Play Poker Online in New Zealand in 2024 – Top NZ Poker Sites, Rules & Strategy

Playing poker online in New Zealand is a hugely popular pastime, and there are a myriad of options to choose from in terms of where to play.

Here we will go through the best online real money poker sites available to New Zealand players, looking at factors such as the online poker games available, welcome bonuses, payment methods, freerolls, customer support and more.

Top NZ Online Poker Sites Compared

Next we look in more detail at our top five selections for NZ online poker sites, taking into account factors such as poker coverage, payment methods, payout times, customer support and the general pros & cons of each.

1. 888 – Our No. 1 choice for poker online in New Zealand

• Website: 888poker.com
• Payout time: Up to 6 days
• Established: 2002
• License: Malta
• Headquarters: Gibraltar

Our Verdict: 4.7/5

With over two decades in the business, 888 is one of the most established and popular poker sites on the market. Although not as extensive as some of their rival sites, there’s a decent selection of poker games at 888, including some innovative spin-offs of games.

In addition, there are also weekly freerolls on offer. There’s also a generous welcome bonus for new customers and plenty of payment methods to choose from.

Variety of Poker Games at 888 Casino: 4.9/5

There’s a reasonable selection of poker games at 888, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, Blast and Snap.

Payment Methods: 5/5

There’s a wide and varied mix of payment methods available at 888 with which to fund your account, although they don’t currently accept Bitcoin.

Customer Support: 4.4/5

Customer support at 888 is a bit of a letdown, consisting of the on-site 888 Support Center or email. There is live chat offered, but you first have to have an account and download the software.

Bonuses & Promos: 4.9/5

There’s a very decent 100% matched welcome bonus at 888, that’s worth up to $1,000 for new customers. In addition, 888 also offer a weekly freeroll for existing players.

888 Poker bonuses and promotions:

Pros & Cons:

2. PokerStars – Hugely popular online poker site

• Website: pokerstars.com
• Payout time: 3-10 business days
• Established: 2000
• License: UK
• Headquarters: Isle of Man

Our Verdict: 4.6/5

PokerStars is the largest poker site on the planet and offers a vast choice of games to its players from around the world.

The PokerStars welcome bonus is decent, albeit not as big as that offered by some of their rivals. There’s also plenty of payment methods available, although some will be disappointed that Bitcoin isn’t an option at present. They can boast an excellent mobile app that features all their cash games and tournaments.

Variety of Poker Games at PokerStars Casino: 4.9/5

There’s a vast array of games available at PokerStars, including free poker for those new to the game. The selection of games for those with more experience includes the likes of Texas Hold’em, Omaha High, Omaha Hi Lo, Courchevel, Seven Card Stud, Razz, Five Card and Badugi.

Payment Methods: 4.5/5

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to payment options at PokerStars, although as yet they don’t yet accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

Customer Support: 4.1/5

When it comes to customer support, PokerStars certainly has room for improvement. It’s very disappointing that a site of their size and renown only offer direct email support.

Bonuses & Promos: 4.4/5

The welcome bonus at PokerStars isn’t bad, but it’s not particularly outstanding either.

PokerStars bonuses and promotions:

Pros & Cons:

3. Lucky Block – Excellent range of video poker games

• Website: luckyblock.com
• Payout time: Up to 24 hours
• Established: 2022
• License: Curacao Gaming
• Headquarters: Cayman Islands

Our Verdict: 4.4/5

Lucky Block is an online casino site that is at the forefront of crypto gaming, while also offering a massive welcome bonus for new customers.

As a relatively new site, Lucky Block can perhaps be forgiven in that their poker offering isn’t that substantial as yet, with no real poker on offer.

Variety of Poker Games at Lucky Block Casino: 4.0/5

As things stand at present, Lucky Block only offers casino poker games and video poker, not real poker.

Payment Methods: 4.8/5

Although not solely, Lucky Block is mostly concerned with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. There are also more traditional payment methods available.

Customer Support: 4.3/5

There is customer support on offer by live chat 24/7 and via email at Lucky Block. There is no phone option available at present.

Bonuses & Promos: 4.9/5

There’s a superb 200% welcome bonus worth up to $10,000 + 50 Free Spins for new customers at Lucky Block. The bonus is paid in 10 installments with a maximum of $10,000 (or crypto/fiat equivalent) available to players who deposit $5,000.

Lucky Block Casino bonuses and promotions:

Pros & Cons:

4. GGPoker – Global online poker brand

• Website: ggpoker.com
• Payout time: 1-3 business days
• Established: 2017
• License: Isle of Man
• Headquarters: Isle of Man

Our Verdict: 4.4/5

Although GGPoker hasn’t been around as long as some poker sites, it has quickly established itself as a major global player under an Isle of Man gaming license. In addition to plenty of poker options, the site has a number of cool features, such as All-in Insurance and Playing Staking.

Variety of Poker Games at GGPoker Casino: 4.5/5

There’s a good mix of poker variants at GGPoker and a number of great tournaments too, including a $150 Buy-in, $500,000 Guaranteed “GG Masters” tournament every Sunday. Other positives at GGPoker are freerolls, rakebacks and the site benefits from excellent player traffic.

Payment Methods: 4.4/5

There’s a good mix of payment methods available at GGPoker that should cover the requirements of most players.

Customer Support: 4.5/5

24/7 live chat & email are the main customer support options on offer at GGPoker. There’s also a FAQ archive on the site. Unfortunately, there is no telephone option at present.

Bonuses & Promos: 4.4/5

There’s a choice of welcome bonuses at GGPoker, consisting of either a 100% matched bonus up to $600 or up to $100 in free tickets & Cash Game Dollars.

GGPoker Casino bonuses and promotions:

Pros & Cons:

5. Tigergaming – Vast choice of payment methods

• Website: tigergaming.com
• Payout time: Up to 48 hours
• Established: 1999
• License: Curacao Gaming
• Headquarters: Curacao

Our Verdict: 4.4/5

TigerGaming is a very well-established poker site, having been around since 1999. That ensures a reliable and secure site, plus good player traffic.

In addition to a good mix of poker games, TigerGaming offers a vast selection of payment methods, good customer support and a decent welcome bonus for new customers.

Variety of Poker Games at Tigergaming Casino: 4.4/5

There’s a good choice of poker games and New Zealand poker tournaments at TigerGaming. You can easily tab through the High, Medium and Low poker games and there are plenty of freerolls available to new players.

Payment Methods: 4.7/5

There’s an extensive choice of payment methods available at TigerGaming, which should ensure that nobody has any issues.

Customer Support: 4.4/5

TigerGaming customer support can be contacted via 24/7 live chat & email. As elsewhere, there is no telephone option at present.

Bonuses & Promos: 4.4/5

There’s a nice 100% matched welcome bonus of up to $1000 on offer for new customers at TigerGaming. There’s a number of other promos regularly on offer at TigerGaming too.

TigerGaming Casino bonuses and promotions:

Pros & Cons:

Poker Casinos For Kiwi Players Compared

Below is a table looking at available poker games, welcome bonuses and other details from our best online poker sites for Kiwi players.

How We Rank The Best Poker Casinos

In ranking the best online poker casinos in New Zealand, we look at a number of factors that we know are important to players. These include the variety of poker games available, including any cash games & tournaments. We also look at bonuses and promos for new and existing customers, live dealer poker, online customer security and payment methods for funding your accounts.

Poker Varieties

There’s a wide variety of poker games to choose from, so there’s sure to be one that’s right for you. In general poker games come down to three groups – Draw, Stud and Community Card. It’s worth looking for a site with a good mix of each of the game variants to keep things interesting over the long-term.

Cash Games & Tournaments

A good mix of cash games & tournament poker should also be important to players. Cash games are less time-consuming and give you the opportunity to win consistently. Poker tournaments are a better option for players new to the game, but don’t offer regular winning opportunities and can take a long time to complete.

Bonuses

A generous welcome bonus is high on the agenda for many players when it comes to deciding where to open an account. It’s also worth checking for freerolls (free-to-enter tournaments with no charge) too.

Live Dealer Poker

Live dealer poker is a great way of replicating the excitement of playing in a land-based casino, as you are able to directly communicate with the dealer, and the other players at the table. It might not be for everyone, but this is important to many players.

Security

All of our recommended poker sites are fully licensed and have the highest security measures in place to ensure that your money, transactions and personal data are safe.

Payments

A wide variety of payment methods is a must, ideally with a healthy mix of traditional payment methods, eWallets and cryptocurrency payments offered. Crypto payments are definitely always worth considering for their speed, security, anonymity and low fees.

What Is a Rake in Poker?

The rake is the commission fees the casino or card room charges in exchange for letting you play. The amount of the rake will vary depending on where you are playing, but the rake for playing with an online poker site for New Zealand players should be less than with a land-based casino or cardroom, due to the lower overheads.

Knowing the rake fee is important in determining whether or not any poker game is potentially profitable. Many of the leading online poker rooms will offer players tournaments with no rake. Freeroll poker tournaments are free-to-enter with no rake charges and include free prize money to the top finishers.

In online poker, the rake covers the various costs of running the poker operation on the site, such as support, software, and personnel. It is usually lower than that of a brick & mortar casino, where there are a greater number of overheads.

Real Money Poker Casino Bonuses

Almost every online casino offers some form of welcome bonus to new customers. This is typically in the form of a deposit bonus or match bonus, which is awarded as a percentage of players’ deposit amounts.

In addition, some sites offer reload bonuses to existing players and other promos to reward loyalty, such as poker rakeback or freerolls. These can obviously prove to be very rewarding when playing online poker in New Zealand, so they are well worth taking advantage of.

Matched Deposit Bonuses

Most online poker sites in New Zealand provide new players with a matched deposit bonus. You can receive a welcome bonus when you make your first deposit. For example, if you deposit $100 and obtain a 200% bonus, you will have an additional $200 to play with. This will almost always be in bonus money rather than real money, which means wagering restrictions will apply.

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses are sometimes provided where no initial deposit is required although you still have to sign up and set a payment method. They are typically given out as a welcome gift or so that you can try out the casino first. These types of bonuses are quite rare and because they are risk free they are usually small amounts and come with high wagering requirements.

Freeroll Tickets

Tickets for freerolls give you free entry into online poker tournaments. These sometimes come as part of a welcome bonus package, are given out after you make a deposit or as weekly rewards. Freerolls often come with real cash prizes and occasionally serve as satellite events, giving participants the chance to earn entry to a bigger poker tournament. Freeroll winnings can typically be cashed out immediately.

Poker Rakeback

As an incentive for players to keep playing at a particular casino site, some of these NZ poker sites provide what is known as ‘rakeback’, a player rewards program that returns some of the casino’s rakeback fees from cash games and poker tournament entry fees. For example PokerStars offers 10% – 30% rakeback based on your volume.

Popular NZ Poker Payment Methods

NZ poker players are lucky in that they have a great deal of choice when it comes to payment methods with online poker sites. Withdrawal limits and payout times vary, but cryptocurrencies are invariably the best option for rapid transaction and, generally, come with zero fees.

Play Online Poker for Free in New Zealand

We all enjoy getting something for nothing, so it’s good to know that there are always opportunities to play online poker for free in New Zealand.

Online poker sites want to ensure that they attract and retain new players, so it makes sense for them to provide poker online free to enable poker novices to get an experience of the game, rather than having to risk their own money straight away. As a result, sites such as PokerStars offer players the opportunity to play for free.

There are also freerolls (free-to-enter tournaments with no charge) on offer. For example, 888 Poker offers over $20,000 in prizes every week with their freerolls running 24/7!

Pros and Cons of Playing Free Poker in New Zealand

Playing poker free in NZ can be a great way of improving your poker skills without having to risk your own money. Online casino sites in New Zealand that offer free poker can help players get accustomed to all the poker basics when it comes to betting, calling, raising and folding. A good online free poker site might also let you replay your last hand, giving you the opportunity to see why you lost.

On the face of it, it might appear that playing free poker online is a win-win situation. However, there can be a downside, in that it can be difficult to improve your game playing free poker as opposed to a real-money game. The reality is that people tend to play free poker differently than if it was their own money at stake and can pick up some bad habits as a consequence.

Free poker certainly has its place, but it will soon get to the stage where you are better off risking some small stakes and having a crack at real-money poker to really improve your game in a competitive environment and give yourself the opportunity to win a few dollars.

PokerStars is a great site for those looking to try out the game with free online poker.

Know The Poker Pay Table

Poker is a game of probabilities, so it’s definitely worth knowing the payout odds if you are taking the game seriously and are looking to win money. Below we have a Poker Pay Table with the payout odds for the most popular poker game online in New Zealand and throughout the world; Texas Hold’em:

Hand Ranking

If you’re serious about winning money when playing online poker in New Zealand, it’s imperative that you understand the 10 basic 5-card hand rankings. Even if you’re only playing for fun, knowing the hand rankings will increase your enjoyment of the game.

• Royal Flush –  The best hand in poker is a royal flush, which is made up of ace-king-queen-jack-ten of the same suit (clubs, spades, clubs, diamonds or hearts). A royal flush is an unbeatable hand in poker.
• Straight Flush – A straight flush is any 5-card sequence of cards of the same suit. So, for example, 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts would be a straight flush. Any straight flush is a great hand to have and will rarely be beaten.
• Four Of A Kind – Another excellent hand is Four of a Kind, which consists of four cards with the same face value. For example, four queens or four sevens- one from each suit. So if you had the 8 of clubs, 8 of diamonds, 8 of hearts and 8 of spades, you would have Four of a Kind.
• Full House – A full house is also a very strong hand which consists of three of a kind plus a pair. So, for example, ace-ace-ace-8-8 would be a full house.
• Flush – A flush is any 5 cards all of the same suit. So, for example, king-10-7-5-3 all of spades. The order doesn’t matter but having a high card can win in a tiebreaker in flush versus flush situations. Although a flush is a strong hand, it is not uncommon for more than one player to have a flush in a game, so having a higher card like an ace or king is beneficial.
• Straight – A straight consists of any 5 cards in a sequence, no matter what the suit. For example ,9-8-7-6-5 in any combination of clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades. In cases where it’s straight versus straight in a game, the person who has the higher straight wins.
• Three Of A Kind – Three of a Kind consists of three cards of the same face value. For instance, jack-jack-jack or 8-8-8. Again, the player with the higher threesome wins if two people both have three of a kind.
• Two Pair – Two Pair consists of simply having two pair of the equal face value. For example, ace-ace-queen-queen or 8-8-3-3. The player with the larger pair wins if there are two players each holding a pair. The better of the lower pair is used in tiebreak situations when players have the same high pair.
• One Pair – One Pair is simply having two cards of the same value. For example, king-king or 6-6. In pair vs pair situations, the highest pair always wins. When two players both have the same pair, the player with the next highest card wins the tie.
• High Card – The player with the highest value card wins if none of the other participants in the game are able to form a hand. So, the best hand in this circumstance is ace-high.

Poker Odds Explained

Understanding poker odds will go a long way to helping you when it comes to getting the most out of playing poker online in New Zealand. Poker odds are the chances that you can expect to win or lose. In poker, the pot odds are the ratio of how much money is in the pot to how much money was bet.

Pot odds refer to the ration between the size of the bet and that of the pot. Let’s say the starting pot if $10 and you decide to bet half the pot, $5. The pot size is then $15.

• Pot odds usually sit at 15:5, with the idea of reducing the right side of the ratio to just 1.
• Now, if you decide both sides by 5, the pot odds become 3:1.

By using this form of odds, you know that should your opponent bet half the pot, you will likely have the best hand at least 2% of the time.

Our Favourite Online Poker Strategies

If you want to make money playing poker online in New Zealand, it’s important that you have some poker strategies in place to give you an edge.

✅Read up on the game

There’s been plenty written about online poker, so read up all you can on the game. The more knowledge you acquire, the more comfortable you will be at the poker table.

✅Start on low limit tables

As a newbie you don’t want to be risking a large percentage of your bankroll. Start on low-limit tables, where you can learn as you play and any mistakes won’t prove too costly financially.

✅Memorise the hand rankings

Learning the hand rankings will go a long way to helping improve your game.

Playing Poker On the Go

Playing poker on your mobile devices is one of the benefits of online casino sites, as it offers the freedom to play wherever and whenever you feel like it, rather than being restricted to sitting at your desktop or in an actual casino.

As a mobile casino customer, you might also be offered some specific mobile-only bonuses and other promotions that you can only take advantage of when playing poker on your phone.

It’s also good to know that you will get the same full range of games to play on your mobile devices as you would on your desktop, so you can enjoy all your favorite game variants that have been optimized for use with smaller screens.

How to Sign Up at Poker Casino Sites

Before you can start playing poker in New Zealand you will first need to register a new player account. This typically takes a couple of minutes and you can start playing online poker straight away either on your desktop on via your mobile device or tablet.

In most cases it will require that you download the casino’s poker software to your PC, laptop or mobile first after which you create your new account from within their poker app. If you are unsure, here are step by step instructions showing how to sign up at the favorite NZ casino for playing poker in New Zealand, 888. The sign up process will be very similar if you choose to sign up to one of our other recommended casinos.

Step 1 – Visit the 888 Poker homepage

To get started you will first need to visit the 888 Poker site via a link on this page. Once there click on the ‘Get Started’ button.

Step 2 – Register an account

Enter your name, email and date of birth to create your new 888Poker account. Remember to check the box stating that you are over the legal age of 18 as per the New Zealand Gambling Commission and accept the terms and privacy policy. Then click on ‘Next’.

Step 3 – Choose your username

On the next screen you need to choose a username and password and set your security question. Then click ‘Next’.

Step 4 – Complete your registration

Finally, enter your address and mobile number and click on ‘Submit’ to complete your registration.

Step 5 – Download the 888 Poker software

You should then see a welcome screen confirming your registration. You will also be sent a registration confirmation by email. Click on the Download button to start the installation process.

Step 6 – Install 888 poker software

On the next screen you will be prompted to download the 888 Poker software. It should work fine on all modern PCs, laptops and mobile with iOs or Android. Hit the ‘Download’ button and you will see an installation box in the bottom left corner of your screen. Open it and click on ‘Run’. Agree to the license agreement and then follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.

Step 7 – Start playing online poker

Now that you have successfully registered and installed the 888 poker software you can now launch the application, log in and start playing live poker games right now.

Top 3 Poker Games Online

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to poker games and sites on offer to NZ players, so let’s look at the top poker games and the best casinos to play them.

• Best poker sites – The best poker sites naturally have to have a good selection of poker games, but it’s important to look at other factors such as graphics, reputation for fairness, payment methods and bonuses too. In our opinion, 888 Poker is the most complete site for NZ poker players.
• Video poker sites – Video poker is a poker casino slot game where you play on your own against the machine rather than sat around a live poker table with other players. Crypto specialist Lucky Block has a great choice of video poker games with 17 varieties to choose from including Turbo Poker, Russian Poker, Indian Poker and Oasis Poker Classic.
• Deuces Wild video poker – Deuces Wild is the most popular video poker game. Deuces Wild uses a typical pack of 52 cards, with players able to choose what the four “two point” cards and “deuces” represent. TigerGaming offers a version of this game called Deuces Wild Gamble.

Conclusion

There’s a fantastic choice of poker online in New Zealand and a wide variety of online poker for real money and tournaments offered. Signing-up to a new online poker site is a simple and straightforward process, with generous welcome bonuses providing an added incentive.

In addition, there are plenty of freerolls on offer and there’s also a multitude of payment methods available, covering everything from traditional options such as Visa and Mastercard to a variety of cryptocurrencies.

In our opinion, the top online poker site for New Zealand players is 888, a world-renowned gaming site that is trusted by millions. There’s a good variety of live poker games including Texas Hold’em, Turbo Poker, 7 Card Stud Poker and Omaha (High & Low) along with Tournament and Sit & Go poker games. Join today and grab a great welcome bonus to get you started!

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