Poker is a table game that is featured in the lobby of most casino sites. The origins of the game can be traced to the 16th Century domino-card game played by the Chinese emperor. It is a card-based game with the goal being to have the best hand at the end of the game round.
To have the best experience playing poker, you need to choose a good New Zealand online casino. As a New Zealand player, you can find the best poker sites New Zealand that offer awesome bonuses and services.
Best Sites for Online Poker in 2022:
• PokerStars
• 888 Poker
• Bet365 Poker
• Bodog Poker
• PartyPoker
• TigerGaming Poker
Players from New Zealand need to consider several things when choosing a poker site to join. First, they must ensure that the site is licensed and regulated by a top licensing authority such as the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission. Asides from that, New Zealand players also need to consider the payment methods accepted by the casino and if the bonuses they can claim. We recommend that you should always read reviews of the poker site you want to join so that you can know how reputable it is.
Is Online Poker Legal in New Zealand?
Some New Zealand players often get confused and conclude that poker is illegal because of the existence of government-owned provincial poker sites. The truth, however, is that poker is completely legal in New Zealand.
You only need to make sure that the poker site you join is licensed by an approved authority so that you will not fall into the hands of a scam poker site. You should also note that you must be at least 18 years old before you can gamble on poker in New Zealand.
Different Types of Online Poker:
• Texas Hold’em
• Seven-Card Stud
• Omaha
• Five-Card stud
• Razz
There are several types of poker that you can play online such as those listed above. These poker types share similar gameplay but they usually have additional rules that differentiate them.
Throughout this article, we will be explaining how these poker variations are played. One good thing about playing poker online is that the rules of the game are always available for you to read. You can also play different poker variations in free mode to get familiar with how they work before betting real money.
Texas Hold’em
In Texas Hold’em, players will be dealt two cards face down. After that, the player to the left of the dealer will place a big blind which other players can decide to call, raise or fold.
Once the players have made their decision on how to continue with the game, the dealer places another card on the table during the flop, turn, and river round. The last stage of the game is the “Showdown” where the player with the best hand wins.
3 Card Poker Online
3 Card Poker is a game between a player and a dealer. To start the game, you will need to place an ante wager after which you will be dealt 3 cards face down. After checking the card, you can decide to either place a play bet or fold. If the dealer has a high card, then your play wager is returned to you. However, if you have a better hand than what the dealer has, you win in the game.
Omaha Hi:
Omaha Hi is another type of poker that is quite similar to Texas Hold’em. In Omaha Hi, players are dealt four hole cards at the start of the game. After that, the community cards are revealed in the same sequence as Texas Hold’em, the flop, turn, and river.
The goal is to form the best hand using two of your hole cards in combination with the community cards. Omaha Hi comes in two formats, the limit format, and the pot-limit format.
Omaha Hi/Lo:
Omaha Hi/Lo also referred to as Omaha 8 shares the same gameplay as Omaha Hi. The only difference between the two is that Omaha Hi/Lo has two pots as opposed to the single pot in Omaha Hi.
There are a high pot and low pot in the game which players can win. Players with the best “Hi” 5-cards will win the high pot while players with the best low hand will win the low pot. If there is no low hand, the player with the best hand wins the entire pot.
Draw Poker
In Draw Poker, the first player to the left of the dealer will place a small blind bet and the next player to him will place a big blind bet. Depending on the variation of the game, the dealer will deal the same number of cards to all players. After this, the betting round will start where the players can either call the big blind bet, raise, or fold.
Once bets are placed, players will be allowed to discard any of their cards to get new ones from the deck.
Online Poker New Zealand Rules
• Blinds/Ante
• Call
• Raise
• Fold
• All-in
• Showdown
The list above shows the basic rules of most poker games. Blinds/Ante are initial bets placed at the start of the game round which other players will need to match. Matching the exact amount of the Blinds/Ante bet is referred to as Call.
Raise in poker means increasing the Blind/Ante bet, and once that happens, other players need to Call the new bet value. Fold means quitting the game round probably because the card values you have are lower and you want to avoid losing.
Online Poker Strategy
Poker is a game that requires some skill. This means that you can also apply different strategies to improve your game. Professional players often “bluff” by calling or raising a bet even if they have a low hand just to induce their opponents to fold.
You can also use different playing styles such as aggressive, passive, tight, or loose while playing poker. We recommend that you test your poker strategies in free versions of the game before you start using them on the real money versions.
Online Poker Conclusion
Throughout this article, we’ve explained the different types of poker you can play as a New Zealand player. Besides that, we have also given you some tips that can help you improve your gameplay and chance of winning when playing the game.
Remember that poker is legal in New Zealand and you can play at a licensed gambling site. If you are new to the game, you can start with the free versions of poker to get familiar with the moves, rules, and gameplay.
