Canadian Poker News 2025: Quiet Now, WSOP Looms

Canadian poker news hit a quiet patch in early May 2025. One reason is a gap in major tournaments. The WSOP Circuit Toronto, with its C$7.5 million prize pool, energized April, but the next big event, June’s Diamond Poker Classic in Regina, is still on next month's horizon.

The current lull isn’t surprising, as the federal election was on April 28th, 2025, and that kind of national news is hard to beat. Mark Carney’s Liberals clinched a minority government with U.S. tariff threats and economic worries at play; understandably, poker takes a backseat to politics for now, and there wasn't much reaction to the election results from the poker community that I could find.

Adding to the distraction, the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Winnipeg Jets are all still alive and battling in the 2025 NHL playoffs, captivating fans nationwide. Keeping things real, poker can’t compete with hockey for Canadian internet clicks during playoff season, especially with Winnipeg's classic Game 7 against St. Louis stealing the spotlight.

Still, one minor poker story stands out: Canadian player Xuan Liu recently turned up in Phil Hellmuth’s “Hellmuth’s Home Game” at the Grand Sierra Resort. The Toronto-based pro, with $2 million in live earnings, held her own in a no-limit hold ’em cash game alongside Hellmuth, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, and others. The stakes were low, but due to the no-limit format, the pots can start getting meaningful, even with a big blind of just $50.

Streamed on Poker Night in America’s YouTube channel (note: the F-word is not filtered in this game, and players do use it regularly), Canadian poker fans can check out Liu's play. On the non-poker front, she was asked about all of her online admirers supposedly professing their love for her. 

After the Canadian poker scene catches its breath, eyes will turn to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, starting on May 27th, 2025. Canadian stars should be at some final tables. Furthermore, the event promises to make bigger names out of currently unknown players.