PlayNow Poker is pretty unique in the online poker space, since it doesn’t offer a single headline bonus. You don’t have to enter a PlayNow promo code to claim one large deposit match bonus; instead, the PlayNow promotions on offer are designed to reward players who show up regularly and play often with various tournaments, points schemes and jackpots.
Between monthly leaderboards, hourly freerolls and one of the biggest jackpots in the CA online poker market, there's a fair bit to get through. So in this article we'll walk through every promotion PlayNow Poker runs and look at how it all stacks up against other rooms you could be playing in.
Ongoing Promo Competitions at PlayNow Poker
The headline poker bonus at PlayNow Canada is the monthly Rake Race, offering a prize pool of CAD $25,000 to the top players in Manitoba and British Columbia combined. Although PlayNow Poker is available in Saskatchewan, the Rake Race isn’t available to players in the province – which is a detail not explicitly mentioned on the site so we had to confirm it via customer support.
How to Join the Rake Race
To compete, all you have to do is play poker tournaments and cash games like you normally would – no PlayNow voucher code required. The rake you generate then lands you on the leaderboard, and the 100 players that have contributed the most rake to the network will split the prize pool.
The payout structure is weighted pretty heavily towards the top end with first place taking away $3,125 and the top 10 all clearing $375. Then it tapers down in bands – $250 for players in places 11 to 20, all the way down to $25 for players ranking 91 to 100.
What’s interesting to note, though, is that it doesn’t appear too difficult to land yourself in that top 100. Looking at last month’s leaderboard, the player in 100th place only needed to generate $802.72. This is well within reach if you’re a regular player at mid-stakes.
Hourly and Loyalty Freerolls
Next up are the $10 Hourly Freerolls – and that’s no misnomer. Every hour on the hour from 13:00 PT/ 15:00 CT to 21:00 PT/ 23:00 CT, players can take part in free tournaments where the top five spots get $2. That might only sound like chump change but it’s a great opportunity to practice your tournament play in a low pressure environment and it’s especially useful for those of you still building up your bankroll.
There are also loyalty freerolls available. You can enter these freerolls only after playing the required number of qualifying raked hands during the relevant period and PlayNow’s rules also state that entering a tournament that charges a fee also counts as one raked hand.
| Freeroll | Prize Pool | How often | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | CAD $10 | Twice per day | 10 raked hands the same day |
| Daily | CAD $25 | Once per day | 25 raked hands in the last 3 days |
| Weekly | CAD $150 | Once per week | 100 raked hands that week |
| Weekly | CAD $400 | Once per week | 200 raked hands that week |
| Monthly | CAD $1,000 | Once per month | 400 raked hands that month |
Then there’s the Bad Beat Jackpot, which is a staple at almost every online poker site. At PlayNow Canada, you can win a hefty prize if you manage to somehow lose a hand with four-of-a-kind 8s or better. In the past, we’ve seen players win upwards of $135,000 so it’s worth checking out the games with the Bad Beat Jackpot logo.
If those promotions aren’t up your alley, then there are plenty of other sites out there with promotions that should tickle your fancy. Whether you prefer a more traditional first deposit match bonus or something a little more out-there like step races, have a look at our dedicated promotions page where we collect all the necessary information that will help you make the most of your online poker experience.
Earn PXPs for Tournament Perks
PXP Points are PlayNow’s way of rewarding you for playing often. Since the room doesn’t have its own rakeback programme, this essentially plays that role and it might not be the most generous around but it’s certainly better than sites that don’t offer anything.
How PXPs Work at PlayNow
For every $0.25 that you generate in rake, you get 1 PXP so the operator rewards you for playing often rather than playing big. There are no tiers to climb and no need to opt in with a PlayNow bonus code; your points just accumulate quietly in the background as you play in cash games and tournaments. Once you’ve collected enough PXP, you can redeem them for tournament credits. Each PXP is worth CAD $0.01, so 1000 points would get you $10 in tournament credits which roughly ends up being 4% back on your rake. It’s not a huge amount of rakeback when compared with other international brands but it’s certainly reasonable for a provincially regulated poker room.
While earning PXPs is easy, redemption can trip players up a little bit so these are the important points to remember. The minimum amount of PXP you can redeem is 1000, and you have to redeem them in 100-point intervals. So, if you have 1346 points, the most you can redeem is 1300 and the rest stays in your balance.
| PXP Redemption | |
|---|---|
| Earn rate | 1 PXP per CAD $0.25 in rake |
| Point value | CAD $0.01 each |
| Minimum redemption | 1,000 PXP |
| Redemption interval | 100 points |
| Maximum redemption | No limit |
| Redeemable for | Tournament credits only – not cash |
| Fastest method | Live chat in the poker client |
| Slower method | Email poker support (up to 12 hours) |
The Fine Print: PlayNow Promo Codes and Wagering Requirements
If you’ve played at traditional online casinos before, the way bonuses work at PlayNow Poker Canada is a little bit different. They have their own set of rules that you may not have encountered before with other PlayNow products.
When it comes to PlayNow promo codes, they just aren’t necessary. Most PlayNow promotions are activated simply by playing in eligible games and tournaments. For example, to vie for the Bad Beat Jackpot you have to look for games with the promotional icon and just get playing. There’s no need to remember or copy/paste a PlayNow promo code for any of these offers.
This means that you should also be suspicious if you see any external sites offering you an exclusive PlayNow bonus code. Since most poker room bonuses are automatically credited, any PlayNow free promo codes no deposit that you might find are likely to be for the casino, bingo room or sportsbook – or, they’re simply outdated.
If you’re looking for wagering requirements in the fine print for any of these offers, you won’t find them. Aside from the tournament credits you redeem from PXPs, anything you win in PlayNow poker promo competitions goes right into your cash balance.
Online Gaming Options from GipsyTeam
The other big difference you’ll find between PlayNow Poker and these sites is the size of the player pools. Since PlayNow runs on the Canadian Poker Network, you’re competing with a domestic pool but international sites give you way more traffic for larger prizes in bigger tournament series.
Lastly, there’s availability. PlayNow Poker only serves a handful of provinces so if you’ve been searching for PlayNow Ontario or PlayNow Alberta, you just won’t find them. Players outside of BC and Manitoba might want to check out other options in GipsyTeam’s listings.
At the poker rooms featured here on GipsyTeam, the code is the main draw. When you register and deposit with the right code, you get some pretty great perks that you wouldn’t normally get when signing up directly. If it’s a traditional rakeback system you’re after rather than PlayNow’s tournament credits, there are three rooms that you might want to check out.
- CoinPoker: stands out with CoinRewards, one of the most comprehensive reward programs among crypto poker rooms. Players can earn additional value through CoinRaces, Splash Pots, missions, and Bankroll Boosts. The system rewards regular activity and is not limited only to the highest-volume grinders.
- GGPoker: offers Ocean Rewards, a loyalty program with multiple levels and cashback of up to 80%. This makes GGPoker especially attractive to players who maintain consistent volume in cash games or tournaments. The room also runs frequent promotions, leaderboards, and targeted rewards.
- Phenom Poker: combines traditional rakeback with a rewards model based on the PHNM token. Players can receive weekly rakeback in USDT, with the percentage increasing according to their loyalty level. PHNM staking can also unlock higher tiers and additional revenue-sharing benefits.
By now you know PlayNow Poker doesn’t do bonus codes – but that’s not how the rest of the online poker world works. So, it’s worth knowing what you might be missing out on at other sites. If you’ve still got any questions about any of these promos, or you simply can’t decide which room to go for, our support team is free to contact and on hand 24/7.
