Ontario Poker News May Update: WSOP Circuit Toronto Big Success; Pengxiang R Wins Main Event

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Apr 29, 2025 5 min read

I'm Kyle Anderson, poker player and Ontario resident. Here is an update on everything that's both happened and is coming up in the Ontario poker world.

Remember, ON players can legally play real money poker in Ontario, so PokerNews has come up with a list of the very best online poker sites in the Canadian province. Access real poker sites and play different games with poker players within the state.

What are the big issues and stories on everyone's minds? Let’s get into it.

Live Poker News

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Toronto is now over. Running from April 10-22, 2025, the event saw 8,203 total entries across 11 WSOP Circuit Ring Events, marking a 35.9% increase from 2024. The total prize pool soared to an astonishing $7.56 million, up 35.4% year-over-year, as 3,150 unique players brought energy and excitement to Toronto’s premier casino resort. 11 WSOP rings were awarded at the event.

This year, Great Canadian Rewards members had exclusive access to purchase tickets online – a new offering for 2025 – resulting in 2,123 entries registered through the online platform. Last year, online registration was not available.

A highlight of the series was the prestigious $2,000 Main Event, which drew an incredible 2,139 entries and generated a record-setting $3.74 million prize pool, up from $2.8 million last year. With 413 Main Event online qualifiers from GGPoker (another sharp increase from 2024) the buzz around this year’s WSOP Circuit was palpable.

In a storybook moment, Pengxiang Ruan, a Great Canadian Rewards member and restaurant worker from Thornhill, Ontario, captured the Main Event title and a life-changing $510,245 first-place prize. A passionate poker player for 10 years, Ruan plans to use his winnings to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant.

“This event proves once again that Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is the home for world-class poker in Canada,” said Michael Kim, Executive Vice President, Great Canadian Entertainment. “The record-breaking turnout, amazing competition, and incredible stories like Pengxiang Ruan’s are exactly what make the WSOP Circuit such a special experience. We are proud to exclusively bring the magic of the WSOP to Toronto and look forward to building on this incredible momentum.”

Most of the events sold out of the initial entries, and while I did play the $1K event, I wasn't there long. I do I think the casino did a better job this year in regards to running a smoother operation. From what I hear, anybody who wanted a seat as an alternate did end up getting one.

It did seem to be a more successful WSOP series stop this year, and I really hope we can see more tables in the future to guarantee that we do not have alternates. However, I would say that this event was a step in the right direction.

The WSOPC may be over, but there are still other live poker tournaments happening here in Ontario. Casino Niagara is running tournaments every Wednesday and Friday, as well as the last Sunday of every month. Samuel L. took down the spring seasonal tournament for $59,896. Click here for more information.

Pickering is running six tournaments in the month of May, whereas Caesars Windsor is running tournaments every Friday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Branford does say that they are going to be running more tournaments in June, so I’ll be sure to keep an eye on that.

Ontario Live Poker Tournament Schedule

Online Poker News

The PokerStars Ontario SCOOP concluded in April, and it was a very successful series. We have an article covering the highlights and showcasing all the winners, which you can view here.

The next series coming to PokerStars will be their Summer Stacks series. Last year, it took place from June 14th to July 1st, so do keep an eye out for that.

Until then, be sure to check out all their weekly tournaments by clicking here.

Over on GGPoker Ontario, they will host their Ontario Festival from May 4 to June 10. It is a $6 million guaranteed series, and they have $75,000 to be won in leaderboards, as well as low, medium, and high events to ensure there are plenty of events for all stakes.

What’s more, GGPoker Ontario is hosting its Road to Vegas promotion with plenty of steps running every day. You can win your way into the 2025 WSOP Main Event for as little as $20. If you win a package, you get the Main Event buy-in, accommodation valued at about $1,425 CAD, as well as travel expenses valued at $1,425 CAD.

In other online poker news, 888Poker Ontario last hosted their XL Spring Series last year from May 12-27. Now, there's no official confirmation if that event will run this year, but there’s a good chance that it will. Be sure to check the 888poker Ontario client to see if/when it might be announced.

Also, BetMGM/Party Poker Ontario/Party Poker Ontario hosts their Daily Legends tournaments. They offer various formats and different buy-ins weekly.

In online poker rumors, Alberta is going to be going to regulate online poker. With that, there are rumors going around that they could enter a multi-provincial fenced-in shared player pool with Ontario. PokerFuse has posted some odds on what they believe is going to happen. Now, nothing has officially come up yet, but we will stay updated with all the rumors.

Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. PokerStars Ontario operates pursuant to an agreement with iGaming Ontario.

For more information, visit the Ontario Players Homepage

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