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Best Poker Sites for New Zealand Players

7 October, 2024

Playing poker online has become quite the trend in New Zealand casino sites. It offers various advantages such as 24/7 access at any place, diversity, security and fantastic prize pools.

Poker sites are specifically designed to host standard poker games, live poker games and poker tournaments. Kiwi players can access them as soon as they register an account. If you’re planning on playing poker, you ought to do it at the best sites. That’s what BestCasino is there to aid you with.

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What is Online Poker?

Before you start playing at the best online poker sites, you ought to get familiar with the concept of the game itself. Online poker is part of the card games family. You play against other players or the casino itself.

Poker

The idea is to have a hand of cards which are better than all other hands on the table. That’s how you win. Each poker game has several betting rounds. The main rules in online poker are the same as in traditional in-person poker. The only difference is that when you’re playing standard poker online, the outcome isn’t determined by the dealer. RNGs create outcomes and that makes the game much fairer.

There are three main categories of poker games – draw, stud and community card poker. In draw poker, you receive a full hand and can replace your cards with a better hand. In stud poker, you receive a combination of face-up and face-down cards during several betting rounds.

Community card poker is the most popular variant. Here, you receive two face-down cards. They are your hand. With each round, the dealer adds another face-up card to the table. In the final round, you’ll have five face-up cards, which are called community cards. You need to combine them with your hand to create the best winning combination.

How to Get Started with Online Poker

Starting with poker at the best NZ online poker site is very easy. You’ll just have to complete a few simple steps. They won’t take more than a minute of your time.

Step 1. Choose the Best Online Poker Site

Browse BestCasino’s list of real money poker sites. We made sure to add brands that are licensed and can provide you with the best experience. Compare their features such as deposit bonuses, available payment methods, poker games, mobile compatibility, etc. Create a shortlist and pick the site that’s closest to your preference.

Step 2. Register an Account

Click on the registration button of the top online poker site and start registering. You’ll be asked to provide the platform with some basic information about yourself. This may include your DOB, full name, address and phone number. Accept the terms and conditions and finalize the process.

Step 3. Deposit Money and Claim the Welcome Bonus

Pick one of the payment methods and deposit funds to your account. Take a look at whether the casino offers a first deposit bonus. Usually, the biggest online poker sites have lucrative welcome bonuses. Claim the bonus and use it to play poker.

Step 4. Play Online Poker

Pick your favourite variant of online poker and access it. Set your bet and wait for the rounds to start. If you’re playing live poker, you’ll have the privilege to not just compete with other New Zealand poker players, but also chat with the dealers. While playing, make sure that you keep track of your session time, the amount that you deposited and the amount of money that you played with. Remember, the idea is to gamble for fun and responsibly.

Poker Rules for Beginners

Online poker players who are just starting to play poker at casino sites might need extra clarification for some of the most popular variants. There’s nothing wrong there. After all, poker online is considered the most complicated variant out of all real money casino games. So, we took the liberty to list some of the most popular poker variants and explain everything you need to know about them.

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold’em poker is not just the most popular community cards variant, but the most popular poker variant in general. Before the start of the betting round, every player on the table receives two cards, face-down.

Big blinds and small blinds cast the ante bet. The small blind pays 50% of the ante and sits left to the dealer. The big blind pays 100% of the ante bet and sits left from the small blind. During the first round, the rest of the players can either call the ante bet or fold. After the first betting round (pre-flop) ends, the dealer reveals three community cards. Then, another betting round (flop) begins. There are four betting options:

  • Check (no raising)
  • Raise (raises the bet)
  • Call (calls the raised bet)
  • Fold (quits)

After the round finishes, the fourth card is revealed and it goes by the name turn. Another betting round begins and after it ends, the river is revealed. Once betting is done, all players reveal their cards. The one with the best hand wins.

Omaha

Omaha

Omaha poker is among the most classic games at the top online poker sites. Although the winning hands are the same as every other poker game, here’s where it differs. Each player receives four face-down cards (called hole cards). Only the player holding them knows their value.

Five community cards are dealt face-up. You need to combine three community cards with two hole cards to create the best possible winning combination. The one with the strongest hand wins. Interestingly enough, there are several sub-versions of Omaha. The most popular ones are:

  • Pot Limit Omaha (there’s a maximum betting limit and you can’t bet more than that)
  • No Limit Omaha (there aren’t any limits to the betting amount)
  • Fixed Limit Omaha (each round has minimum and maximum bet amounts)

The betting rounds have the same sequence as Texas Hold’em.

Seven-Card Stud

Seven-Card Stud

Internet poker sites are no strangers to Seven-Card Stud. Before the first betting round starts, you receive two cards face-down and one face-up card. The first betting round begins after these cards are dealt. Throughout the game, three more face-up cards are dealt. There’s a betting round before each of these three cards is dealt.

When the showdown begins, you reveal all of your cards but choose five out of the seven. The two cards that don’t make the cut are discarded.

Tips and Strategies for NZ Poker Players

Real money poker games are extremely entertaining because you can implement strategies. Keep in mind that when you use a strategy and a new online poker site, you won’t have any guaranteed wins. Strategies may increase the chances of hitting a win, but that’s about it.

Be Consistent

Arrows around a circle with checkmark.

While playing real money games like poker, you need to understand the fact that the outcome takes time. In other words, this is a long-term game. So, make sure you create long-term plans. Stay consistent. Don’t force your hands early in the game. Study your opponents and try to learn their flaws.

Don’t Pray On Two Aces A Lot

Two aces.

Having two Aces as a hand is one of the strongest hands. However, you shouldn’t give all of your hope and chips into this hand. Aces are known to lose. After all, any player can have a better hand than a pair of Aces. So, although they are a strong start, don’t get caught in the mix.

Bluff a Bit to Expose Newbies

Girl with a mask.

Learning how to bluff is a hard trick. That’s why you should practice playing free poker games. Once you master the skill, use it to your advantage. Bluff to see how well other players can read you. Newbies will likely take the bait and end up losing their chips early in the game.

Keep Track of Your Budget

Bag of money and calculator.

Last but not least, keep track of your budget and the time that you spend during your poker session. Remember, it’s all about fun when you play online. Never take unnecessary risks and never chase after losses and wins.

Playing Poker in Live Casinos

Online casinos don’t provide New Zealand players with standard poker variants. There are also live poker cash games where you can compete with New Zealanders or players from every corner of the world.

There are quite a few benefits of playing at a live online poker room. For starters, you get the feeling that you’re in some of the best casinos in the world. Live poker games are extremely diverse and you’ll find something that matches your taste.

And if that’s not enough, when you play poker online at live casinos, you can explore the chat option. It allows you to interact with the dealers. In doing so, you eliminate the only thing that gambling enthusiasts consider a small disadvantage of standard online poker – the lack of interaction and socializing.

Last but not least, live casinos offer special poker bonuses live cashbacks, welcome bonuses and match offers. You can use them on any of the featured variants.

Apart from the interaction factor, live poker differs from standard poker tables in one more aspect. Professional and casual players from New Zealand have the option of playing in demo mode when they register at poker websites. However, live poker is a real money game only. It doesn’t have a free version.

Competing in Online Poker Tournaments

Poker games are so attractive not just because of the type of gameplay, but the prize pools also. These prizes increase if you participate in an online poker tournament. The concept of these tournaments is very fun.

Usually, you need to pay certain tournament fees to be a part of it. As you participate, you compete against other players for one major prize. Top-ranked players also receive adequate prizes. There are several types of tournaments that you can be a part of:

Hand in the middle of multiple choices.
  • Sit & Go tournaments
  • Multi-table tournaments
  • Guaranteed tournaments
  • Progressive knockout tournaments
  • Satellite tournaments

Sit & Go tournaments don’t have a specific layout. They start as soon as the tables are filled and a random draw determines the prize pool. Multi-table online tournaments are exactly what the terms says – players compete in multiple tables and they start with an equal, fixed number of chips. The blinds and antes increase with each round. The last-standing players are then brought to the same table and they compete for the first spot.

Guaranteed tournaments signify that the prize pool is guaranteed to reach a certain amount. In some cases, it can go over a million New Zealand dollars. In progressive knockout tournaments, each player has a “bounty.” So, every time you knock a player out, you receive a reward.

Last but not least, satellite tournaments are online gambling tournaments that don’t have any massive cash prizes. Instead, they buy you an entrance to a bigger poker tournament.

Even though these are some of the most popular tournaments that online players can find, they’re not the only ones. The top poker sites offer the likes of phased tournaments, re-buy tournaments, re-entry tournaments, splash, Spin & Go, turbo tournaments, time journeys, etc.

References

Frequently asked questions

Is online poker legal in New Zealand?

The online poker industry isn't quite regulated in New Zealand. Although the Gambling Act states that online poker sites aren't allowed to be based in the country, it doesn't restrict offshore operators from offering their services.

Are poker winnings tax-free?

If your winnings in online poker rooms are based on fun play, then they're tax-free. Laws state that one-off winning sums are not taxable. However, professional players are required to pay taxes on their winnings as they're considered their main source of income.

What is the most popular type of online poker?

The most popular type of online poker is Texas Hold'em. This is a community cards game where you need to combine your two hole cards with the five community cards on the table. The player with the best hand wins.

How do I choose a reputable online casino for playing poker? 

BestCasino found the top online poker sites in New Zealand. All of them are secure and offer numerous poker game variations. You can compare their features and pick the one that matches your personal preferences the most.

Is PokerStars available in NZ?

Yes, PokerStars is among the available poker sites online NZ. You can access an online poker room of this provider and play your favourite poker variant.