GG Poker launched in 2014, originally targeting markets across Asia before expanding into Europe and North America. It has since grown into one of the largest online poker sites worldwide based on cash game traffic, only behind PokerStars. 

The platform enjoys strong momentum that suggests it may eventually rival PokerStars as the top online poker destination. Backing up that potential is GG Poker's roster of high profile ambassadors including Daniel Negreanu, Fedor Holz, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Bryn Kenney. 

A part of the wider Good Game Network, GG Poker focuses heavily on recreational players and ensuring a fun, rewarding experience for all skill levels. This is complemented by innovative features like staking, jackpot SNGs and All-In Insurance unique to the site. 

In this comprehensive review, we'll break down everything you need to know about playing real money poker at GG Poker Canada. Read on to learn about the platform’s generous welcome bonuses, VIP program benefits, tournament options, mobile app, safety features and more.

GG Poker welcomes new players through not one but two lucrative signup bonuses. Depending on your preferences as a poker player, you can opt to claim either of the options highlighted below. 

First Deposit Welcome Bonus – 100% up to $600

For this bonus, make a minimum qualifying deposit of $10-$100 to trigger a matching 100% bonus up to $600 in total. You'll then receive $5 bonus increments for every $20 in rake or fees generated at the cash game or tournament tables. Wagering requirements call for clearing the full bonus amount within 90 days. 

$50 Free Play Welcome Bonus

This $50 new player welcome bonus gets released to your account over your first six days as a GG Poker member. Each day comes with cash prizes, tournament tickets, including $52.50 in free All-In Or Fold SNG tickets, and $2.50 in additional free tickets as you complete simple minimum hand targets playing GG Poker's All-In or Fold game. 

GG Poker Promotions

Beyond the new member promotions, GG Poker runs frequent reload offers and prizes for existing players. Expect tournaments with added guarantees, leaderboard races across game formats, and various giveaways.

Notably, the operator hosts the popular Daily $50,000 GGMasters tournament open to players at all skill levels. This brings a chance to match wits against top regulars and GG Poker ambassadors like Daniel Negreanu and Fedor Holz.

The site also spreads one of the largest regularly scheduled Sunday major events. The $150 buy-in GG Masters has a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool each week alongside a High Roller promo boasting seven-figure guarantees. 

Other GG Poker mainstay promotions include:

• Daily cashback offers
• Weekly missions whereby you complete tasks to earn rewards
• Rush & Cash daily leaderboard competitions
• Big Hand Jackpots

The GG Poker rewards program fittingly takes its name from the Fish Buffet. Offering up to 60% rakeback across 25 VIP tiers, the Fish Buffet sets the standard for online poker loyalty schemes. 

As soon as you create an account at GG Poker, you automatically enroll in the starter “Plankton” level. From there, simply play poker to generate Fish Buffet Points (FPs) tied to rake contributions.

Every time you earn FPs, you hit milestones and unlock higher VIP status levels. And with each level up, GG Poker spins a prize wheel that awards random cash bonuses worth 100% to 600% of your rakeback. Other prizes like jackpot tickets and free spins are also in the mix.

At the top level, you can earn 60% rakeback along with invites to live poker events, biggest online tournaments, and luxury giveaways. 

Beyond rewards for play, GG Poker invests heavily in crafting industry-leading software packed with features to enhance your poker experience. Let’s explore some standout attractions you’ll find at GG Poker.

All-In Insurance

Want to protect your hand even as a short stack facing elimination? GG Poker’s All-In Insurance lets you cover additional outs when facing a cooler scenario. 

If you get your stack in as an 80% or bigger favourite, you can purchase insurance to safeguard remaining cards from pairing or spiking your opponent’s hand. This handy feature helps to reduce bad beat variance when playing tournaments or sitting deeper at cash game tables. 

PokerCraft Hand Analysis

Study every detail of your play through GG Poker’s proprietary hand history replayer PokerCraft. Built directly into the client, PokerCraft lets you filter hands by position, analyze key stats, review outcomes, and even tag players.

With this tool, you can plug leaks by identifying weaknesses in your strategy over sample sizes big and small. No more exporting text files or paying for additional tracking software. 

Straddle Setting Control

Tired of players constantly straddling preflop to build bigger pots? At GG Poker, you decide how much players can straddle at your table with adjustable limits to cap crazy preflop bloat. Simply toggle straddle permissions on or off anytime right from the table interface. You can even isolate stakes to disable straddling for players below certain buy-in thresholds. 

Smart HUD

While GG Poker restricts seating script HUDs during play, you still gain access to a built-in HUD that overlays key stats for each opponent. These include:

• Hands played percentage
• Recent results (hot/cold streaks)
• Preflop playstyle
• Estimated winnings

You can enable the Smart HUD from within the client to leverage real-time data and even exploit competition. 

Flexibility

GG Poker stands out for accommodating various play styles and bankrolls. You can join tables right from the lobby or browser without downloading software. Stake options range from penny games up to nosebleed $1k/$2k tables and higher by special request.

Game formats are also plenty. Choose from Hold'em, Omaha, Short Deck, mixed games, jackpot Sit & Go's, and unique creations like All-In or Fold. Tournaments run round the clock with guarantees from $2 up to $1 million. 

This flexibility keeps the action going while reducing wait times to join tables or events. Players at all levels win big at GG Poker. 

GG Poker performs admirably in the mobile department through dedicated apps tailored for iOS and Android devices. The clean interface scales smoothly across all screen sizes while preserving access to games, tournaments, promotions and account services. Besides, you can seamlessly switch between desktop and mobile play without missing a beat. 

During our review, we also noticed that GG Poker doesn't compromise on features even for players that want to game on the go. The built-in Smart HUD and PokerCraft analytics in particular make the transition so seamless, not to forget SnapCam streaming and emoji reactions for a more fun overall experience. 

GG Poker Poker App

You can choose to download the GG Poker app directly from the website or get it from Google Play or the Apple App Store. 

To install on iOS:

• Enable Settings > General > Device Management
• Trust certificate for GG Poker's NSUS Ltd
• Open mobile browser and tap ‘Install’ from GG Poker's homepage

To install on Android:

• Check Settings to allow apps from Unknown Sources
• Open mobile browser and tap ‘Install’ from GG Poker's homepage

Once downloaded, we found logging in fast with no lag navigating around. Multi-tabling flows smoothly across phones and tablets. Hand histories, stats and actions are also viewable with responsive pinch/zooming. 

While mostly flawless, a wider range in display customizations would still improve quality of gaming. But overall, the GG Poker mobile app provides ideal access to cash games, tournaments and unique offerings like All-In Insurance when you’re on the move. 

When it comes to safety, we can confidently report that GG Poker upholds the highest industry standards around player safety, fairness and responsible gaming. The operator ticks all boxes in terms of proper licensing, game testing and safety initiatives.

Let's breakdown key elements proving players bankrolls and personal information remain protected when signing up: 

Dual licensed: GG Poker holds both the UKGC and Isle of Man licenses

Provably Fair RNG: All games utilize True RNG technology certified by BMM Testlabs and GLI to guarantee random outcomes. 

SSL Encryption: The highest grade SSL data encryption defends connections and transactions made between GG Poker apps, sites and servers. No external parties can intercept or access sensitive player details.

Responsible Gambling: Players can easily restrict time and money spent playing by setting deposit, loss and wager limits at any time. Additional help is available to connect players to professional support services and protection tools when needed. 

The action never stops at GG Poker with thousands of poker options spanning cash games, tournaments, Sit & Go's, and unique game variants playable around the clock. While Hold'em and Omaha make up most volume, new creations like Flip & Go keep entertainment unique. Here we outline all the popular poker variants found in GG Poker's suites:

GG Poker Ring Games

No Limit Hold'em

The world's most popular poker game needs no introduction. At GG Poker, Hold'em cash games start from just $0.01/$0.02 blinds and run upwards to $1,000/$2,000 for high rollers. Tables seat 6 max or 9 max players with buy-ins capped at 100 big blinds. Expect plenty of loose passive players across all limits making profitable play a breeze. 

Pot Limit Omaha

PLO often plays juicier than Hold'em thanks to four hole cards allowing strong starting hands. GG Poker spreads Omaha cash running $0.01/$0.02 to $10/$20 blinds. Buy-ins start around $2 with no maximum. The player pool skews recreational so watch for players overvaluing redraws and weaker holdings. 

6+ Hold'em

Also called Short Deck because cards 2-5 get removed from the deck, 6+ Hold'em plays similar to regular Hold'em but with adjusted hand values. GG Poker provides limits from $0.25/$0.50 to $50/$100 plus daily $5K leaderboard rewards.

All-In or Fold

This fast-paced cash game only allows players to push all-in blind or fold each hand. Optional jackpot prizes pay up to 800x the big blind for making super strong hands like Straight Flushes. Buy-ins range $1-$160. 

Rush & Cash

GG Poker's take on fast-fold poker immediately seats players at new tables after folding hands. Random prizes called Cash Drops award extra payouts worth 10-600% of the rake paid so far. Stakes cover $0.01/$0.02 to $1/$2 limits across Hold'em and PLO games. 

GG Poker Online Poker Tournaments

Every conceivable tournament format runs 24/7 on GG Poker. Pick your poison choosing from freezeouts, rebuys, turbos, jackpots, and unique concepts like Flips & Goes putting a new spin on things. 

GGMasters Daily

The operator's flagship open event guarantees $50K daily with $25 buy-in. Finish among the top 15% to win $150 or more. 

Spin & Gold

This lottery Sit & Go sees players spin a wheel for randomly assigned prizes before play starts. Win jackpots starting from 3,000x buy-ins up to 12,000x. 

Flip & Go

Skip the boring early levels by flipping for a shot to begin deeper in the money. Survivors then play out a condensed yet adrenaline-filled tournament using regular Texas Hold'em rules and 30-second clocks. 

Dailies

Unique tournament series changing every day keeps things fresh. Expect variants like Chinese Zodiac, Bounty Hunters, Omaholic, Rebuys, Turbos and more running round the clock. 

As a standalone network, GG Poker does not rely on third-party software providers like competitors Integrated with party brands or Chico Network skins. Instead the operator invests considerable resources into building proprietary poker clients and gambling platforms in-house. 

Overseen by technology arm NSUS Limited, GG Poker develops quality software designed specifically around player priorities like usability, performance and features. This approach uniquely tailored for poker sets GG Poker apart from rival sites relying on generic white label solutions or third-party development houses.

While opting for in-sourced infrastructure poses sizable upfront costs, the long run benefits become clear when observing GG Poker's feature set and stability. 

For example, purpose-built creations like SnapCam streaming, integrated staking, Bubble Protection, Straddle Setting Control and the universally-praised built-in Smart HUD and hand analysis tool PokerCraft make the poker platform a clear standout.

Overall, poker players will appreciate everything GG Poker has done on this front as it continues to redefine boundaries in a space where competitor sites still use cookie-cutter software platforms. 

Ready to give GG Poker online poker platform try? Here’s a short guide on how to get started playing real money poker: 

• Step 1: Visit GG Poker.com from your desktop or mobile browser/app
• Step 2: Hit the "Download" button to install poker client software
• Step 3: Create free player account
• Step 4: Validate email address
• Step 5: Deposit funds via provided banking methods
• Step 6: Claim welcome bonus in cashier (optional)
• Step 7: Join cash game table or tournament lobby
• Step 8: Start playing.

GG Poker supports various payment options to suit various player preferences and regions. For Canada, you can choose from Visa, MasterCard, Interac, EcoPayz, Skrill, Neteller, MuchBetter and Bitcoin when funding your account. 

Deposits credit instantly outside rare verification delays. On the other hand, withdrawals get approved within 1-3 days paid through your method of choice. 

Now comes the best part: playing poker. The GGNetwork averages a healthy 15,000+ concurrent cash game seats – more than enough to swiftly seat you at Hold'em, Omaha and mixed game tables around the clock.

Tournaments also run non-stop each day whether you fancy daily majors, jackpot SNGs, satellites, freezeouts or unique formats like All-In or Fold. Step up to the tables and see why GG Poker is quickly becoming many poker players' favourite online platform in Canada right now.

Through its generous rewards, industry-leading features and massive tournament pools and games, GG Poker is quickly establishing itself as a top Canadian poker platform catering especially well to recreational players. 

Yet make no mistake – savvy veterans can also outsmart weaker opposition across borders thanks to nuanced tools like built-in HUDs and advanced analytics. This gives GG Poker a unique appeal that bridge having fun and making good profit playing.

While the software and VIP program are a highlight, we additionally appreciate GG Poker's feature-packed mobile experience which we found to match desktop quality or even better. The quality of support and security also hit the mark so players can play here without worrying about anything. 

Could site navigation and overall aesthetics use refinement? Perhaps. Might niche game fans pine for more Omaha, Stud and mixed game formats? Likely. But when weighing the total package for poker entertainment GG Poker still impresses across all the critical areas. 

Our verdict? Give the GGNetwork and its 10 million+ player pool a fair shot and we expect you will stick around to become the next big winner at GG Poker's tables. In an ultra-competitive industry, this poker platform generally rewards players better than most.