Online Poker in NZ – Best New Zealand Online Poker Sites for February 2025

Online poker in NZ is easily accessible on desktop and on mobile devices, giving you access to Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, and other games. We have the full guide for New Zealand online poker, covering laws and regulations, the best sites, available banking methods, and much more.

There’s a lot of confusion about the status of online poker in New Zealand, so we’re here to clear things up and tell you how to have the best experience possible.

Best Poker Sites in New Zealand

	No 1 Crypto Poker	CoinPoker	150% Welcome Bonus up to $2,000 - BONUS CODE: PSCOUT	150% Welcome Bonus up to $2,000 - BONUS CODE: PSCOUT Anonymous poker with easy registration Get 33% rakeback every Monday Free from deposit & withdrawal fees on cryptocurrencies		Play Now 5/5 Review 33% Rakeback
	Bad Beat Jackpot 2.0	BetOnline	100% UP TO $1,000 + 21 Satellite Tickets With code: POKER1000	100% UP TO $1,000 + 21 Satellite Tickets With code: POKER1000 Fast seating with Boost for zero waiting time Huge tournaments like Sunday Million and PKO's Solid traffic on Chico Poker Network		Play Now 4.5/5 Review 25% Rakeback
	Crypto – BC Game	New: Poker Client With Texas and Omaha	New: Poker Client With Texas and Omaha AoF poker tables Decent traffic on NL Multi table tournaments just added		Play Now 4.5/5
	Play Hi-Lo Stud	Americas Card Room	100% up to $2,000	100% up to $2,000 WPN network with solid player base Blitz poker for speed and convenience Seven card stud poker available		Play Now 4.5/5 Review 27% Rakeback
	WSOP Qualifiers	Black Chip Poker	100% up to $2,000 Welcome Offer	100% up to $2,000 Welcome Offer Play with other US poker players from all non-regulated states Winning poker network Seven card stud and 5 table PLO available		Play Now 4.5/5 Review 27% Rakeback

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A Closer Look at Top Online Poker Sites in NZ

All of the featured New Zealand poker sites come with something different. Learn more about three top picks in the following reviews to see which ones best meet your requirements. With many of the top online poker sites in the world now live in NZ, the selection is very impressive.

1. CoinPoker – Best NZ Poker Site for Cash Games

CoinPoker gets top billing on our list of recommended online poker sites in New Zealand because, aside from juicy games and promotions, security is essential.

That’s not to say any of the NZ poker sites on this list are unsafe. It’s simply that CoinPoker has taken security to another level by offering a completely decentralized service.

For context, CoinPoker is a crypto NZ poker site. It only accepts crypto deposits in tokens such as BTC, ETH, and USDT. That’s ideal for Kiwis because you won’t have to contend with currency conversion charges (more on this later). The other benefit of being a crypto-only poker site is that CoinPoker uses decentralized software.

Its RNG exists on a blockchain, which means all results are publicly verifiable. Essentially, you don’t have to take someone’s word that the games are fair when it comes to online poker for real money in NZ.

Finally, you can play anonymously. That means you don’t have to provide any personal or financial details to claim rakeback, play Hold’em and Omaha cash games, and enter $100,000 MTTs.

No 1 Crypto Poker

• Anonymous poker with easy registration
• Get 33% rakeback every Monday
• Free from deposit & withdrawal fees on cryptocurrencies

10

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2. ACR Poker – Best NZ Poker Site for Tournaments

ACR Poker, previously known as Americas Cardroom, is the best NZ online poker site for tournaments by a long way.

We could, of course, recommend Black Chip and Ya Poker for multi-table tournaments because they share the Winning Poker Network with ACR. However, we always gravitate to ACR because it was the first site on the network and the place where Venom originated.

What’s Venom? It’s ACR’s annual tournament series that offers more than $20 million (NZ$31.6 million) in guaranteed prize money. In fact, the Venom main event has broken records on multiple occasions by paying out more than $12 million (NZ$19 million).

There are dozens of daily qualifiers costing less than $10 for Venom, but it’s not the only MTT series in town. ACR upped its weekly guaranteed prizepool by 13% at the start of 2024 to $10.7 million (NZ$16.9 million).

The number of low-stakes tournaments also increased by 37%, which is why ACR is our top NZ poker site for MTTs. It has something for everyone, from daily freerolls to record-breaking event guarantees.

Play Hi-Lo Stud

• WPN network with solid player base
• Blitz poker for speed and convenience
• Seven card stud poker available

9.8

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3. BetOnline – Best New Zealand Poker Site for Soft Games

BetOnline is primarily a sportsbook, but it still makes our list of recommended online poker sites in New Zealand because it’s a diverse platform. In our experience, diverse platforms often have juicy games, and BetOnline proves this.

We have been grinding the $0.50/$1 and $1/$2 cash games since mid-2023, and without being too critical, the standard of play is weaker here than on other New Zealand poker sites.

This goes for Hold’em and Omaha. In fact, what’s really nice about BetOnline Poker is that it offers standard, 5-card, and 6-card Pot Limit Omaha. You won’t find those two variants at many online poker sites in NZ, so this again makes it a more diverse platform than most.

The software could be better. The table design isn’t particularly inspiring, and the bet buttons could be improved. However, when you combine juicy games with a great loyalty rewards program and the ability to play eight tables at once, it’s easy to overlook any design flaws and just enjoy online poker for real money in NZ.

Bad Beat Jackpot 2.0

• Fast seating with Boost for zero waiting time
• Huge tournaments like Sunday Million and PKO's
• Solid traffic on Chico Poker Network

9.6

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New Zealand Poker Sites Ranked by Traffic

Is Online Poker Legal in NZ?

Can you play online poker for real money in NZ? If so, how can you play online poker in New Zealand, and are there any tax laws you need to know? Let’s find out.

History of Online Poker in New Zealand

Before the Gambling Act of 2003, real-money gaming in New Zealand was regulated by three statutes:

Generally speaking, any forms of gambling that were not considered beneficial to the community, were banned. While online gambling specifically was not regulated at all, authorities could apply the general regulations to online players.

Fortunately, the government was well aware of the prohibitive nature of these regulations and introduced permissive laws under the Gambling Act of 2003.

What Is or Is Not Legal in New Zealand?

You can legally enjoy all types of gambling in New Zealand, regardless of whether you’re playing in a land-based casino or online. Land-based casinos are legal under the Gambling Act 2003 but must be licensed by the New Zealand Gambling Commission.

Online poker sites, casinos, and sportsbooks must be based overseas, also known as offshore poker sites. This means they can be located in notable gambling jurisdictions, such as Union of the Comoros, Curaçao, Panama, and Malta.

New Zealand and Poker-Related Taxes

The tax situation is slightly less clear than we’d like it to be.

Generally speaking, there is a 29% tax (down from 30.1% before 2021) on gambling winnings over $449. However, there is an exemption for one-off wins.

As noted by the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income:

“One-off gambling winnings in NZ are typically tax-exempt.”

Based on this, it’s generally considered that poker winnings are tax-free in New Zealand if you’re a recreational player. However, if you’re assessed to be a professional (meaning you derive your sole income from poker), then you may be liable for 29% tax on all profits.

Given the slightly ambiguous nature of NZ online poker tax laws, we recommend consulting a local tax attorney to see if you’re liable. The best New Zealand poker sites will not declare your winnings to the local authorities.

How to Play Online Poker for Real Money in New Zealand

Here’s how to join a top NZ poker site using our secure links. We’ll use CoinPoker – one of the best poker apps – as an example:

1. Launch the poker site (or download the app) and create an account.
2. Tap the wallet icon to make a deposit.
3. Choose a cryptocurrency, like BTC.
4. Copy the wallet address and complete the transfer.
5. Tap to open the cash games/tournament lobby.
6. Search using the “Games,” “Buy-In,” and “Seats” filters.
7. Open a table and tap the gear icon to adjust the visual settings and top-up preferences.

New Zealand Online Poker Games

The best online poker sites NZ has to offer are overflowing with games because you’re tapping into an international pool of players. That means you’ll be able to ante up in the following games online:

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is the poker variant everyone knows in one way or another. By that, we mean most people have seen Hold’em on TV, even if they’ve never played. The rules are simple and you can quickly learn how to play Texas Hold’em.

1. Everyone gets two hole cards.
2. Players can use up to five community cards.
3. The winner is the player who makes everyone else fold or who has the best five-card hand at a showdown.

Hold’em can be played using Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit. The majority of poker tournaments in NZ, online, and elsewhere in the world are No Limit.

The same goes for cash games, but you will find a few Limit and Pot Limit tables at our favourite NZ online poker sites.

CoinPoker is the best NZ poker site for Texas Hold’em because of its anonymous, decentralized four-handed games with weak players.

Omaha

Omaha is Hold’em times two. Alternatively, you could call it an extreme version of Hold’em. Even though it’s a different variant, Omaha is similar to Hold’em in terms of betting dynamics. This means it’s a community card game. However, instead of two hole cards, everyone gets four.

The rules of Omaha are:

1. Everyone gets four hole cards and must use two of them.
2. Players must use three community cards.
3. The winner is the player who makes everyone else fold or who has the best five-card hand at a showdown.

Having four hole cards, with the condition that two must be used, creates more hand combinations. This means it’s easier to make certain hands, which, in turn, generates more action.

Essentially, because everyone has more possible hand combinations, there’s more impetus to bet and/or go to a showdown. Therefore, in general, you need stronger hands at a showdown in Omaha than you do Hold’em.

You also have to be prepared for more swings, which is why we refer to it as an extreme version of Hold’em.

BetOnline Poker is the best NZ poker site for Omaha because it offers standard four-card Omaha, as well as Omaha Hi/Lo, five-card Omaha, and six-card Omaha.

Seven Card Stud

Stud is different from Hold’em and Omaha because it doesn’t contain any community cards. Instead, you’re required to make a five-card hand from the seven you’re dealt.

1. Everyone gets up to seven cards.
2. Play starts with everyone receiving three cards (two dealt face-down, one is face-up).
3. The next three cards are dealt face-up, and the final card is dealt face-down.
4. The winner is the player who makes everyone else fold or who has the best five-card hand at a showdown.

Stud can be played high, which means the best high-value hand wins at a showdown. You can also play Stud Hi/Lo at NZ poker sites, such as ACR and Black Chip Poker. Hi/Lo poker variants award 50% of the pot to the best high-value hand and 50% to the best low-value hand.

There aren’t many Stud tables online. However, there are some, and from what we’ve encountered, the level of skill is fairly low.

So, if you want to play online poker in New Zealand and want to try something other than Hold’em and Omaha, Seven Card Stud Stud is a great option.

ACR Poker is the best NZ poker site for Stud because it has a variety of low and medium-stakes cash games in high and Hi/Lo formats.

NZ Online Poker Bonuses

You can play real poker online in NZ, but things won’t always go your way. It’s at these times that we’re thankful for bonuses to boost your bankroll. Below are some of the best poker bonuses to utilize.

Best Banking Option for Poker Online in NZ

You can only play online poker with real money in NZ if you’ve got ways to make deposits and withdrawals. That’s obvious, but the ability to make secure payments also determines whether or not you can unlock bonuses.

In other words, without safe ways to pay, you can win cash prizes or claim bonuses.

The main ways to make deposits and withdrawals when you play real poker online in NZ include:

Make sure you check the processing times and fees when you’re choosing a payment method.

In general, the best online poker sites in New Zealand don’t charge deposit or withdrawal fees. However, when it comes to processing times, eWallets and cryptocurrencies are always quicker than other methods.

In fact, cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are the best options for online poker for real money in NZ. The best crypto poker sites accept multiple coins for fast transactions with very low fees.

We’ve been championing the benefits of Bitcoin for the last few years, not least because withdrawals are processed instantly. The same goes for other cryptocurrencies, including USDT, Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL).

Aside from speedy transaction times, crypto payments are universal. That means 1 BTC is worth the same in New Zealand as it is in the US or on the best Malaysia poker sites.

Finally, the main reason we prefer making crypto poker payments is anonymity. You don’t enter any personal details when you make crypto transfers. This means you can play completely anonymously, which, in turn, keeps you safer.

Can I Play Poker Online in New Zealand with NZD?

Since the best New Zealand poker sites are based in other jurisdictions and cater to an international player base, they don’t support local currencies. In fact, all of the top platforms use USD as the default currency, or opt for USDT, in order to show the same values for all users.

As a result, even if you deposit NZD with a debit or credit card, the amount will likely be converted and displayed in USD.

Crypto banking does provide a better solution as you can buy coins and then deposit in the account. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about currency conversion fees when you deposit NZD at sites that have USD as their default currency.

Live Poker Rooms in New Zealand

You can ante up at a live poker table in NZ. We love live poker because it’s social and flows at a different pace to online games. For us, this makes it slightly easier to get reads on players and analyze hands.

Our top tip is to hone your skills by playing online poker in NZ.

Basically, if you can beat online tournaments and cash games, you’ve got a great chance of winning in the live arena because, in general, the standard is lower.

Stick around, and we’ll show you some great places to play live poker.

Where Can I Play Live Poker in New Zealand?

If you want to take the skills you’ve honed online and ante up at a live poker table in NZ, here are our favourite places to play:

Top NZ Poker Players

New Zealand isn’t necessarily a poker-playing powerhouse and the market isn’t the same size as US online poker, UK online poker, or even poker online in Australia, but that doesn’t mean Kiwis haven’t made an impact on the world stage.

Indeed, the three most successful poker players from New Zealand have all earned well in excess of NZ$2 million from tournaments.

Tips for Playing Online Poker for Real Money in NZ

We want you to have the best chance of playing poker with positive expected value, so here are five things that have helped us become winning players over the last decade.

Conclusion

Not only is it legal to play online poker in NZ, it’s extremely enjoyable. The best New Zealand poker sites are packed with promotions, games, and unique features.

If you’re still on the fence about playing, here are three things to take away from this guide:

FAQs – Online Poker for Real Money in NZ