore. Alongside games ranging from $0.10 to $5,000, you can play lottery-style STTs. These are three-handed affairs with random prizepools. What’s unique about the lottery-style sit & gos is that they’re themed.
Yes, it’s great that buy-ins start at $0.50 and you can win upwards of $100,000. However, we also think it’s neat that “Twister” tournaments come in three flavours: standard, Wild and Age of Gods. Standard Twisters follow a traditional format and let you win cash prizes within certain ranges. Wild Twisters cost just $0.50 and are a way of winning tickets to bigger events.
Finally, Age of the Gods Twisters are linked to the popular slot game. This means they contain a progressive jackpot as well as standard cash prizes. If you’re lucky enough to be involved in a jackpot game, you could turn $1 into more than $200,000!
iPoker replaced its Speed Poker tables with something known as Top Trumps Football Stars Poker in September 2020. The main premise of the new variant is the same - you move to a new table each time you fold. However, tables have a soccer theme (the table is a soccer pitch and avatars are famous players).
During our review, these fast-fold games weren’t available. This may be because of a delay in launching the new product in Canada. However, they weren’t available at the time of writing. So we suggest checking the site before you make a deposit.
Betsafe Poker is part of the iPoker Network. This means it has a steady stream of traffic. According to the latest reports, the site as a whole plays host to, on average, 1,500 players. Cash games typically have around 600 active players and, at peak times, there will be almost 2,000 people to compete against.
In terms of competition, we’d say this is a low-to-medium difficulty site. That means most players will either be newbies or casuals. There will be some mid-stakes grinders. However, the lack of high stakes games and the fact Betsafe has a casino and sportsbook, means there are a lot of novices. Therefore, if you’re looking for softer games, this card room is ideal.
Depending on the payment method you choose, the minimum deposit is either $10 or $15. For example, Visa deposits start at $15, while EcoPayz has a $10 minimum. It’s also worth noting that some payment options carry a service fee of up to 2.5%.
We can’t pretend that’s not a negative. We understand why these charges are in place, but many top-tier poker sites don’t charge players to make deposits. What’s more, you may have to pay additional transaction fees to your payment provider. Given that this is one of the most popular payment options, we really feel this needs to change. Especially for us to confidently rate Betsafe among the best poker sites in Canada.
Fortunately, certain deposit methods, such as EcoPayz, don’t attract a service fee. So you also won’t have to pay a fee for withdrawals. So, while it’s not ideal you have to pay extra on certain deposits, Betsafe has done its best to offset this in other areas. In terms of withdrawals, the minimum ranges from $10 to $20 and processing times can be as low as eight hours. This means you’ll be able to collect your winnings within two to five days in most instances.
The Betsafe Poker app is available on iOS and Android devices. It contains all the same games you’ll find on the desktop site. What’s more, because of the card system we mentioned earlier, everything looks and feels similar.
Betsafe poker download:
Betsafe offers a 24/7 support service. If you can’t find answers to your questions via the FAQ, you can contact a member of the team via the following:
Betsafe may not have the kudos of PokerStars et al. Indeed, at its core, it’s primarily an online casino and sportsbook. However, since moving from the now defunct MPN to iPoker, it’s becoming a rising star in Canada. Although it’s not shining brighter than the leading brands, the package it offers is impressive. From the moment you join, there’s added value up for grabs. Be it as a welcome offer or in challenges, rakeback up to 30%, and a generous game selection. So everyone is well catered to. If you’re a high stakes pro, the site may be lacking in some areas. However, if you’re a novice or mid-stakes grinder, we think Betsafe is a fantastic choice.