Pickering Casino Resort poker room

Why east-end players pick Pickering

For anyone in Scarborough, Durham Region or further east, Pickering is the obvious alternative to crossing the city to Great Canadian Toronto. It's open around the clock like Toronto, and it adds a published weekly tournament program. That makes it handy if you want to play a tournament one night and a cash game the next without learning a new room.

It's the stronger first check if:

• you live in Scarborough, Durham Region or east of Toronto;
• you want a current tournament option as well as cash games;
• you want a hotel right on the property;
• you like having several ways to join or check the waiting list.

Not sure which side of the city makes sense? The east vs west GTA comparison and the Oshawa and Scarborough pages lay out the drive.

Getting on the list

Pickering gives you three ways in: sign up at the poker desk (they'll hand you a pager so you're free to wander), call in to get on the phone list, or check PokerAtlas for what's running. Calling ahead is the move if you live 30 minutes away. You can be climbing the list while you drive.

One catch: the room publishes no-show and check-in rules for phone sign-ups. If you're on the list and don't show up in time, expect to lose your spot. Leave enough travel time, and when you arrive, go straight to the desk and tell them you're here. The waitlists page covers how each room handles this.

The games

Cash games

No-Limit Hold'em runs $1/$3, $2/$5, $5/$10 and $10/$20, with $25/$50 available by request. For Omaha players, the published game is $20/$40 Omaha ½ Kill. Most people start at $1/$3. At 100 big blinds, that's a $300 stack, but confirm the room's actual minimum and maximum buy-in at the desk before you plan around it. The buy-in calculator can help you pick a number.

The venue publishes a rake of 10% to a maximum of $20. A $100 pot pays $10; anything from $200 up is capped at $20. See the rake guide for why that matters at low stakes.

Tournaments

Pickering's official weekly tournament page lists registration steps, starting stacks and re-entry rules. Those can change from one event to the next, so treat anything you read secondhand as a starting point. Use the tournament calendar and Pickering weekly tournaments to plan, then confirm the specific event on the venue page. If it's your first one, read your first live tournament and freezeouts vs re-entry first.

A heads-up: tournament days can change how busy the room is, so the cash list can look different on those nights.

What your first session looks like

You call the room on your way over and ask for $1/$3. When you walk in, you check in at the desk, get a pager, and wait. When it buzzes, head back to the podium and they'll point you to a seat.

Once you're down, take a few orbits to watch. Who raises every button? Who only plays big pairs? Then play solid. Say you've got 9♠9♦ and a player opens to $15. Calling to try to flop a set (you'll hit one about one time in eight) is fine when stacks are deep. Folding when there's a raise and a re-raise in front of you is also fine. Nobody at the table is keeping score of your folds.

If you're new to casino poker, read the first live poker game guide and live etiquette beforehand. Act in turn, announce your raises out loud, and don't splash chips into the pot. Dealers are used to newcomers and will help if you ask.

Before you leave home

1. Check the live cash-game list or call the poker room.
2. If you're playing a tournament, verify that event's date, buy-in, registration window and re-entry policy.
3. Leave enough travel time to meet the room's waitlist and check-in rules.
4. Bring valid ID (Ontario casinos are 19+) and set a budget.

For hotel, food and other logistics, see room amenities.

Common questions

Sources

• Pickering Casino Resort: Poker (checked September 7, 2026)
• Pickering: Weekly Poker Tournaments (checked September 7, 2026)

By the TorontoPoker.org editorial team · Updated September 2026 · 19+ · Play responsibly