Top Online Poker NZ Sites — Pit Your Wits Against the Best and Come Out on Top!

If you are a Kiwi player looking for a card game you can master over time, nothing beats playing online poker in NZ. Sure, you need to get lucky to win, but if you play your cards right and use your skills, you can enjoy an online casino experience like no other.

To make the most of each hand, we strongly recommend you play at only the best online poker sites for New Zealand players. These poker operators have a fantastic range of games you won't find at inferior sites and operate using the latest poker software.

Whether it is Texas Hold'em, Stud Poker, or Joker Poker, we've got you covered. The best online poker sites also have a myriad of rewarding tournaments and super-enticing bonuses. Read our online poker NZ guide and find top-quality real-money poker sites while learning the ins and outs of a casino classic.

Mr. Gamble Makes Finding the Best Online Poker Sites a Breeze

Locating a top online poker site is never easy. You have to cover various factors and analyse tons of elements and features. From licences and security to bonuses and software providers, navigating the world of online poker is a tricky endeavour. That goes double when you do it alone.

With Mr. Gamble, though, that's never the case. When you find online poker sites with our help, you hold all the aces. You can pick the online casino that has the games you need and the features you are hunting for in an instant. Here's how we separate the best online poker sites from the also-rans:

Inspect Licence

The first thing we check for is the online gambling concession. The best online poker sites are licenced by reputable regulators. The licence guarantees several things. It tells us the poker operator has submitted all the documents to authorities and runs a legitimate business.

If a poker site has a valid licence, that's also a great sign for online poker players. It means Kiwi gamblers who are not happy with the service can report the casino site to the regulator. Poker sites know this, and that keeps them on their toes. They are aware they might lose their licence if they don't provide the gambling experience they promised. So they do their best to please their customers.

Check Out Games and Poker Software

Next on our list is the selection of poker games. We give top marks to online poker sites that have all types of poker games you can think of. That means a gambling operator must offer everything from video poker to the best and most popular live casino poker titles.

The poker software must come with all the bells and whistles too. We look for poker platforms that provide round-the-clock support, auto-bet functionalities, hand history info, quick deposit options, and many more.

Go Through Tournaments and Live Events

We are also big on poker tournaments. We know how important it is for New Zealand players to participate in tournaments with lucrative prizes and enticing prize pools. So, we check all live events inside out.

We analyse whether the buy-ins work for our readers and if the potential windfall is something worth playing for. We also examine freeroll tournaments to see if these poker freerolls are worth your time and energy. If online poker sites meet our high criteria, we shortlist them.

Evaluate Poker Bonuses

A good bonus can go a long way when you play poker online in NZ. It can give you extra money to play with or provide free funds to test new games and features. So, it is easy to see why New Zealand players are always on the lookout for rewarding poker promotions.

You will be happy to hear that we assist you with poker bonuses too. At Mr. Gamble, we go through all poker site promos, from welcome bonus offers to reload promos, and inspect them from top to bottom. Unlike others, we don't just scratch the surface. Instead, our experts look under the bonnet of each promo to see if a poker bonus has reasonable wagering requirements and player-friendly terms.

Review and Rank the Best Poker Sites

The last thing we do is green-light the best online poker sites that have aced all our tests. We rank them for your convenience and tell you which poker site excels at what aspect of online gambling, be that betting limits, bonuses, or payouts. All you need to do is pick the online poker room you fancy and play the game you know and love.

How to Play Online Poker Games

Poker is an easy game to learn and play. It is even more straightforward if you play it online via a desktop browser or a mobile poker app. Although the rules are the same, playing poker online allows you to study the game at your own pace and fully understand it without worrying about other people's opinions. Let's break down the main rules of poker as well as analyse hand rankings and betting options.

Main Rules

The objective in poker is to have the strongest hand possible or to make other players believe you have a better set of cards, so they fold. In other words, the player who stakes the most chips and whose bid is unmatched by anyone on the table wins irrespective of the strength of the hand. If others match what is in the pot and cards are revealed, then the strongest hand wins. Keep reading to see the value of hands and how they are ranked.

Poker Hand Rankings from Strongest to Weakest

There are different variants of poker, but winning hands are largely the same for everything from Texas Hold'em to online video poker. Here we organise them from strongest to weakest so that you know when to raise the stakes in a poker game and when to fold them.

• Royal flush: 10-J-Q-K-A, all in the same suit
• Straight flush: a sequence of five cards in the same suit (e.g., 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, all in spades)
• Four of a kind: four same-value cards (four Kings or four Aces)
• Full house: a pair and three of a kind (e.g., 4-4-K-K-K)
• Flush: five same-suit cards (e.g., 4, 7, 8, 10, J, all diamonds)
• Straight: five cards ordered in a sequence in a different suit (e.g., 2 diamonds, 3 hearts, 4 spades, 5 clubs, 6 hearts)
• Three of a kind: three same-value cards (e.g., 7-7-7)
• Two pair: 2x two same-value cards (e.g., 4-4 and Q-Q)
• One pair: two cards of the same value (e.g., 9-9)
• High card: the highest card in your hand (e.g., A)

Poker Betting Options

When playing poker, it is paramount that you know what to do at the right time. There are five ways in which you can play a poker hand, and here's what each means:

1. Check: You can only check post-flop, i.e., when no one has placed a bet. It is almost like you are saying, "For now, I'll pass; I'm not betting yet." If everyone checks on the flop (the first three cards) and the turn (the fourth card), you get an additional card. If players check on the river (last card), you expose your cards, and the best hand wins.
2. Bet: When you place a bet, you put chips into the pot. You do this to either take the initiative and invite others to place the same bet you did or match someone else's bet so that you stay in the game.
3. Raise: When you raise, you put more chips into the pot than previous players did, and you increase the existing bet on the table. You can also re-raise, i.e., raise for the second time subsequently, or check-raise, when you raise after you have checked in the same round.
4. Call: When you call, you match the highest bet on the table so that you stay in the game.
5. Fold: When you fold, you say that you will no longer participate in a given hand. You are not required to make any additional bets. Needless to say, you have no chance of winning when you fold.

Enjoy the Poker Variety and Pick the Cash Games you Fancy

The great thing about poker is that there are lots of variants to choose from. Join the top online poker sites, and you will be able to play all these games and then some. These are some of the poker cash games New Zealand players can check out.

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold'em is arguably the most popular poker variant in the world. In fact, no-limit Texas Hold’em is the highlight of reputable poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.

In Texas Hold’em, two cards, also known as hole cards, are dealt at the start of each hand, and they are dealt face down. Then five community cards follow: the flop (three cards), the turn (one card), and the river (one card), all face up. Players use these community cards and combine them with their hole cards to make winning five-card combinations.

Stud Poker

Stud poker is another popular poker variant. If you are a Kiwi player, you can play this online poker real money NZ game at most top online poker sites. Five-card stud poker is considered the basic game on which all variants are based.

In stud poker, players are given combinations of face-down and face-up cards. For instance, in five-card stud poker, the first card is face down and the second is face up. Then the initial betting round commences. After everyone has acted and decided what to do, the third card is face up. Players bet again. The fourth card is also face-up. After all bets have been placed, the last card is dealt, also face up.

Joker Poker

Joker Poker is ideal for gamblers who prefer to play video poker games. However, unlike other video poker variants, in Joker Poker, an additional card is introduced - the Joker. When you get it, the Joker replaces any other card and helps you form winning poker hands. That way, it boosts your chances of winning.

Other than that, Joker Poker is played like most other video poker games. In other words, you press the "Deal" button, get your cards, and choose which cards to keep and which to discard. Winning hands are the same as in regular poker.

Live Poker

With live poker, you can play poker for real money in NZ online casinos just as you would at any land-based casino. When you play live poker, you take part in cash games and tournaments streamed live directly to your device. That's why NZ players looking for the most authentic online poker experience are advised to check out live poker tables first.

These poker games are the closest you can come to World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournaments and other poker games played at elite brick-and-mortar casinos. They are conducted by real dealers, and you can even replicate land-based casino mingling by communicating with other online poker players via the live chat feature.

Live Poker vs. AI-Based Poker

When you play poker online, you can choose from a myriad of live and AI-based poker games. But which type of poker is better for you and your gambling style? Let’s find out! We will put live poker games and Random Number Generator (RNG) titles side by side and help you select the variant that works for you.

Live Poker

• In live poker, you play against real people ✔️
• Feel the social aspect of brick-and-mortar casinos and poker rooms ✔️
• Games are conducted by highly-qualified real dealers ✔️
• You can choose from a wide range of live dealer poker games ✔️
• In some live games, there might be a limited number of seats on the table ❌

AI-Based Poker

• In AI-based poker games, you play against the software, i.e., the machine ✔️
• You don’t communicate with or play against other gamblers ❌
• RNG software ensures the randomness and fairness of all outcomes ✔️
• There are hundreds of AI-based poker variants ✔️
• You can always play RNG poker games, as there are no limitations to the number of players ✔️

Online Poker Tips and Tricks

Poker is all about how experienced you are. Play enough hands, and you will become a good enough player capable of taking on anyone. However, a couple of tried-and-tested strategies can help you too. Here are some of them:

Many experts say that you need to play only a fifth of the hands when there are nine players on the table. They say that's the percentage of good hands you can get on a nine-man table.

Another decent strategy is to avoid calling and to bet instead. The reasoning behind this is that if you call all the time, you will need to present your hand at some point. However, if you bet, you can bluff and might not even need to show your cards when you win.

Lastly, don't fold immediately when you have a weak hand. Instead, wait for the flop. If the flop contains weak cards too and you happen to make a good hand with them, you will win and boost your bankroll, while players with stronger hands will lose.

Keep in mind that these poker strategies don’t guarantee winnings. No card game techniques or approaches do. However, if you use them correctly, you can increase your chances of winning. And, often, that’s all experienced players need.

Enjoy the Best Online Poker Games!

Online poker is pretty straightforward to play but offers unparalleled excitement. So, once you have done your homework and learnt how the game works, it is time to test your knowledge and skills against others.

The best way to do that is to join top sites for poker. The best online poker casinos have top-notch games, flexible betting limits, fast withdrawals, and a wide variety of bonuses. They also offer the most lucrative poker tournaments. So, browse our list, pick the poker site you like, and compete against top players now!

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