Best Casinos to Play Online Poker 2025

Compare sites that let you play poker online with friends

All levels of card gaming fans will appreciate our comparison service. This is because it simply gives you a great way to see the best sites for playing poker online with friends. As a result, you can pick any operator on our leaderboard and look forward to taking on your friends with some online card gaming action.

It could be your first time setting up a poker tournament. Or you might have lots of experience of hosting poker nights and want to take it into the online domain. Whatever your reasons, we think that you won’t find a better way to see how to play poker online with friends.

How to play poker online with friends safely in five steps

You’re probably just thinking about enjoying some card gaming entertainment when you play poker online with friends. But it’s important to be careful about your online security. After all, there are some rogue online poker sites out there. So here are the five big trust features that we look for in every poker site.

Website encryption: You won’t want to invite your friends to an online poker tournament if the site can’t help their personal data safe. This is why we check every poker site to make sure that it has adequate online security. Ideally we’d want to see that the website has SSL level security and all of the appropriate firewall technology.

Gambling licensing: You should only play at poker sites that have all of the relevant online gambling licensing. Such licensing basically means that you and your friends aren’t going to be swindled when you sign up for an online poker session. Just so you know, we won’t feature any unlicensed poker sites.

Good reputation: We always do some research into the overall reputation of each poker site that we feature. If a site has won plenty of awards for letting you play poker online with friends, the chances are it’s pretty good. But if it has nothing but bad reviews, then it’s probably worth avoiding.

Trustworthy payments: You’ll probably be playing poker online with friends with real money stakes. So you’ll need to use a poker site that only features the most reputable payment options. Ideally, you’d want to make fast, secure and free deposits and withdrawals in Canadian dollars.

Quality customer service: It’s always good to know that you can get help from an online poker site. After all, there might come a time when you’re trying to play poker online with friends, but the site’s gaming software isn’t working. So this is why we always check that each poker site has efficient customer support that’s available around the clock.

The best operator for playing poker online with friends

888 offers you an awesome way to play poker online with friends. It’s a very simple process and what’s best is that you can play free of charge. We found that it was pretty easy to set up the private games as you and your friends just need to download the 888 poker software or app.

From here you just have to register for an account, and hit the Extra Games tab. This reveals the feature that allows you to play poker online with friends. Then you just have to create a new game, and can pick to play a private poker cash game or start a tournament. The tournaments include some great freeroll options that are well worth a look.

Once you’ve got your poker event set up, you can just send the text invite to your friends and let the gaming action begin. What’s best is that you don’t even have to create a poker club to get started. One of the fastest and simplest ways to play poker online with friends.  Don’t forget that 888 also has quality video poker games.

This is how our experts test operators who let you play poker online with friends

To be honest, there aren’t too many online poker sites that let you play poker online with friends. But this didn’t mean that we let our standards drop in helping you find the ideal poker site. So here is a look at how we rank and rate all online poker websites.

Welcome bonuses: Does the poker site have a sign up offer for new customers? Is the online poker bonus good value for money?

Website design: How easy is it to navigate around the poker site? Does it make it easy to play poker online with friends?

Customer service: Does the site have good customer support to help you play online poker with real money? Can you get in touch with the brand via live chat, email or telephone?

Payment methods: How are you allowed to make deposits at the poker site? Does the site make it easy to withdraw your winnings?

Gambling licensing: How is the poker site licensed? What security features does the poker site have to keep your deposits and data safe?

Reward scheme: Does the poker site have a loyalty scheme for existing customers? Does this reward program offer you good value for money?

Poker software: How easy is it to play poker online with friends with the brand’s software? Can you play via online poker apps on your smartphone or tablet?

Poker games: What kinds of poker games can you play at the site? Are there just hold ‘em games, or can you play Omaha poker or other variants?

Wagering limits: Are there any limits on how much you are allowed to wager in your cash poker games? Will there be any limits on how much you can win overall?

Finding the right operator for playing poker online with friends

It shouldn’t be too hard to find a decent operator who gives you a great way to play poker online with friends. After all, poker is one of the world’s most popular card games, and there’s a huge demand to use online technologies to play against friends.

So this is why we’ve set ourselves a task of ranking and rating all of Canada’s top poker sites in our reviews. Our reviews are carried out by our team of poker experts who know what it takes to put on a quality poker night.

As such we’re perfectly placed to help you find a site that gives you and your friends the best possible online poker experience. Whether you’re just looking to play some quick cash games or want to set up a long-lasting poker tournament, we’ll help you find the perfect operator. Just read our poker site and online casino reviews and you’ll be well on your way to discovering a great new way to play.

What features do our experts use for playing poker online with friends?

You’ll probably already know that there are lots of decent online poker sites out there. However, it’s also true that not too many of these sites let you play this classic card game against friends. All of which means that you might have to look a little harder to find the main gaming features that you require. Here’s a quick overview of what our experts look for when they set up an online poker night:

Quick and easy invite procedure: There’s no point in setting up a poker contest if you can’t invite your friends to it. Ideally you’ll just be able to send a link to your friends’ email address and they’ll get to play without having to join a poker club.

Intuitive poker software: You’ll be inviting your friends to a poker event, not a software convention. This means that you’ll want to barely even notice the poker software that you’re gaming on. We’ve found some excellent operators who feature software that make it remarkably intuitive to play this iconic card game online.

Good game selection: We also like to see a variety of different poker variants at online poker sites. These should include Texas hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, Five-card draw and so on. A great way to put those online poker tips into action.

Cash and free play options: Most people will want to play poker against friends for real money. However, it’s also good to see that some poker sites have some free play options which can be a good way of not causing a bust-up between your friends.

Concluding thoughts on playing poker online with friends

We’ve shown you some great sites that offer you a quick and easy way to play poker online with friends. To be honest we were surprised with how few operators offer this service. But with our selections, you’ll be sure of enjoying the best kind of online poker entertainment with your friends.

This is because our featured gaming sites have made it simple to set up an online poker contest. You’ll find it easy to invite friends to your cash games event, or you could even take it up a level with a proper freeroll poker tournament.

The great news is that our featured operators let you set up these poker events for free and you won’t even have to form a poker club for many of them. It’s never been easy to play poker online with friends!

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