Discovering New Zealand's poker scene
Alright, so the New Zealand poker scene isn’t quite as expansive as those in other countries. This is probably because New Zealand is a smaller place, so it has yet to make its mark on poker globally. Plus, with Asia just a short hop away, it is often overshadowed. Still, there is a good poker scene throughout New Zealand – and it’s one that seems to be getting bigger too.
The poker scene started in New Zealand a little over 100 years ago, although card games were brought over by Chinese settlers some time before that. Let’s tell you about the poker scene, shall we?
Land-based casinos
Land-based casinos are popular in New Zealand, and there are a few big players in the country. For example, you’ve got Christchurch Casino in Christchurch, the Grand Casino in Dunedin and SkyCity in Auckland. All three of them boast a decent number of poker tables, and they’ve all been lucky enough to land some amazing tournaments. No matter what time of day you head to one of these land-based casinos, chances are that you’ll find a few games of poker running.
The main events happen towards the middle of the year, though. All these casinos host major New Zealand and Asian tournaments, when some of the best players in the region come to ply their trade for big bucks. You can even take part if you want – you’ll probably need to part with a healthy sum of cash as your buy-in, though.
Online poker
Online poker is how the vast majority of people play the game today. The poker symbol can be seen at most online casinos active in New Zealand due to the game's popularity. Several variants are typically available, with Texas Hold’em being the most popular.
Online poker is widely available to players in New Zealand, thanks to numerous platforms catering to Kiwi enthusiasts. Many international online casinos provide their services to New Zealand players, giving access to a broad range of poker games and tournaments. However, with so many options out there, it can take time to identify the top platforms that offer the best gaming experience, secure environments, and player-friendly features.
By choosing well-established online poker sites, players can enjoy high-quality gameplay, robust security measures, and a wide selection of games tailored to different skill levels. With careful research, finding the ideal platform to suit your preferences becomes much easier, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable poker experience.
If you do stumble across a good New Zealand online casino for poker, then you’ll be pleased to know that many of them offer a full selection of games. This includes multiple variants of poker, plus some mobile gambling options. Nearly all of them will also allow you to play the game with a live dealer. The buy-in will be a little bit bigger, but it does come close to replicating the whole proper casino poker experience. This is great if you are in one of the parts of New Zealand that may struggle to get a proper land casino in the future.
There are some big poker players in the country
People in New Zealand love poker, which means that the country has produced some top poker players over the years. Although, let’s be honest, unless you are following the poker scene closely, you might not have heard of some of them.
Perhaps the biggest name in the New Zealand poker industry is Lee Nelson, who has managed to walk away with a rather cool $2.542 million in earnings, with the vast majority of this coming from a win at the Crown Australian Poker Championships back in 2006. Sosia Jiang is a close second, with $1.482 million to his name, but since he played at the World Series of Poker back in 2019, he seems to be slightly better known.
Sure, you’ll rarely find the big New Zealand players playing at the majors in the US or Europe, but the country does still have some amazing poker players.
The future of the New Zealand poker scene
We can only see the poker scene in New Zealand getting bigger and better. Sure, the country is somewhat isolated from the rest of the world, but the increase in the number of online casinos offering their services to Kiwi players is helping to push the game forward. Experts believe that the poker scene will explode in popularity here too. We can’t wait to see that happen!
