How to Play Pacific Poker Hold’em Lottery in Canada?

Pacific Hold’em Poker is a poker-themed daily lottery game inspired by Texas Hold’em, offered primarily by BCLC and PlayNow.com in British Columbia, and Loto-Québec under its own lottery game lineup in Québec. It gives players a chance to win cash prizes by forming strong poker hands from randomly generated cards.

You can play this game online and also at the lottery retailer store or Pacific Hold’Em Poker is available at bars and pubs in Canada.

How to play Pacific Hold’em Poker

First you need to buy the Pacific Hold’em Poker ticket.

You purchase a ticket either in-store (BCLC), online via PlayNow, or through the Loto-Québec app/website.

The cost is $2 per play.

Each $2 ticket generates:

• 2 Hole Cards for the player.
• 5 Community Cards, shared with other virtual players.

Choose how many hands to play per draw (up to 5).

Choose how many consecutive draws you want to play (up to a 5).

You can raise your bet to $4, $6, $8 or $10. If you win, each $2 raise gives you an extra share of the prize pot (amount depends on the numbers of players participating).

It is a lottery game where the first draw starts at 11:02 a.m. and ends with the last draw at 2:02 a.m. Five community cards are drawn every 6 minutes. Combine these community cards with the two cards you see on your ticket. If the hand you make is better than the best hand at the table as shown in the game display, then you win!

Each ticket holder tries to achieve the best five-card poker hand using a ticket that they purchase. This ticket has two cards on it (the “Pocket Cards”).  Five cards (the “Community Cards”) are revealed on the display monitor.

The Community Cards, together with the ticket holder’s two Pocket Cards are the seven available cards from which the best possible five-card poker hand is determined.  The ticket holder is playing against on-screen opponents and other ticket holders across the province.

Each ticket will display one of 630 possible pairs of Pocket Cards. The 630 possibilities for each draw will repeat once all have been sold.

Play Online	Play at Lottery Retailer
You need to join Play Now.com and get yourself registered as a new player.	Get the game selection slip or request a Pacific Hold’em poker ticket and pay the authorized retailer or BCLC.
Once done go to the lottery games tab given at the home page of the online site.	The maximum amount that can be wagered per ticket including Raise(s) is $10.
Select Pacific Poker hold’em Poker	A wager can be raised to increase the total bet amount to $4, $6, $8, or $10.
Cclick on the coin stack beside your name on the top right of the page once logged in and and you will be redirected to the PlayNow Deposit Funds page.	If a ticket holder wins, each $2 raise gives the ticket holder an extra share of the winning Prize.  A wager is raised by paying the authorized retailer, through the use of the SST where available, or BCLC where applicable before the start of that draw.
Once your deposit is complete, you can close out of the PlayNow page and you will see your Poker account balance update in real time.
PlayNow.com is part of the Canadian Poker Network, which includes players from British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec.

Note that for a ticket raised at an authorized retailer, once a wager is raised, the original ticket is void and a new ticket indicating the raise amount is issued. For a ticket raised through the use of the SST, once the wager is raised, the original ticket is retained by the SST and a new ticket indicating the raised amount is issued by the SST.  For a ticket raised on the PlayNow website, once a wager is raised, the ticket display will reflect the raised amount.

Consecutive draws can be played by marking the appropriate number of consecutive draws and paying the appropriate amount. The maximum limit per selection slip (five hands X five draws X $2 price) can not exceed $50.  Where available, tickets can also be purchased from Self-Service Terminals (“SST”) and the PlayNow website. Additional copies of tickets can not be printed by the Lottery terminal for this game.

Poker Apps to Download

How to win

• You’ll combine the 2-card hand on your ticket with the 5 community cards to create the best possible 5-card hand.
• Watch the Pacific Hold’Em Poker draw on the monitor to see the 5 community cards drawn.
• Combine at least one of the 2 cards printed on your ticket with the corresponding community cards to make your best 5-card poker hand.
• If your 5-card poker hand beats all of your on-screen opponents’ hands, you win a share of the prize pot.
• If no one beats the on-screen opponents, all ticket holders with the next best hand (the Best Hand in Province) win or share the prize pot.
• The number of players participating in a particular draw will determine the amount of the prize pot. A tie is considered a loss.

Bad Beat Jackpot

The Bad Beat Jackpot is a separate, progressive jackpot that continues to grow until it’s won. You could win the Bad Beat Jackpot if:

• You have a 4-of-a-Kind or a Straight Flush but your hand loses to your on-screen opponents.
• You must use at least one of the 2 cards printed on your ticket to create your best possible 5-card hand.
• Your best possible 5-card hand must be stronger than the 5 community cards alone (the card(s) printed on your ticket can’t simply replace equivalent cards within the 5 community cards).
• If more than one hand qualifies for the Bad Beat Jackpot, only the best Bad Beat hand will be awarded the jackpot. In the event of a tie, the Bad Beat Jackpot is shared. In the event of a tie, the total prize will be divided by the number of winning shares.

The draw of Pacific Holdem Poker

Played daily, with a new draw every 6 minutes. The first draw starts at 11:02 a.m. and the last draw ends at 2:00 a.m.

Each draw is assigned a draw number. Tickets qualify only for the draw with the same draw number(s) set out on the ticket.

Game draws occur from all available cards from a standard deck of playing cards. After the sales cut-off time for each draw, BCLC will cause two cards to be dealt to each of four on-screen opponents (the “On-screen Opponents”) and face down to a placeholder spot  (which symbolizes a ticket holder’s Pocket Cards) at the poker table as displayed on the monitor. The first three Community Cards (the “Flop”) will then be dealt with and revealed in the centre of the poker table. 

After the Flop the fourth card (the “Turn”) and the fifth card (the “River”) will be dealt.  Before each of the Flop, Turn and River cards, another card is dealt from the top of the deck, is discarded and remains face-down on the table (a “Burn Card”).

A winner is determined by making the best hand using at least one of the Pocket Cards.  At least one Pocket Card must be used except in the case of the Prize B category.

Prize Structure

The winning selections in Pacific Hold’em Poker are divided into three sections:

1. Prize “A” – Beat the Table

The prize pool is shared evenly amongst all ticket holders who qualify by beating the top on-screen opponent hand by using at least one of the Pocket Cards on the ticket in combination with the Community Cards. A tie with the on-screen opponent is deemed a loss.

2. Prize “B”  – If no Prize A

A prize that is awarded only if no Prize A is awarded. If there is no Prize A winner, the prize pool from Prize A is carried over to Prize B and awarded to the ticket holder with the top overall hand in the Province. If there is a tie amongst ticket holders, the prize pool is split evenly between all who qualify. To qualify for this Prize, ticket holders are not always required to use their pocket cards to form the top overall hand in the Province.

3. Prize “C” – Bad Beat Progressive Jackpot

A separate jackpot (a progressive jackpot that continues to grow until it’s won) is awarded in the case where the ticket holder’s best five-card hand did not beat the top on-screen opponent’s hand but meets all of the following criteria :

1. The hand is either a “Straight Flush” or “Four of a Kind”. This means the ticket holder must have one of these hands and also must not have beaten the top on-screen opponent’s hand.
2. The ticket holder must use their best possible five-card hand and may not opt for a lower hand to win the Bad Beat
3. The ticket holder’s hand must be stronger than a hand comprised of the five Community Cards alone
4. A ticket holder’s Pocket Card cannot be used to make their best five-card hand in place of an equivalent card from the Community Cards when trying to qualify for a Bad Beat
5. The ticket holder’s hand must contain at least one of their Pocket Cards (and the top on-screen opponent’s best five-card hand must also contain at least one of this opponent’s Pocket Cards.)

The best Bad Beat hand will be awarded Prize C from amongst the ticket holders that meet the criteria. In the event of a tie, the ticket holders will share the jackpot. The Bad Beat Progressive Jackpot prize will be split by the number of winning shares with each share receiving an equal portion of the total jackpot.

It is possible to win both Prize “B” and the Bad Beat Progressive Jackpot prize on the same hand.  It is not possible to win both Prize “A” and the Bad Beat Progressive Jackpot prize on the same hand.

Odds to Win

Odds are approximate.

Prize Category	Odds
Bad Beat Jackpot	1 in 31,719.44
Best Hand in Province	1 in 763.40
Beat the Table	1 in 5.33
Any Prize	1 in 5.29

Where to play Pacific Hold’em Poker

1. BCLC (British Columbia)

• In-store and online via PlayNow.com
• Offers the All-In Progressive Jackpot

2. PlayNow.com (Manitoba & BC)

• Fully digital play
• Access to real-time jackpot meter
• Secure online ticket purchase and prize collection

3. Loto-Québec

The game may be offered under a slightly different brand or structure.

Some similar poker-themed games include:

• Poker Lotto
• Triplex
• Lotto Poker

Loto-Québec emphasizes instant + draw-style hybrids with poker hands.

How to Claim Prizes

In Store	Online
In-Store (BCLC): Under $2000: claim at retailer Over $2000: claim at lottery prize centre or via mail	Online (PlayNow/Loto-Québec): Winnings are credited directly to your player account Large prizes may require additional ID verification

Pacific Hold’em Poker is a unique blend of poker strategy and lottery excitement, offering players in British Columbia and Quebec an engaging way to win cash prizes through familiar Texas Hold’em-style hands.

With simple gameplay, instant results, and the chance to hit a progressive jackpot via the All-In option, it appeals to both casual players and poker fans. Whether played in-store or online through PlayNow or Loto-Québec, Pacific Hold’em delivers fast-paced fun with the thrill of a winning hand.

FAQs