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Updated by Matt Bastock
Editor
Fact Checked by Lee James Gwilliam
Senior Vice-President
Looking for the best online poker sites in New Zealand? We’ve reviewed and ranked the top poker casinos online based on game selection, real money payouts, bonus value, mobile performance and overall trust.
Whether you want to play online poker for real money, try live dealer poker, or start with low-stakes tables, the sites below offer secure registration, fast payments and competitive promotions. Compare your options and join one of the best online poker sites NZ has to offer!
To help you find the best place to play poker online in NZ, we’ve selected three standout casinos from our rankings. Each offers a solid range of poker titles, including video poker, casino poker table games and live dealer poker.
Below, we break down exactly what poker games are available at each site based on what you’ll find in their poker lobbies!
Spin Platinum offers around 30 different poker titles, both within live casino and virtual tables. The lobby includes Caribbean Stud Poker, Triple Card Poker, Jacks or Better Draw Poker, Bet on Poker as well as multiple video poker variants.
Players can access both classic virtual poker games and live streamed tables with titles supplied by Evolution, BetGames and Pragmatic Play.
Realz also provides a broad selection of video poker and live poker titles, with over 40 poker games available. The poker lobby includes Joker Poker, Triple Strike Poker, Russian Poker, Jacks or Better and several Bonus Poker variations. Live Dealer Poker is also available within the casino’s live section, including Evolutions latest video poker version in the Millionaire-series.
The game mix leans heavily toward video poker variants, with multiple versions of Joker Poker and Aces & Deuces-style formats.
Slotbox features both video poker and live dealer poker options. This includes Video Poker, Joker Poker, Jacks or Better Poker, All Aces Poker, Caribbean Poker, Classic Blackjack Poker Side Bets, Turbo Poker and much more.
Providers include Evolution, Play’n GO, Wazdan and Amusnet, meaning a combination of live poker and RNG-based video poker games of high quality, even though there isn’t as much variety here as at the other 2 sites within my top 3.
One of the things we pride ourselves on the most at Casinos.com is our reviews. We try to go above and beyond what the competition is offering in an attempt to bring you comprehensive and unbiased advice.
Like all casino games, online casino poker has a dedicated team at Casinos.com. They work through casinos, checking their setups for the game and, ultimately, if they are any good.
The team comes packed with experience. We’ve been lucky enough to get a mix of professional casino players, game designers, and online casino specialists on board to create what we think are the best reviews in the industry.
While it’s their role to see how good a casino is, the majority of our reviewers consider how things work for online casino poker players specifically. Given that online poker games and sites are a little less widespread than, say, roulette or blackjack sites, it means we have to work a little harder, but this is all part of the process.
An easy place to start for the team is the range of games that are on offer. As we've mentioned, numbers will be less than some of the more popular table games, but there is a difference between a good casino and a bad casino in this regard.
Another area that we like to look at is the availability of live online casino poker with real-life dealers. This is becoming even more popular as live casinos continue to grow in popularity, and the games are becoming better and more engaging as a result.
These games are limited compared to blackjack and the best online pokies, but some of the bigger software developers do work on them, so the quality is high across the board. Again, we highlight where you can access them and look at the games on offer from within the live casino sector.
You can also find poker games at the best roulette sites and blackjack casinos.
Even though we spend a lot of time reviewing the online casino poker section of each casino, we think it’s important to report on the whole package. It’s rare to find players that are solely looking for just online poker 100% of the time, so we take into account the range of other games that are included.
We also delve a little deeper into casino companies, assessing things like the licence in place, their customer support team, and even the software options that are available from the casinos.
Finally, we look at other incentives to play at the casino, which are mainly in the form of bonuses and promotions. Online casino poker is not always eligible for the main welcome offers, so this is an area that has to be checked as well.
It’s very much a team effort here, which means that no stone is unturned in making sure you know exactly where your hard-earned cash is going.
Before signing up to an online poker site in New Zealand, check the essentials:
Most online poker sites in New Zealand offer a casino bonus, usually a deposit match. However, online casino poker often contributes at a lower rate toward wagering requirements, so always check the bonus terms before claiming. Around 30x wagering or lower is generally more reasonable.
Dedicated poker bonuses are less common but typically offer higher contribution rates, even if the bonus amount is smaller. Some live casino bonuses may also include poker variants. Always confirm game eligibility, contribution percentage and any maximum bet limits before opting in.
Many online casinos in NZ are going to be able to offer you a look at their free games. These are a sort of “try before you buy" deal, but for the most part, they are called “demo games”.
How this works is that the casino will give you a play money balance to go and test the games. If you’re new to poker online, then this is, without a doubt, the best way to learn without having to invest your own money into the game.
The demo games work in the same way as the real money casino games. The only difference is that your balance is fake money.
Online poker games are a little less common than some other table games, but many larger NZ casinos do offer demo versions like the free poker games featured below. Try them before playing for real money!
Without a doubt, the most popular poker game online, and probably offline as well, is Texas Hold’em. Omaha poker is a distant second, but Caribbean stud poker and other game varieties have their legion of fans too. Here are some of the most popular poker games of the moment:
Hands in poker online are ranked in the following order:
| Poker Hand Ranking | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A poker hand made out of 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all of the same suit. |
| Straight Flush | A poker hand that consists of five cards in a sequence, all of the same suit. |
| Four of a Kind | A poker hand that contains four cards of the same rank and one card of a different rank. |
| Full House | A poker hand that is made up of two cards of one rank and three cards of a different rank, e.g. 7-7-3-3-3. |
| Flush | A poker hand of five cards that are all the same suit. |
| Straight | A poker hand that contains five cards of sequential rank, not all of the same suit, |
| Three of a Kind | A poker hand that contains three cards of the same rank and two cards of different ranks. It's also known as trips or a set. |
| Two Pair | A poker hand that has two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and a fifth card of a third rank. The fifth card is called the kicker. |
| One Pair or Less | A poker hand that has two cards of the same rank, along with three other cards. It ranks eighth in terms of hand strength, surpassing a high card but falling short of two pair. |
The increase in the use of mobiles in our day-to-day life has been an area that copied over into online casinos. We’re now at a point where as many people play casino games on a mobile device (smartphone/tablet), on the top online casino apps and mobile-optimised casinos, as they do online.
This means that access to online poker on a mobile device is as easy as it’s ever been. The games are massively improved over how they were just a few years ago as well.
In terms of access to a NZ mobile casino, all of the major mobile phone manufacturers will be able to play the game. This includes iOS and Android and many more. There is no drop-off in quality between them either. What you see on an Apple device, you will see on an Android.
One of the main reasons for that is a platform called HTML 5. Without getting too technical, this product has been designed to allow companies to create a game that works on one platform, and then it fits in around the different screen sizes for mobile and tablets. It’s revolutionised the mobile casino sector, and games like poker online are one of the few that are reaping the rewards.






Matt Bastock is a Content SEO at Casinos.com. He has years of experience researching, writing and editing articles about sports and gaming, including the world of online casinos and sports betting. Matt enjoys playing many casino table games, especially poker and blackjack. He also loves watching professional sports, particularly English and European football, as well as US football, rugby and cricket.
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