Best Online Poker Sites in New Zealand - Nov 2024

Whether you're looking to play poker to pass the time, or would like to try online poker professionally, it's important to choose a safe and reputable site. We've reviewed the best online poker sites in New Zealand and ranked them below. You can either visit them directly or read our in-depth reviews to compare bonuses, software, tournaments, and other features.

If you're looking to join a new online poker site, you've come to the right place. Here at Gambling.com, we've carefully compared and reviewed all of the best online poker sites available in New Zealand. Regardless of whether you're a seasoned poker player in search of new stomping grounds, or are new to the game yourself, we've got you covered. You'll find the most reputable poker clients right here, each of which has its own pros and cons, not to mention lucrative bonuses for signing up.

You'll also be able to find some helpful information on this page, which includes reviews of the best real money poker sites, game descriptions, strategic advice, and more. So read on to find out all you need to know about playing poker online in New Zealand.

Our Top-Rated Online Poker Sites

We've reviewed the top online poker sites below for players who would like a little more information. While each of these sites will offer a safe and fun online poker experience, the range of bonuses, tournaments and game variations will differ.

Party Poker

Party Poker has been delivering online poker games since 2001 and has developed a strong reputation in the industry as one of the best poker sites. They hold multiple gaming licenses, and provide a secure platform for users to play cards. NZ poker players can sign up for an account to play cash games, fast forwards, multi-table tournaments, sit & go’s, spins, and other unique types of poker.

Party Poker has a handy tool called MyGame Whiz, a personal AI poker coach built into the platform. Whiz analyses poker games from the last two days, and makes recommendations to help players improve their strategy and win more hands. New players from New Zealand can hit the tables at Party today and claim a welcome bonus for 100% up to $600 and $30 in free tickets.

Guts Poker

Guts Poker launched in 2013 and offers Kiwis a fine choice of real money online poker games. Their platform is licensed in Malta, and was built on the old Microgaming Poker Network, to ensure their players can find action around the clock. They have a simple interface, and it’s easy to switch between cash, sit & go, tourney, speed, and twister poker games.

New players from NZ can sign up and claim a Guts Poker bonus for up to NZD$1000. The welcome bonus is wager free, and can be unlocked in $5 increments, for every $25 in rake on the site. The loyalty program at Guts provides rakeback deals from 10% - 30% for Silver – Diamond VIP users. 

888poker

888Poker is a large global network popular with players from New Zealand. Their company was founded in 1997, and they hold multiple licenses from Gibraltar, Malta, and the United Kingdom. Their games run on their proprietary 888Poker Network, which features high quality graphics, smooth gameplay, and many poker variants to play online.

NZ online poker players can sign up to 888 and explore cash games, sit & go and MTT tournaments, and special SNAP and Blast events with fast-paced action and high payouts. Their lobby displays helpful tabs to filter through Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud games, providing excellent game variety. Hit the tables at 888 today with a $20 no deposit bonus, followed by a 100% deposit match up to $888.

Bet365 Poker

Bet365 started as a sports betting operation, but branched into the online poker field in 2004. The business is licensed in Malta, and New Zealand players can sign up to play online cash games, sit & go and multi-table competitions. Their lobby is easy to navigate, with filters to sort games by stake sizes across Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo and other game types.

NZ users can create an account and receive a $365 locked poker bonus. The promotion is released in intervals, after accumulating status points by playing real money games on the site. The first $5 requires 50 points, while the next $60 is unlocked with 2,400 points.

How We Rank the Best Online Poker Sites in NZ

If we’re honest, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes when we review an online poker site. In addition to performing our own KYC with each and every operator we review, we also sign up and use our own money to test out the poker software, quality of players, bonuses, deposit and withdrawal process, and more. We also take into consideration how Kiwi-friendly the sites are and if they accept NZ dollars and operate customer service during New Zealand Daylight Time.

As a result, you can be sure that you'll only find the best online poker sites recommended at Gambling.com. Here are just a few of the important criteria we check while performing our reviews.

Online Poker Game Variations

There are an absolute ton of poker game types available online, but here are the main ones Kiwi players tend to prefer:

Texas Hold'em – This is the most popular type of poker, and most common format played online. Players get two cards, and must use three community cards to form the best hand. Hold’em is available in Fixed, Limit, and No Limit format across cash tables, sit & go, and MTT events. Popular Texas Hold'em variations include Heads Up, Double Up, Turbo, 6 and 9 Seat, P.K.O, and Satellites.

Omaha – Omaha follows the same ranking system as Texas Hold’em, but players receive four cards, and must use their best three, with two of the five community cards. NZ players can play Fixed, Pot, and No Limit Omaha games online. Fans can enjoy standard Omaha games or a unique Hi Lo/Omaha 8 version, with two pots.

Seven-Card Stud – Seven-Card Stud uses an ante betting system where all online poker players must chip in to play the hand. Each receives seven cards and must use five to make the strongest hand. This is a classic card game, and New Zealand players can find daily cash and tournament games at the best NZ poker sites.

Five-Card Draw – Five-Card Draw is a simple type of poker that many video poker machines are based on. There are fixed, pot, and no limit Five-Card draw games, and variants include ante and blind structures. Each player receives five face down cards, and they can choose to replace their cards during the drawing round, with the aim to make the strongest five-card hand.

Caribbean Stud - Caribbean Stud differs from other games, and puts players against the house in a similar way to blackjack. Players must form a stronger hand than the dealer to win the round. In these live poker games, Hands follow the same ranking system found in Texas Hold’em, and payouts are based on hand rankings in the paytable, with Royal Flushes paying 100-1.

Three-Card Poker – Three-Card Poker delivers a simpler online poker site experience to New Zealand players, with each player receiving three cards, and using all to make the strongest hand. Games are played against a virtual or live dealer, and winning hands can include high card, pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, and straight flush.

Pai Gow Poker - Pai Gow is a game variant that originated in Asia, and involves creating a high and low hand from seven cards. The high hand requires five cards, while two are dedicated for the low hand. In Pai Gow Poker, each player competes against the Banker and can win one or both hands during the round.

Online Poker Tournaments

Online poker tournaments are pretty much the ultimate experience for die-hard poker players, but to be honest, you can find an online poker tournament to suit any skill level. You will generally pay a small fee to join the tournament, just like an in-person poker tournament, and then you are joined by players from around the world to battle it out.

There are free-to-enter online tournaments, but the payouts for those are modest compared to major online tournaments like GGPoker’s World Series of Poker, which had a prize pool worth US$27,559,500 in 2020. Here is a breakdown of the different types of tournaments at the best online poker sites.

Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) – These events have more than one table, and large player fields and prize pools. Each player buys in for the same amount of chips, and play continues until there is only one left. Texas Hold’em and PLO are the most popular types of Multi-Table tournaments online. Top game formats to play include 6-max, 9-max, Progressive Knockouts, Re-Buys, Satellites, Turbo, and Deep Stack.

Sit & Go (SNG) - Sit & Go poker events generally involve one table, and are like a mini-tournament. The most popular types are 6 and 9-Max. Each play pays a buy-in fee, and receives the same starting chip stack. Kiwis can battle it out in various styles of Sit & Go's, including Heads Up, Double Up, Classic, Turbo, and 3, 6, and 9-Max tables.

Multi-Flight – Multi-Flight tournaments are large-scale events with gameplay stopping and continuing across multiple days. Players can enter at a certain level and play their way to the final stage. The prize pool for Multi-Flight tournaments is collected across all levels, and distributed to those who make it past the bubble in the final stage.

Progressive Knockout/Bounty Tournaments - Progressive Knockouts are popular at the best online poker sites for New Zealand players. These bounty tournaments provide the chance to win extra prizes by knocking opponents out of the event. The tournament buy-in is split between the standard prize pool and bounties. As players progress and knock others out, their bounty value increases, and those who make the final field can achieve some large wins.

Freeze-out Tournaments - Freeze-out events can be found on nearly all poker sites, and are a type of classic tournament. Players can buy-in to the event, receive their chips, and must play until the end of the competition. Unlike other poker games, there are no rebuy or add-on options. If players lose their chips, they are removed from the tourney, and can’t rejoin the game.

Rebuy Tournaments - Rebuy Tournaments have become more popular recently, and allow players to buy back into the game if they lose their entire stack. Certain events may be limited to one rebuy, while others may let users add-on chips during a break. These options can be helpful for players if they’ve been playing well, but face an unlucky scenario and wish to re-enter the game.

Multi-Buy Tournaments - The top online poker sites for New Zealand feature many Multi-Buy events, which give players the chance to re-enter the same event multiple times. The number of rebuys allowed varies between each site and tournament. Some have limits, while others can have unlimited reentries, generating significant prize pools.

Deep Stack Games - Deep Stack poker games differ from standard tournaments, and players can enter with large starting stacks, usually over 100-150 big blinds. Having a deep stack allows players to be more strategic about when they make their move. Deep stack events usually have slow blind structures, but there are some turbo events to play online.

Turbo Games - Turbo games take any type of poker game and speed up the action dramatically. The time between blinds increasing is much shorter in Turbo games, and players must get involved in the action, or risk losing their chip stacks. Turbo games can have blind levels from 3-6 minutes, creating fast-paced action that NZ players love.

Hyper-Turbo Games - A Hyper-Turbo poker game takes a turbo event one step further, with faster blind levels capped at three minutes. These blazing fast events are typically 6-max, and players must protect their blinds to stay in the game and win. They’re perfect for action seekers who wish to play many daily tourneys and lower variance.

Satellites - Satellite poker tournaments are multi-stage events where players can start at a low cost level, and win their way into the next stage. By progressing through multiple stages, Kiwis can win the final phase and gain entry to a high cost offline or online tournament, with many providing millions in prizes.

Freerolls - Freerolls are excellent for beginners in NZ who want to play free online poker. These events can be accessed by signing up to a site and entering a daily freeroll, depositing for free entry to exclusive weekly events, or claiming a no deposit free chip for real money tournament or sit & go tickets.

Check out our favourite casino games anytime, anywhere with our fully optimized best online mobile casinos

Our Team of Online Poker Experts

Punters, assemble! We’re pretty stoked to say that we have a really solid team of gambling experts not just from New Zealand, but from around the world. We’ve got professional gamblers that know all the tricks of the trade, as well as analysts who have kept tabs on the online poker industry for years and years.

Anything you read on Gambling.com has gone through several sets of capable hands to give Kiwis the best, most up-to-date information possible, whether it be for online poker sites, or the wider world of online gambling. Stick with us, we’ll see you right!

How the Best Online Poker Sites Work

As we sort of touched on earlier, a really good online poker site has to get a lot of things right for us to recommend it. You need to be able to sign up very quickly and very easily, and there should be a pretty attractive welcome bonus to help you sign up in the first place.

NZ poker players should be able to find a poker table to suit their budget, skill level, and time constraints. Do you want a low-rolling game that’s quick and with a similar level of opponent? A good poker site will have it. What about a high roller’s tournament that takes all weekend! Yup, it should have that too.

A top online poker site should also be completely secure, safe, and fair for all involved. No tomfoolery, just straight up and down fun. Oh, and of course, it has to be 100% legal for Kiwis to play on!

Finally, a great poker site should have a wide range of variety when it comes to the type of poker you want to play.

Why Play Poker Online?

The main reason to play poker online is that poker is just bloody fun. You get to interact with other players and employ your own style and poker strategy. There is also an element of luck which adds to the excitement. And of course the longer you play it, the more you get out of it. You learn more about strategy, when to take a punt, and how other people play the game. Oh, and then of course there is the money you can win, that’s pretty cool too!

Online poker takes things a step further. First of all, you just cannot beat the convenience of being able to play a full game of poker from your couch. No taxis to the casinos, no driving to your mate’s place - just pure poker fun wherever and whenever you want it.

Online poker also gives you massive variety. There are so many options available online that will introduce you to versions of poker you might not have even heard of before. Then there are all of the different players you’ll be exposed to, all with differing levels of skill. Once you play online, you are given the opportunity to learn so much compared to just playing with your mates or the people at the local cassie.

Popularity of Online Poker in NZ

Given all of the benefits of playing poker online, it’s no surprise that online poker has exploded in popularity, especially in New Zealand. We’ve almost been conditioned to think that the TAB or a bricks-and-mortar casino is the only way to have a punt in NZ, and so the power and convenience of online poker playing has been a bit of a revelation to all sorts of Kiwi punters.

Being able to sit down on your couch or computer and play with players from around the world is a blast - and you can do it whether you are in Kaitaia or Bluff.

Finally, let’s not forget the money you can win. It all depends on your bankroll of course, but if you want the opportunity to win at any level, online poker gives you that chance.

Live Poker vs Online Poker

The most obvious difference between live poker and online poker is the pace of the game. Online poker often sees 60 to 100 hands per hour, whereas you might only get 30 hands per hour at a live table. Online players can also choose to play multi-tables.

You can try to read your opponents and figure out their tells when playing live poker, but that is largely eliminated online. On the flip side, you can use tracking software and other valuable tools to help you gain an edge when playing at a poker website.

Online Poker for Real Money vs Free Poker

The best bit about online poker is that in some cases, you can play for free. Not all of us have briefcases of money lying around, so freeroll tournaments are a great option if you’re strapped for cash, but you still want to throw some cards around. You can find several licensed, legal NZ poker sites that offer freerolls, which essentially provide players with free site credit in a bid to win prizes, just like a casino bonus.

Free poker is great for beginners and you can also play in private rooms with friends at some sites. Of course, free poker games won’t let you win any real money, but it’s a good option if you just want some quick, free fun, or if you want to learn a new style of poker without burning through your own money.

When it comes to real money poker, you can play wherever you are comfortable. Bet as little or as much as you want but just be sensible with your bankroll - it is real money after all!

Pros and Cons of Online Free Poker

Latest NZ Online Poker Sites

If you’ve ever had a quick Google for poker sites online, you’ll know that there are too many to pick from - at least easily. Don’t worry though, that’s our job. We are constantly on the lookout for new online poker sites to compare and review. We go through each one looking for the pros and cons so that you don’t have to.

We sign up for new accounts using our own details and our own money, so we can speak with authority about what the entire experience is like from a Kiwi perspective.

If you want to keep tabs on the latest and greatest in online poker, including all of the sweetest poker bonuses, bookmark this page, and come back often!

Poker Software

Online poker is big business, and the software developers are like the movie studios behind your favourite blockbuster films. In reality, there are hundreds of software developers, but only a few make really good online poker games. Top software developers include the likes of Playtech and Microgaming, 888 Holdings and Entain.

There is also specialist software that you can use to help boost your chances of winning at the virtual poker table. Tools include GTO Trainer, Hold’em Manager, Poker Tracker, PIO Solver, and ICMIZER, which can help you gain an edge. As always, do your own research, and don’t fully rely on these tools. Your best asset is your noggin!

Poker Payment and Withdrawal Methods

A great online poker site will have enough payment options to suit all Kiwis, ranging from credit cards, to bank transfers, to cryptocurrencies. The most common form of payment you’ll find is Visa or Mastercard, so that should give you a fair idea of the security involved when it comes to making deposits and withdrawals.

There are also prepaid methods like Paysafecard, and e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller. Some sites will even offer cryptocurrencies, although this can be rare. Here’s what you can expect in terms of deposits and withdrawals:

• Credit Cards & Debit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro
• Traditional Banking: Pay by Phone, Bank Transfer
• E-wallets: PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, etc.
• Digital Wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Hybrid Digital: Paysafecard
• Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Litecoin, etc.

Most payment options will deposit instantly, while withdrawals will typically take up to a day for credit cards etc, and e-wallets can be instant.

Security of Poker Sites

Security is one thing we don’t muck around with and thankfully the top online poker sites are the same. The average online casino or poker site deals with thousands of players every day, all making tens of thousands of bets. Therefore, it’s in the best interest of the casino to have the absolute maximum security possible.

All sites we recommend will have full SSL security, meaning your details are encrypted at all times. Top online casinos will also hire specialist cyber-security teams in order to keep tabs on any possible threats.

Rest assured that any online poker site we recommend will have your interests in mind, with top-notch security to go with it.

Mobile-Friendly Poker Clients

Mobile poker play is now pretty much more popular than playing from your computer. This means that the top online poker sites will have dedicated mobile poker apps that you can download to your tablet or phone, whether it’s Android, Apple, or Windows Phone. If there isn’t a dedicated app available, don’t stress these days the mobile versions of online poker sites are often excellent.

Just be aware if you want to play multiple tables, or use poker software tools, you’ll be best to play from your computer or laptop.

Poker Rake

A poker rake is the fee charged by an online poker site as a commission for playing a game at their poker room. It’s basically the business model for online poker sites, and it’s how they make a profit.

If it’s an online poker tournament, the poker rake will usually be a percentage of the tournament fee, which can be anything from 1% to 20%, depending on the stakes. If it’s a normal cash game, the rake can be collected through a pot rate, which can be 2.5% to 10% of each hand’s pot.

It could also be via a time collection, where the poker site takes a fee from each player at specific times during the game, e.g. every 30 or 60 minutes. Alternatively, it could be through a dead drop, where each player pays the same rake. Oh, and there are also online poker games with no rake, however, these are usually lower-stakes games with smaller prize pools.

Explore More Card Games

If you like online poker, you might also enjoy other casino games that have a good mix of luck and skill. A lot of top operators have an online casino alongside their online poker room.

Check out the best online casino sites for the top operators providing casino games. You can play the likes of blackjack, video poker, or baccarat and these days there are even live gameshow-style titles like Deal or No Deal, Monopoly Live and Dream Catcher. If you’re looking for something a little left-field, you can play games like Fan-Tan, Sic-Bo, or Casino War.

Best Online Poker Sites in NZ - Our Verdict

The bottom line is that the online poker sites we’ve featured on this page are the absolute best in the business. It’s not just that they are great poker sites either, because we believe they are also great punting destinations for Kiwi gamblers.

If you want to have a look at our full reviews for specific online poker sites, feel free to check them out. If you want to try out any of the best poker sites, click the links on this page and you’ll get exclusive sign-up bonuses. Above all, have fun, be safe, and have a crack!