$1/$3 poker in Toronto and the GTA

Where $1/$3 is listed

A listed game isn't a promise that a table is running when you arrive. Check the live list or call the desk before you head out.

What $1/$3 actually means

The small blind is $1 and the big blind is $3. That's the forced money in each hand, not the cost of your night. What you're really risking is your buy-in and the stacks you're playing against.

Say you buy in for $300. That's 100 big blinds, a common live stack. Now picture a normal hand: you raise to $15 with A♠K♦, two players call, and the flop comes K♣7♥2♦. You bet $30, one player calls, and by the river you could easily have $150 or more in the middle. One hand like that is half your buy-in. That's why the person thinking only about the $3 big blind is making a very different decision from the person who knows they're risking $300.

How much to bring

Every room sets its own minimum and maximum buy-in, so confirm it at the desk. As a general guide:

• One buy-in: usually around $300, if the room's maximum allows it.
• Session money: many players bring enough for one rebuy, so $600 total. Only bring what you're fine losing tonight.
• Extras: a few dollars for dealer tips, which are customary but optional.

The buy-in calculator works this out in big blinds, and cash-game buy-ins explains why stack size changes how you should play.

Rake matters more at small stakes

Low-stakes cash games are especially sensitive to rake, because the house fee is large relative to the size of many pots. Great Canadian Toronto currently publishes a 10% rake capped at $20. On a $60 pot that's $6. The cap only kicks in once a pot reaches $200, and plenty of $1/$3 pots never get there.

Other rooms can differ, so check the posted rules where you play. More on how this adds up: poker rake explained.

How $1/$3 games usually play

Live $1/$3 is often loose. You'll see a lot of limping, raises to $12 to $20 getting several callers, and multiway flops. A few adjustments help:

• Raise a bit bigger when several people have limped, so you aren't playing five-way with a medium hand.
• Value bet your good hands. Players at this level call too much more often than they bluff too much.
• Respect big river raises. At low live stakes, a big raise on the river is usually a strong hand.
• Play fewer hands out of position. Position matters more when pots go multiway.

First-time $1/$3 checklist

• Know your maximum loss before you sit down.
• Confirm the minimum and maximum buy-in.
• Understand straddles before you agree to one. A straddle is a voluntary blind, usually double the big blind ($6 here), posted before the cards are dealt. It makes the game play bigger.
• Don't move up just because the $2/$5 waitlist is shorter.

Check the room before you travel

Use the stakes matrix to see where $1/$3 is published, and the waitlist guide to see whether a game is running. First time in a casino? Read your first live poker game. Thinking about the next step up? See $2/$5 poker.

FAQ

Sources

• Great Canadian Toronto: official poker page
• Pickering Casino Resort: official poker page
• Elements Casino Mohawk and Brantford: official poker page

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